Commitment to Alpha Chi Omega

I honestly initially joined a sorority so that I could make new friends and make Ohio State feel a little smaller. Little did I know that joining Alpha Chi Omega not only was the best decision I have made so far at Ohio State, but has changed who I am and my life in so many ways. Alpha Chi Omega is not just another organization I am involved in, it IS my passion. These women have shown me what it really means to be a Real. Strong. Woman. and I strive to seek the heights on a daily basis to be a good representation for the organization. After becoming president my vision and passions for the organization changed tremendously as I realized that I needed to make change to keep morale and membership high for our chapter. I became passionate about changing what it really meant to be in Alpha Chi Omega besides going to socials and sisterhood events. I wanted us to live out the standards as our ritual tells us to do. I wanted our women to actually understand what our ritual meant so that they could live out our these standards and values. This pertains to social change because I think the Greek community as a whole needs to take a step back and acknowledge what their ritual means and reflect to see if their actions meet the ritual. I think we have progressed in terms of risk management, but being in Greek life means SO much more than partying with your favorite fraternity/sorority.

I think the hardest way to stay committed to my individual values in the group atmosphere is definitely at social events with our chapter. It is difficult being the bad guy at events to my sisters. I know my sisters have good intentions at events, but sometimes get a little out of hand. I just know that at one time in my membership, admittedly, I have been the sloppy mess at a TG, and I feel like a hyprocrite yelling at women when I have done similar things. However, I do think members mature as their membership progresses and actions like these begin to diminish as they realize what the organization is actually about. Trying to get members as passionate as I am about Alpha Chi is also often difficult because I know some people are not as engaged and involved as I am.

I think group members should come together and express his or hers personal values to find those that are in common. Once the common values are found, the group can work towards living out and demonstrating those values. Having established values will allow each other to hold another accountable. However, I think that it is still essential for individuals to retain his or her own personal values to stay true to themselves and contribute views and opinions from these. I do not think that it is possible for someone to be congruent at all times. I believe that at some points in our life, we have to make decisions that don't match our personal values, but may be better for the group at large. Sometimes we have to compromise values to come to a consensus about an action that needs to take place.

Values

I think that our values arise from our character and how we choose to carry ourselves with other people. You can assure you're spending time on your values by your everyday actions and behaviors. Congruence is extremely important when it comes to values because if the actions do not meet up with the given value, you do not stay true to yourself and can become distrusted by others. At this point in my life, I value, school, Alpha Chi Omega, my family, friends, community service, and BuckeyeThon. With such a hectic schedule, it can be difficult trying to fit in everything. I have prioritized my values in order of importance to me, and I ensure that I attend to those values first before spending my time elsewhere. I make a point during the week to spend time in each of my values. The most difficult, but one of the most important one to uphold, is spending time with the family. In being at school and not seeing them everyday, I often times overlook fitting them in my schedule and keeping them updated. After school, I most value Alpha Chi Omega and ensuring that the chapter is running as successfully as possible. Although this value is extremely important as well, I sometimes wish I didn't spend as much time and effort into it. Sometimes I put the organization before my school work, when I really should be focusing most of my time and energy in getting my degree at Ohio State. I think making a balanced schedule of all of these values is important to make sure time is being spent in the appropriate places.