April Is Confidence Month

The month of April is promoting something that sorority women are often mistakenly stereotyped for -- confidence. Or rather, over-confidence. We are framed as, and frame women in other chapters as, thinking they are the “hottest women on campus” or are just so full of themselves that we wouldn’t even THINK of trying to become friends with them. No one wants to be considered this person, and especially not this chapter. Within these fabricated versions of one another, the reality is often missed.

What we fail to realize is that confidence in ourselves can be one of the most positive messages we can send out to one another as collegiate women. Panhellenic is promoting this self-validating confidence because it can be especially powerful within sororities. When you are not only comfortable with your true, inner self, but also with the physical

“When I first found out that Ethan and Daisy were dating again, I was afraid I’d see a different her, or at least less of her. But instead I see more of a better, happier Daisy. Now I realize that being in love is....being yourself.”

 attributes that make you who you are, you are confident and ultimately, more content.

  

Shouldn’t we all agree that our sisters love us in this way? Isn’t it for our true selves that our sisters love us?

Challenge of the week: Compliment a sister on WHO she is. Leave a sticky note on her desk or an anonymous note on her mirror.

We are always comparing ourselves to one another -- which chapter should be first on the Monopoly shirts, which sister always wears the cutest outfit to chapter, who tells the best jokes at lunch, or who seems to never gain any weight. It can even come down to who has the better boyfriend (sorry guys).

“Comparison is the thief of joy” - Dwight Edwards

The Recruitment Chairs recognized that this culture of comparison, combined with negative, body-image obsessed stereotyped community is not who we are. We make women better women. During “In Her Skin” we felt confident enough in ourselves to participate, and in doing so, realized how beautiful everyone else looked too, but in a way that can offer no comparison. In that day, we gave and received so many compliments -- not just to and from our fellow sorority sisters in other chapters, but from fraternity men as well. In fact, this event was so successful that your Panhellenic Delegates are opting for another “In Her Skin” day next semester.

So take this month to focus on what confidence really means to you. Your talent and contributions rarely go noticed in this world, wether or not your name is engraved in a plaque or noted in a “sister of the month” award. Be confident in what you love about yourself, and be brave enough to sincerely compliment another sister (especially one outside your own chapter) on her own attributes, even the ones you feel most intimidated by.

Happy April sisters, stay confident and stay strong!

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pick your favorite line, and write it in your planner!

The Optimists Creed

Christian D. Larso

I Promise Myself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.



By Amy Knight
Vice President New Member Services

 

Fraternal Thoughts- Like a Fraternity

Here is an entry from Fraternal Thoughts blog, written by John Shertzer

Fraternity men and women often feel like they are under attack.  And, to be honest, they often are.  It’s true that newspapers are more likely to print a negative story than a positive one.  And, it’s become common for university administrators to publicly chide the fraternities and sororities on their campuses in the hope that the students will accept it as a call to action.  Even those of us who advocate strongly for Greek-letter organizations can join the chorus of critics. 

Because of this, fraternity and sorority members can feel isolated and misunderstood.  We believe that we’re the only ones who truly understand the power of our experience.  How often have you heard or used the phrase “you just don’t get it until you are a part of it?”  It makes us defensive and possibly insecure. 

We feel unloved.  Disrespected.  Misunderstood.

However, I was reminded of something in the past week:  fraternity is still a powerful word.  One that deserves to be cherished.

In the midst of our worry about how the media and general public regards us, let’s not forget that “fraternity” is a word that people often race to when they want to describe the best of human relationships.

I was watching a special on ESPN that featured many football players who had won a Super Bowl ring.  One of the players told the host that winning the ring was made all the more significant because it meant that he joined a “fraternity” of men who shared the same achievement.  He looked around a room full of athletes who had achieved the pinnacle of excellence in their profession and decided the term “fraternity” applied best.

I was also watching a CNN feature on the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-Black fighter squadron in WWII that is the subject of a new movie, “Red Tails.”  One of the airmen, Wilbur Mason, reflected on his time with his peers and found the word “fraternity.”  The full quote reads:

“So it was like a fraternity. There was a tremendous amount of brotherhood because guys were helping each other, you know. A fellow couldn`t perform to some degree or could bear something immediately, his buddies would jump in and try to encourage him and teach him.”

Imagine the bonds forged by these pilots, who were not only battling racism, but also the fears of death and war.  That type of bond and connection deserves only the strongest possible word.  Yeah, fraternity sounds right. 

Fraternity is also a word uttered by firefighters who pledge an oath together and then walk into a building falling down.  Police officers and others who know the value of brotherhood when stepping into harm’s way also know the term very well.

Back to football: I remember an article a couple of years ago that caught my eye because of its title.  It was an essay entitled “We Are a Fraternity,” written by a former NFL player regarding the tragic death of Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Henry.  For this author, the term fraternity meant the unique shared experiences that brought together men who would otherwise have never connected.

A Google search for fraternity is not always a pretty picture.  The fact that the media will find and exploit the worst of us is now a given, and hardly worth complaining about.  In some minds, and in some places, the term fraternity has been trashed.  It’s the punchline for a joke, or the way to describe juvenile behavior.  Honestly, there will always some measure of negative public perception that we wish weren’t there.

But in those moments, when we feel the world is against us, let’s remember that our primary identity – fraternity – is still a word that positively symbolizes eternal bonds.  And this will continue, as long as we honor  the power of that word.  We simply cannot take it for granted.  

When others in our world choose to use that word to describe the best aspects of their lives, it’s as though they are saying to us: “you may have some problems, you may not be perfect, but when you are at your best, you are exactly what we aspire to be…”

“…a Fraternity.”

Persistence

After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home. An expert said of Vince Lombardi, “He possesses minimal football knowledge. Lacks moti...vation.” Beethoven’s teacher called him a hopeless composer. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Walt Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded. Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts. Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister of England until he was 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. His greatest contributions came when he was a “senior citizen.” Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbuster movie and highly successful television series. –Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen  

“To get over rejection, you have to realize that rejection is really a myth. It doesn’t really exist. It is simply a concept that you hold in your head. Think about it. If you ask Patty to have dinner with you and she says no, you didn’t have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked her, and you don’t have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked her. The situation didn’t get worse; it stayed the same. It only gets worse if you go inside and tell yourself something extra like “See, Mother was right. No one will ever like me. I am the slug of the universe!”

If you apply to Harvard for graduate school and you don’t get in, you weren’t in Harvard before you applied, and you are not in Harvard after you applied. Again, your life didn’t get worse; it stayed the same. You haven’t really lost anything. And think about this – you have spent your whole life not going to Harvard; you know how to handle that. The truth is, you never have anything to lose by asking, and because there is something to possibly gain, by all means ask.” –Jack Canfield

Reinventing Yourself

From Steve Chandler’s “Reinventing Yourself”

 Our energy and mood are created by the language we think with. The language impact is stronger than drugs, as medical tests with placebos have revealed for years. (“One pill makes you larger. The other makes you small.” Whatever the doctor says about the pill actually influences what the pill seems to do. )
People who are productive and fulfilled in life use a different language than the people who are struggling.  You can always tell where a person’s from by listening to the language he or she uses. Some people come from ownership, and some from visualization.
Owners use the words “I can” a lot, while victims favored “I cant.” Owners had goals, projects, and challenges, whereas victims had problems, hassles, and nightmares. Owners said they were busy, and victims said they were “trying to make a living.” Owners looked to see what they could get from an experience, while victims tried to get through it. Owners would plan things and victims would wish things.  

We don’t have permanent personalities; we have shifting patterns of thought. And patterns can be interrupted and finally replaced with other patterns. In baseball there are some hitters who can hit as easily from the right side of the plate as from the left. That wasn’t natural. It wasn’t who they were. No one is born that way. But they put new patterns in place and became switch hitters, now effortlessly and gracefully hitting with power and precision from either side of the plate.

It’s called Pattern Replacement. You can replace any pattern of behavior (or thought) with another. All it takes is relentless practice. You are not stuck. I am not stuck. We are not lost in the fabrication of who we are.


“Some people use language to describe the lives they lead, and other people use language to create the lives they lead.” –Becky Robbins

Behind every action is a thought formed in words that paint a picture. What do you want to paint?

Council Corner February 14th

 

Happy Valentines Day! The men of IFC surprised us this morning with roses. What a great way to start the day  :)

"My name is Frank, and I collect secrets." 

The WSU Greek community was so lucky to have Frank Warren from Postsecret come speak on Sunday at Beasley.  Frank told the audience of how Postsecret was started; he used to approach strangers with post cards and ask them to tell him a secret.

"It never made the secret go away. But it made the burden lighter"


As for the most common secret Frank receives, "I pee in the shower."

The second most common secret, something we all can relate to is that we are all on a journey to find someone we can be comfortable with. As sorority women, we should find solace in knowing that we have a sisterhood bonded by tried and tested links. Whatever it is we feel like we are keeping secret, some one in our chapter has been there!


"We don't keep secrets. Our secrets keep us. If you can get through it, if you can find your way from darkness to light, know this- you might like the person you had to become to get there. It gives you a story of healing."

This weekend, Something of Value is coming to our campus and we are so excited! The National Panhellenic Council puts on this event for sorority women to encourage empowerment and accountability. It is a values-based approach to risk-management education for collegians. The day-long program is led by a traveling team of NPC representatives and an attorney with NPC affiliation. Program format includes group discussions of values, a mock trial and teaching confrontation skills. Participants identify risky behaviors such as abusive relationships, substance abuse, academic dishonesty, eating disorders, financial mismanagement, hazing, harassment, personal safety concerns and other issues specific to their campus environment. Action plans are developed and collegians are empowered to follow-through.We'll see you there!

We are proud to announce the Greek Gray Out Game for the Men's BB team this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against Arizona State University. The sorority and fraternity with the most attendance get their own section for the University of Washington game behind the hoops next to the WSU band. Winning chapters will also receive prime time spotlights on their section during the game, on TV, and be apart of a video promotion with Marcus Capers.



Lastly don't forget that we are doing great things all the time on campus! If your chapter promotes a positive image for WSU Fraternity and Sorority life, Tweet it to us at @WSUPanhellenic and use #RSM. We are showing the world what a REAL sorority move is. 


Quote of the week: "If Plan A fails, remember that you have 25 letters left."

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One Step at a Time

One of life’s realities is that major improvements take time; they don’t happen overnight. But because so many of today’s products and services promise overnight perfection, we’ve come to expect instant gratification – and we become discouraged when it doesn’t happen. However, if you make a commitment to learning something new each day, getting just a little bit better every day, then eventually – over time – you will reach your goals.


Successful basketball players learn to shoot with their opposite hand, improve their foul-throw shooting, and work on their three-point shots. Artists experiment with different media. Airline pilots train for every kind of emergency in a flight stimulator. Doctors go back to school to learn new procedures and obtain advanced certifications. They are all engaged in a process of constant and never-ending improvement.

Make a commitment to keep getting better and better every day in every way. If you do, you’ll enjoy the
 feelings of increased self-esteem and self-confidence that come from self-improvement, as well as the 
ultimate success that will inevitably flow.


Being a better sister doesn't happen over night. It doesn't happen after a sisterhood, a chapter meeting, or a date dash. It happens through small perpetual acts of kindness. Every day will get better and better :)


In honor of continually working on our sisterhoods and our communities, we wanted to share some of the Tweets you have sent us about International Badge Day :)

Council Corner February 7th

First of all congratulations to the women of Gamma Phi Beta for winning the photo of the week contest!

Here are some updates from our Panhellenic Executive meeting yesterday

Rho Gamma applications are on Orgsync! In order to access the application you must be in the WSU Panhellenic group- if you request to join, one of our officers will approve you ASAP. Applications are due in Cub 323 on February 13th. Being a potential Rho Gamma means that you are an outstanding member of our Greek Community and represent all chapters on our campus. We wanted to give you some tips to best represent our community in your application.

• When referring to other members of our Greek Community, they are men and women, not boys and girls!
• We are members of different chapters, not houses. Chapter is your organization, a house is where you live. 
• The absolutely amazing, fun, and exciting lives we get to lead are as members of the Greek Community not the Greek System. We are a family, not a machine :) 

Good luck ladies, we can't wait to read your applications! 

This Saturday at 6:00 p.m. IFC and Panhellenic are proud to bring to you the "Greek Pink Out" women's basketball game! The Greek community and Cougar Athletics will pink out Beasley in support of breast cancer awareness.We are giving away $300 in Cougar Cash giveaways at halftime and "Cougs Wave Pink" shirts throughout the game. Come wearing your block letters or pink and support this amazing cause!

 There will be a Hazing and Social Justice program at 7:00 p.m. this Sunday, February 12th at Beasley Colosseum. This program will be brought to you by Postsecret, check out their website for more information.

This weekend Panhellenic officers Nicole, Ryan, and Elise will be headed to St. Louis to attended the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values conference. They will grow as sorority leaders and help strengthen our community with the experiences they will have! We can't wait to hear what they learn.

Lastly, International Badge Day is coming up on March 5th! Help us celebrate by commenting what your badge means to you on the blog and facebook page. You can also send us a Tweet @WSUPanhellenic and use #IBD12. The best responses will received gift cards!
Here are some fun facts about the badges from two sororities on our campus

• The six Founders of Kappa Kappa Gamma chose the golden key as the badge of Kappa Kappa Gamma and announced themselves on campus in 1870 after their badges arrived from the jeweler. 
• In 1897, the Founders of Alpha Omicron Pi rode bicycles from Barnard College down New York's Fifth Avenue to Theodore B. Starr's Jewelers to have their badges designed. Decades later, Founder Stella Perry would add to her story, "Fancy girls going down Broadway and Fifth Avenue on bicycles today!"

Lastly don't forget that we are doing great things all the time on campus! If your chapter promotes a positive image for WSU Fraternity and Sorority life, Tweet it to us at @WSUPanhellenic and use #RSM. We are showing the world what a REAL sorority move is. 


Quote of the week: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." -Henry David Thoreau

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International Badge Day

Thousands of sorority women of Washington State University will recognize their lifelong commitment to service, community and sisterhood by wearing their badges or Greek letters on International Badge Day Monday, March 5.

To begin to commemorate this occasion, some of the Panhellenic officers would like to share what their badge means to them.

Amy Knight Vice President New Member Education

"My badge is a constant reminder of the high standard that I have set for myself as a sorority woman. While it tells the world that I set my goals high and strive to the best of my ability to acheive them, it is also a symbol to me of the strong sisterhood bonds that inspired me to get there. My sisters are my support, my motivation, and my role models. With my badge I will carry them with me for a lifetime. "

Addie Borseth Vice President Recruitment Internal

"My badge is a symbol that I represent something bigger than myself. It is something I had to prove myself to earn, and in that is a privilege not a right. When I wear it reminds me to always be the best version of myself and to shoot for the stars in all that I do. "

Elise Van Vuren President

"My badge symbolizes the values that I choose to uphold an live by every day. I believe it is a tangible representation for how I am held to a higher standard and pushed to act out my sisterhood and values. It is also something that bonds the Greek Community together, because even though our badges may be different all chapters wear them and love them for the same reasons."

Comment on this blog, post to our facebook page or Tweet what your badge means  to @WSUPanhellenic and use #IBD12. The best responses will receive gift cards to The Bookie and will be published on this blog!

For more information on International Badge Day and ideas for celebration, click here

Love From a Child's Perspective

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.  See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.  That's love." Rebecca - age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.  You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time.  Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.  My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen," Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6

"There are two kinds of love.  Our love.  God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 8

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared.  I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.  He was the only one doing that.  I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody.  You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine -age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it.  But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.  People forget," Jessica - age 8

Sometimes kids really have it figured out. So often we talk about how we "love" our sisters, and how we show this love. It doesn't have to be a complicated ritual or an expensive sisterhood. We can love our sisters through daily interactions. Let someone who looks like they had a hard day go in front of you in the dinner line. If you sister is crying, sometime's you don't have to say anything at all, just don't let her be alone. Find love in places you would never have imagined.

Council Corner January 31st

This weekend at Greek Leadership Academy was so inspiring! It was an amazing experience to work with such motivated Presidents, Standards Chairs, and New Member Educators. Hopefully you all learned a lot and took something away from the weekend to share with your chapters.

This week during our Panhellenic Council executive meeting, we discussed how we can hold each other accountable and continue moving forward as a community. We decided to pose challenges to each other as officers, and to the community as well. During our meeting we discussed changing the mentality of a "total sorority move" to a "real sorority move". The sorority women of WSU are intelligent, motivated, and charasmatic leaders who do amazing things all the time! It is time to change what we do from TSM's to RSM's. If you do something for a woman in a different sorority, participate in an activity that benefits the community, or challenge yourself in any way- that is a REAL sorority move. Comment on this post of how you, or your chapter, has made a real sorority move this week and we would love to share it with everyone else! Also tweet your real sorority moves @WSUPanhellenic and use #RSM. Read more about the idea at http://trisigmablog.org/?p=527%2F

Just a few housekeeping items

• Rho Gamma applications are now available on Orgsync and can be turned into the Greek Council office in CUB 323 when finished.
• Don't forget to submit your picture of the week to the Washington State University Panhellenic Facebook page! The picture with the most likes will get published on the website and in the blog :

Quote of the week: "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell

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That's all! As always, go cougs go greek!