Region VI Leadership Conference.....
Feb. 12th, 2006 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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deltachi]
Last week, I received an email invitation from Trent Unterbrink, regent of Region VI, to attend the upcoming Delta Chi Region VI Leadership Conference being hosted by the chapter at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Oxford's only about an hour's drive away from me, so I said I'd be there on Saturday if the wife okayed it.
She did, and I got dressed into my suit and tie (proper attire was required for Saturday's events). After a pancake breakfast at Beef O'Brady's, I made the drive down I-75 south to Route 129 west, through Hamilton, into Millville, and north on US 27 to Oxford. Miami U (not to be confused with the University of Miami in Florida) has one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever been to. The school was founded in 1809, so there's a lot of history and heritage. One famous alumnus is Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who played his college ball at Miami of Ohio.
I arrived at the Shriver Center (student union) around 1:15pm. I knew almost no one there. Conference coordinator Mark William greeted me at the door and introduced me to some of the chapter members and prominent alumni in attendance -- Paul Bohlman, "AA" Steve Bossart, "CC" Tom Horowitz, Monte Johnson, Miami "BB" Jim Adams, and Trent.
Soon afterward, Steve Bossart gave his presentation on Perception vs. Reality. How do other greeks and the administration of each school perceive the Delta Chi chapter at their school? He had called people on the phone and reported their findings. Bottom line: There are two things to do with those perceptions: accept them or change them.
After Steve's talk, we broke out into smaller groups. I attended Tom Horowitz's session on alumni relations, Paul Bohlman's session on ABTs, and Adam William's session on resumes, interviews, and networking.
Tom's session was mostly geared toward chapter "E"'s. It covered alumni newsletters, email lists, and the ever-touchy subject of asking for donations. Key points I came away with:
· Alumni can recruit other people who can later be initiated as alumni initiates
· Alumni should be the ones asking for donations from fellow alumni, not chapter members
· One chapter sends their associate members to an ABT meeting
Paul's session detailed what an alumni board of trustees (ABT) does: they act as advisors and provide long-term continuity to a chapter. Key points I came away with:
· Each chapter officer can (and should) work with an ABT member on a one-to-one basis
· Not all ABT members have to be Delta Chis, but the majority should be Delta Chi alumni
Adam's talk covered the basics on how to write resumes. what to do during interviews, and how to network. As an alumnus who has been out of school over 15 years, I also offered some of my advice and experiences to the active members.
After the breakout sessions were over, we gathered on the steps of the Shriver Center for the group picture. Afterward, dinner was served in the Heritage Room: a buffet consisting of salad, green beans, mashed redskin potatoes (quite apropos, in my opinion), pecan chicken, and ham. Apple pie and chocolate cheesecake were served for dessert. (Meanwhile, it started to snow outside.)
After dinner came the Ritual Exemplification session. The members of the Miami Chapter demonstrated the initiation ritual, followed by a Q&A session led by the national leaders, many of whom were past or current members of the Ritual Committee.
After the Ritual Exemplification was the Alumni Initiation ritual. Most of the actives went to the chapter house, while graduating seniors (and alumni such as myself who haven't been through this ceremony) were invited to participate. It's one that is conducted by alumni only; active members do not participate in this ceremony. It's relatively new; we did not have this when I was an active. My "alumni initiation" was being tossed into Lake LaSalle by my fellow brothers. :-)
After the Alumni Initiation, I chose to leave early due to the weather, said my goodbyes to the leaders, and headed home.
Wrap-up: It was great to go back to my roots and meet with the alumni and actives of the chapters in Ohio and Michigan. For the past few years, I've felt that I have something to offer the young men, should they choose to accept that gift. I'm hoping that my presence there enriched their leadership conference experience.
deltachi]Last week, I received an email invitation from Trent Unterbrink, regent of Region VI, to attend the upcoming Delta Chi Region VI Leadership Conference being hosted by the chapter at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Oxford's only about an hour's drive away from me, so I said I'd be there on Saturday if the wife okayed it.
She did, and I got dressed into my suit and tie (proper attire was required for Saturday's events). After a pancake breakfast at Beef O'Brady's, I made the drive down I-75 south to Route 129 west, through Hamilton, into Millville, and north on US 27 to Oxford. Miami U (not to be confused with the University of Miami in Florida) has one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever been to. The school was founded in 1809, so there's a lot of history and heritage. One famous alumnus is Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who played his college ball at Miami of Ohio.
I arrived at the Shriver Center (student union) around 1:15pm. I knew almost no one there. Conference coordinator Mark William greeted me at the door and introduced me to some of the chapter members and prominent alumni in attendance -- Paul Bohlman, "AA" Steve Bossart, "CC" Tom Horowitz, Monte Johnson, Miami "BB" Jim Adams, and Trent.
Soon afterward, Steve Bossart gave his presentation on Perception vs. Reality. How do other greeks and the administration of each school perceive the Delta Chi chapter at their school? He had called people on the phone and reported their findings. Bottom line: There are two things to do with those perceptions: accept them or change them.
After Steve's talk, we broke out into smaller groups. I attended Tom Horowitz's session on alumni relations, Paul Bohlman's session on ABTs, and Adam William's session on resumes, interviews, and networking.
Tom's session was mostly geared toward chapter "E"'s. It covered alumni newsletters, email lists, and the ever-touchy subject of asking for donations. Key points I came away with:
· Alumni can recruit other people who can later be initiated as alumni initiates
· Alumni should be the ones asking for donations from fellow alumni, not chapter members
· One chapter sends their associate members to an ABT meeting
Paul's session detailed what an alumni board of trustees (ABT) does: they act as advisors and provide long-term continuity to a chapter. Key points I came away with:
· Each chapter officer can (and should) work with an ABT member on a one-to-one basis
· Not all ABT members have to be Delta Chis, but the majority should be Delta Chi alumni
Adam's talk covered the basics on how to write resumes. what to do during interviews, and how to network. As an alumnus who has been out of school over 15 years, I also offered some of my advice and experiences to the active members.
After the breakout sessions were over, we gathered on the steps of the Shriver Center for the group picture. Afterward, dinner was served in the Heritage Room: a buffet consisting of salad, green beans, mashed redskin potatoes (quite apropos, in my opinion), pecan chicken, and ham. Apple pie and chocolate cheesecake were served for dessert. (Meanwhile, it started to snow outside.)
After dinner came the Ritual Exemplification session. The members of the Miami Chapter demonstrated the initiation ritual, followed by a Q&A session led by the national leaders, many of whom were past or current members of the Ritual Committee.
After the Ritual Exemplification was the Alumni Initiation ritual. Most of the actives went to the chapter house, while graduating seniors (and alumni such as myself who haven't been through this ceremony) were invited to participate. It's one that is conducted by alumni only; active members do not participate in this ceremony. It's relatively new; we did not have this when I was an active. My "alumni initiation" was being tossed into Lake LaSalle by my fellow brothers. :-)
After the Alumni Initiation, I chose to leave early due to the weather, said my goodbyes to the leaders, and headed home.
Wrap-up: It was great to go back to my roots and meet with the alumni and actives of the chapters in Ohio and Michigan. For the past few years, I've felt that I have something to offer the young men, should they choose to accept that gift. I'm hoping that my presence there enriched their leadership conference experience.
