The Greek Letter - Office Of Greek Life - Florida State University

October 2011 / Volume 3 Issue 1

The Office of Greek Life Staff: Robyn Brock, Assistant Dean / Director [email protected] James Hunt, Associate Director [email protected] Nicole Gray, Assistant Director [email protected] Danielle Rudd, Student Program Assistant [email protected] Arthur Doctor, Graduate Assistant [email protected] Michelle Robinson, Graduate Assistant [email protected]

The Greek Letter

In This Issue . . .

A Growing Community Page 2

A Growing Community (cont.) Page 3

IFC Page 4

Summer Oasis Page 4

Multicultural Greek Council Page 5

Order of Omega Page 6

The Taskforce for the

Advancement of Greek Life

Page 7

ΚΑΨ Distracted Driving Town

Hall Meeting

Page 8

Greek Open Forum Page 8

Greek Life Opportunities Page 9

From the Director

C ooler weather is making its way through Tallahassee and I hope are

finally able to enjoy the “fall” weather Florida has to offer! We are

at the mid-point in the semester and students are taking full advantage of

the wonderful programs Greek Life provides. In this edition of The

Greek Letter we are able to share some great statistics about recruitment

efforts, the Taskforce for the Advancement of Greek Life, and several

events. I am very pleased to share that our Greek community has grown

since last fall. There are a little less than 5,400 students in Greek organiza-

tions—that means 16.8% of undergraduates have gone Greek!

Many of our chapters in all four councils are in the middle of

their new member programs or about to complete their initiation ceremo-

nies. I hope everyone is enjoying this special time with their newly initiat-

ed members. Although there are many exciting events occurring within a

chapter and across campus this semester, I want to remind our students,

leaders, alumni, advisors, and friends that we must focus on the safety and

respect of our members.

Are you and your chapter acting as good influences for your new-

er members? Are you upholding the standards of your fraternity or sorori-

ty and treating them with the respect they deserve as future leaders of

your chapter? Take a step back and reflect on your and your chapter’s

actions. Remember, your actions will distinguish who you are as a person.

Let’s focus on making sure all our actions, whether we are wearing letters

or not, are from a place of care and respect. If we approach our experi-

ences that way, I believe our organizations will be stronger, more endur-

ing, and, ultimately, the most trusted organizations on our campus.

We look forward to a continued successful year and spring se-

mester. For more information about programs, resources and services

related to fraternities and sororities, please contact us at

[email protected] or visit our website at http://greeklife.fsu.edu .

Fraternally,

Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 2

A Growing Community—Greek Life is Getting Larger! For the second year in a row the Greek community at FSU has experience

unparalleled growth, a sign that students at Florida State are looking for the dy-

namic leadership and personal development experiences offered by FSU’s fra-

ternities and sororities. Recruitment and Membership Intake for all four coun-

cils have brought many new students to the Greek community this fall.

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) had another very successful fall rush with

nearly 700 men joining chapters during Rush Week. IFC sponsored “House Pre-

views” the week prior to Rush to allow men interested in previewing

fraternities an opportunity to visit chapters, and Rush Week was bustling with

activity both at the campus fraternity houses and Heritage Grove. The average

size of an IFC fraternity is now 91 men with an average new member class size

of 30.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and its member organizations have

been hard at work this fall as well organizing events to help spread the word

about Greek life at FSU. The NPHC sponsored a “Meet the Greeks” event

where interested students could come out and meet with representatives from

each chapter to learn more about getting involved. In addition, many of the

NPHC chapters are in the midst of Membership Intake, and we expect

significant growth in the coming weeks.

The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) is also in a state of rapid growth. In

addition to hosting “Greek Speak,” an MGC information session for students

wanting to get involved, MGC chapters have been hard at work as well in their

own Membership Intake programs as many chapters are taking new members

this semester. MGC is coming off of a period of rapid expansion where the

council has doubled in size in a mere five years, and we expect that growth to

continue this fall. Continued page 3

Greek Life facts:

25 Chapters received a National

or Regional award in the past

year

$531,000+ were raised for

philanthropic endeavors

63,000+ hours were committed

to performing service in the

community

160+ Registered Student

Organizations are led by

members of the Greek

community

16.8% of the undergraduate

student body are Greek

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Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 3

Growing Community—Greek Life is Getting Larger! (Cont.)

The Panhellenic Association held its annual fall formal recruitment in

mid-August, and despite seemingly record heat, Panhellenic saw an all-

time record high participation in recruitment. Over 1,500 women

participated, nearly breaking Panhellenic’s all-time record for registration.

At the end of the recruitment week, 1,040 women joined the Panhellenic

community. With over 3,000 women in the Panhellenic community and

an average chapter size of 191, the Panhellenic community is as large as it

has ever been, and the community is looking towards the future with the

addition of Alpha Omicron Pi as the 17th member organization.

This fall alone over 1,700 FSU students have made the decision to go

Greek, and with a community size nearing 5,400 students, the Greek com-

munity at FSU now comprises over 16% of the undergraduate

population and is 11% larger than it was one year ago. Greek membership

provides an unparalleled developmental experience for FSU students, and

as long as the Greek community continues to focus on its ideals of leader-

ship, service, scholarship, and friendship, Greek life will continue to thrive

at Florida State.

Fall Panhellenic Recruitment Bid Day

Upcoming Events:

10/11

All Presidents’ Meeting

10/13

On the 8

10/29

Parents’ Weekend

11/8

All Presidents’ Meeting

11/10

On the 8

11/14-11/19

Homecoming

11/23

Initiation Deadline

11/24-25

Thanksgiving Break

12/9

Last day of classes

12/12-12/16

Finals Week

1/6-1/8

Greek Leadership Summit

The Greek Letter greeklife.fsu.edu

Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 4

The Interfraternity Council

A fter a strong recruitment process, the 23 fraternities in the IFC

welcome more than 700 new members to their organizations this

fall. This number is the highest they have seen in years. “We are

pleased with the growing Greek community and look forward to in-

creasing out contributions in both time and fundraising efforts,” said

David Ward, IFC President. The IFC men are committed to improving

our FSU community as seen by the IFC Constitutional requirement of

having all new members complete the Men Advocating Responsible

Conduct (MARC) certification. In addition, the IFC Gives Back philan-

thropy this semester is working specifically with the College Student

Veterans and the Veterans Association to walk in the parade, host a film

festival, and volunteer with other institutional efforts. Through these

efforts, IFC is making a strong contribution to our FSU community.

A Step in the Fight against Hunger: Summer Oasis

C ontinuing in their tradition of excellence and service to the

community, the National Pan-Hellenic Council at Florida State

packed the Oglesby Union Ballrooms for the 2011 Summer Oasis Step

Exhibition. Summer Oasis is an annual event hosted by the FSU-NPHC

in the month of July. The show allows each of the council’s active or-

ganizations to showcase one of their many talents, the art of stepping.

As a special addition to this year’s program, the council asked that all

attendees bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Dean of

Students Department Food Pantry. The Food Pantry is an initiative that

was started to provide meals for FSU students facing financial hardships

and crisis situations. With a crowd of more than 1,000 students, alumni,

staff and community members, the NPHC made a significant contribu-

tion to the Pantry and to the lives of their fellow Seminoles in need. We

are extremely proud of the Council for their wonderful performances

and service to others. We hope that you will join us next year for

another amazing Summer Oasis.

Greek Life facts:

We’re proud of our growth! Over

1,700 students made the decision to

go Greek. The FSU Greek popula-

tion is 11% larger than it was last

year.

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*Ringside Entertainment

Photography

Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 5

Multicultural Greek Council

T he Multicultural Greek Council and its organizations have spent the last

decade seeking to promote diversity and cohesion on campus and in

the community. As the council continues to grow in numbers, their impact

can be felt across many campus organizations. One of the goals for the com-

ing year is to continue to find ways to show off their unity to on campus. In

addition, the council will spend a considerable amount of time promoting

itself to the FSU community through their MGC Mixer, collaboration with

the Center for Multicultural Affairs, and MGC Sneak Peak.

With any event the MGC puts together, there is always an emphasis to make

sure that all participants feel welcomed and are learning about themselves.

This summer the group collaborated with the Center for Multicultural Af-

fairs. During the event, participants were challenged with creating an identity

playlist. What is an identity playlist, you ask? Well try it yourself. Find a col-

lection of songs that would express who you are and where you have come

from. Once each student took time to analyze and create a playlist the shar-

ing began. Slowly but surely the hums of lyrics and music were present after

every presentation. From this event, each student walked away with a tune in

their heads and a dance in their step. A fun and creative way to talk about

diversity and how we are all different but fit together so well.

The most recent event MGC held was their Sneak Peak. In an effort to pro-

vide a space for each of the organizations to present themselves to interested

individuals, the executive board put together this event to showcase the won-

derful 11 organizations within the council. As the interested members looked

on to the presentations of the groups, there was a spark that was present in

the room. MGC has shown that there is a place for anyone in their council

and the Sneak Peak gave its audience a chance to learn that and spread the

word.

Throughout the year, you will find MGC participating in intramurals, Dance

Marathon, and reaching out to other councils to continue collaborative ef-

forts. Look out for the council and the fantastic work they are doing for

Florida State, their council, and the community at large.

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Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 6

Order of Omega

T he Omega Epsilon chapter of Order of Omega has officially begun

its membership drive for the semester. Members of our Greek

community who hold junior or senior standing, as well as earned a cumu-

lative grade point average of 3.2 were emailed applications and urged to

apply.

Order of Omega is a Greek honorary society that recognizes students

who have excelled in both leadership roles and scholastically. It is de-

signed to represent the top 3% of students within our Greek community.

Founded at Florida State University in 1998, hundreds of men and wom-

en in the FSU Greek Community have been inducted into this prestig-

ious Order to promote the ideals of leadership, scholarship, and service

throughout our community. Florida State’s chapter of Order of Omega

has been one of the strongest in the nation in recent years, and it is our

office’s hope that we can return to that level once again.

After completing the interview process, 37 students were invited to be

members. Order of Omega hopes to “hit the ground running” with dif-

ferent programs and events that will be beneficial to the entire Greek

community. We know that representation from all four councils, the

Omega Epsilon chapter of Order of Omega will leave a positive and im-

pactful influence on campus. For more information on Order of Omega,

please contact Arthur Doctor at [email protected].

Congratulations to the new

members of Order of

Omega:

The Greek Letter greeklife.fsu.edu

Beau Barnett Taylor Bouwmeester

Tiffany Bustamante Michele Callahan

Paulina Cromwell Michelle Datz

Ksthryn Davis Kaylae Dorr

Anna Douglas Lauren Douglass

Chase Eller Janice Eusebio

Meagan Flint Colvin Georges

Heather Green Melanie Hare

Joshua Hawes Allison Johnson

Samantha Kelly Daniel Moreno- Koenig

Lindsey Laux Ashleigh Lenfest

Kimberly Lynch Carly McDowell

Kacey Mahoney Natalia Marciales

Ludger Marsan Ghislaine Mendoza

Ashley Micciche Shannon Nehrig

Morgan North Dana Saperstein

Carl Sharpe Emily Talpalar

Anwar Thomas Megan Thompson

Joseph Toppa

Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 7

The Taskforce for the Advancement of Greek Life

I n the past few years, the Greek community at Florida State University

has faced a variety of challenges and successes. We are proud to talk

about the accomplishments such as expansion, increasing chapter sizes,

and chapter awards. The members of the Greek community are clearly

having a positive impact in many ways.

We would be remiss if we did not address the challenges. Within the past

two years, chapters in three of the four councils have been found respon-

sible for hazing allegations, bystander behavior issues, fraud, and other

issues, and as a result have been removed from our campus This is not

behavior that represents the shared values of our community. We want a

strong, thriving Greek community that is based on academic excellence,

strong brotherhood and sisterhood, leadership skills, and a commitment

to give back to our community.

Now is the time for action. Given that we want to support a thriving

Greek community and have support from both our Vice President for

Students Affairs and Dean of Students, we have the opportunity to evalu-

ate our community and establish a path of success for the future of our

Greek community. It is from this realm that the idea and function came

to establish the Taskforce for the Advancement of Greek Life.

The Task Force will meet monthly to process and analyze the information

received at the Open Forum. Members will decide what additional infor-

mation is needed such as benchmarking, focus groups, etc. A strategic

action plan with specific, measurable, attainable, realistic goals will be im-

plemented in the short and long terms. The Task Force will create a

master document including the Open Forum analysis, Consultant Report,

changes made by Greek Life staff and Councils, and a plan of action to

align the Greek community with shared values and the FSU mission. The

document will be submitted to the Dean of Students, Vice President of

Student Affairs, and other constituents. The Taskforce will meet through-

out the school year to review the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and

threats related to our Greek community. To find more information about

The Taskforce please visit http://greeklife.fsu.edu/taskforce/.

Greek Life facts:

The Interfraternity Council (IFC)

currently has 23 chapters.

The Multicultural Greek Council

(MGC) currently has 11 chapters.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council

(NPHC) currently has 7 chapters .

The Panhellenic Association (PH)

currently has 16 chapters.

“Sometimes leadership is planting

trees under whose shade you’ll never

sit.” - Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm

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Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 8

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and U.S. Department of Transportation to host Distracted Driving Town Hall Meeting at Florida State University

T he Theta Eta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated

in conjunction the U.S. Department of Transportation will conduct

a Town Hall Meeting on Distracted Driving on Wednesday, November

30, 2011 at 2:00 PM. Distracted driving is an epidemic on America’s

roadways. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed and almost 500,000

more were injured in distracted driving accidents. Young drivers under

the age of 20 are the most likely age group to be involved in a distraction-

related crash.

To help combat this dangerous behavior, U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Ray LaHood will lead a week-long tour from Monday, November 28

through Friday, December 2 that will include events at high schools and

colleges across the country. Kappa Alpha Psi at Florida State University

has been chosen to host one of the ten town hall meetings. Kappa Alpha

Psi invites the Florida State University Greek Life Community to join us

along with FSU’s Student Government, campus student groups, safety

advocates, community and health officials, law enforcement, legislators,

public officials, concerned citizens and those who have lost love ones to

distracted driving.

There will be more information to follow; however, if you should have

any question or require addition information in the interim, please contact

George Hamilton via email, [email protected] or 954.554.7921.

Greek Open Forum

T he firsts steps for the Taskforce began at the Greek Forum held on

October 2. The Office of Greek Life sincerely appreciates the par-

ticipation from all four councils, chapter advisors, alumni, house directors,

FSU staff, and all other individuals present. We are committed to using

the information collected from each group as a starting point for our Task

Force. The SWOT analyses from the Greek Forum have been compiled

and uploaded to the Taskforce webpage. You can find them by browsing

http://greeklife.fsu.edu/taskforce/ or by clicking here to open the

document directly.

“The legacy you leave is the life you

lead. We lead our lives daily. We

leave our legacy daily. The people you

see, the decisions you make, the

actions you take—they are what tell

your story.” - Kouzes & Posner , A

Leader’s Legacy

The Greek Letter greeklife.fsu.edu

U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Ray LaHood

Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 9

Emerging Leaders Course

T he Emerging Leaders Course is a three credit-hour course taught each

spring semester by staff from the Office of Greek Life. This selective lead-

ership development course is open to newer members of the Greek community

who are selected through an application and interview process. Blending aca-

demic and cocurricular content, the course helps students identify and formulate

personal values in the context of their Greek experience, develop relationship

skills through interactive dialogue and presentations, and demonstrate cognitive

development through self-evaluation and the creation of leadership action plan.

For the upcoming spring semester, Greek Life is excited to announce that there

will be two course sections offered. We are hoping to have 50 students enrolled

in the course.

Mandatory Interest Meetings (MIM)

T he National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council kicked

off the fall semester with the MIM program. In true Greek unity, the chap-

ters in both councils came together to provide four informational opportunities

for students interested in joining an organization. The program included an over-

view of the councils, along with a question and answer portion, and time for in-

terested individuals to meet chapter representatives. The meetings have been a

great success with attendance in excess of 200 students. NPHC and MGC look

forward to hosting this event again during the Spring 2012 semester.

On the 8: The Legacy Series

J oining a fraternity or sorority is more than just being a member of your chap-

ter, it should involve a healthy understanding about the entire Greek Commu-

nity at The Florida State University. Throughout three different sessions, various

new members of the Greek Community will come together to not only learn

more about the different governing councils, but also to establish new friend-

ships and relationships with “seasoned” members in the community. On The 8

prompted new members to engage in conversation with older Greek community

members about common values and potentially holding future leadership roles.

Leaders within the Greek Community encouraged the new members to strive to

live out their values and to define the Greek Community through actions of ex-

cellence and not mediocrity. Over 80 members attended the first On the 8 meet-

ing of the semester. The Office of Greek Life looks forward to seeing more

attendees at the next two On the 8 sessions.

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