Phi Kappa Tau Blog

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Good and Loyal Citizen •July 18, 2012 • 2 Comments
By: Great Lakes East Domain Director John Kaczynski, Central Michigan ’04

Within the classroom, political science faculty often lecture about the value of being an engaged citizen and becoming more focused on public service. Every November, we as citizens and brothers have the opportunity to participate in the election process. Sometimes we vote for a president, a governor, a Congressional member, or a millage renewal for our schools. We are offered the privilege to participate in the election process, and we should try to take advantage of this opportunity when we get the chance.

Programs sponsored by many universities around the country assist with increasing student involvement in the election process and public service. These student organizations have been involved with voter registration drives around campus and also try to involve students in local, state, and national political conventions. Two organizations in particular are usually very active with the election process: the College Democrats and College Republicans. Both organizations usually assist with campaigns for candidates at the national, state and local governmental levels. Students who are involved in campaigns engage in activities ranging from phone banking at local campaign offices to “stumping” and door knocking with political candidates. Perhaps most importantly, both organizations also usually participate in voter registration drives on their campuses.

Beyond politically partisan-based student organizations, there are other ways to become involved. At Saginaw Valley, we’ve had students in the Model United Nations program go out to area high schools and give presentations to students about the United Nations. Another student organization at SVSU is now involved with organizing political science students to engage in a variety of off-campus activities. One of these activities has been developing a program that registers and informs high school students to vote, along with talking about the value of public service and also about how to become engaged within their local communities. To put this into perspective, six students acquired $6,000 in grant funding and spoke with more than 2,000 students at 15 high schools in 2011-12.

What has caused this change in perspective with college students?

Whether it is because of a generational characteristic or the collegial environment, it is key for all of us to understand the importance of the Millennial Generation’s change and affinity for public service and civic engagement. For example, in most presidential elections, more than 50 percent of Americans come out to vote. In 2008, this percentage increased, as 57 percent of the American voting population voted. This was the highest voter turnout for a presidential election since 1968. 
Upon closer examination of our voting population, the turnout has sometimes not been as high for certain age groups.

The 18-29 age group has had a long history of low participation in elections. But this voting trend has changed over the past decade. In 2000, only 42 percent of the 18-29 age group turned out for the presidential election. However, 48 percent turned out for the 2004 election and 54 percent turned out in 2008. This is a major change in voter turnout, which has taken place within a very short time period. What are some reasons for this higher voter turnout since 2000? Some researchers indicate that this change is due to the characteristics of the current 18-29 age group.

This current 18-29 age group is best described as the “Millennial Generation” (or Baby-Boom Echo). All individuals who were born between 1977 and 1994 fall into this generational category. The Millennial Generation has characteristics most alike their elders from the G.I. or “The Greatest” Generation (1901-1924) who had trust in government and community, were civic-minded, and put public interest over personal gain. Most importantly, both generations believe in the value of public service.

Further examination of the Millennial demographic in 2008 shows that this generation made up 20 percent of the total voters in 2008. About 48 million Millennials were eligible to vote in 2008 and this demographic has been increasing at a rate of 4 million individuals a year. For the 2012 election, it is estimated that there will be 64 million eligible Millennial voters, which will make up 29 percent (almost one-third) of all eligible voters. As November approaches, we will begin to hear more political advertisements about the different candidates running for office. The candidate or party that is able to create a message that resonates with the Millennial Generation will appeal to these 64 million eligible voters. As in 2008, the Millennial Generation could be key to winning the presidential election.

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Sometimes we, as fraternal men, are overlooked as a service-based organization. As our fraternal paradigm has shifted to “Learning. Leading. Serving.”, so should we as brothers. Most individuals will only consider service through a philanthropic lens, but the value of being a “good and loyal citizen” can be more than just fundraising money for a cause. Service can mean that we become engaged citizens within our communities. Whether it is your college or town community, engaged citizens add value to their community through some of the involvements that were listed earlier. However, it doesn’t need to end with only registering people to vote and knocking on doors for political candidates. It could mean your chapter appoints someone to attend local city council meetings; it could mean that your chapter participates in a community beautification project; it could mean that brothers in your chapter assist with shoveling driveways or mowing lawns for senior citizens that can’t do so. It could even mean getting elected to your Student Government.

As we look to the future, we as brothers should always remember to be a “good and loyal citizen.” As fraternity chapters, we should pay this type of engagement forward and lead by example in our communities and teach them about the value of service and why it is important to become engaged citizens. As we have seen, many colleges, universities, and fraternities are playing a major role with helping educate Millennials about citizenship and the value of public service, whether through sponsoring extracurricular activities and events that involve political participation, or by increasing the knowledge of public service and civic engagement through campus life. In addition, many college and university faculty have also been developing coursework that discusses public service and civic engagement. All of these approaches have been shown to decrease political apathy and increase political and civic engagement on-campus. All of these approaches teach future generations what it means to be civically minded and function as a good and mindful citizen. But the best approach is to lead by example through our own participation in the democratic process.

[modorney]

Getting Out of Guyland •July 20, 2012 • Leave a Comment
By: Jordan McCarter, the director of chapter services and membership experiences for the Alpha Omicron Pi fraternity. Jordan also served as a Character Coach at Leadership Academy 2011.

The first thought I had when I was asked to write a guest blog was, “But I’m a girl.” Yes, I have a unisex name, but I’m a girl. My colleagues would balk at my saying “girl” instead of “woman,” but I don’t mind it. (Incidentally, I use “boy” in equal measure.) The fact that I stopped to think about what I, as a female and a member of an NPC group, would say to a fraternity readership, is telling. In men’s and women’s fraternal organizations, we spend a lot of time together. But how much do we stop to think about what we can learn from each other?

Take your stereotypical recruitment. Fraternities are hanging out and getting to know potential members. Great fraternities are doing it without alcohol (aside from the risky behavior, you truly don’t learn much about someone when they’re drunk). By the time a guy gets a bid, he’s probably been on a rafting trip, to a baseball game, or even just had some wings at the house. Granted, on a recruitment camping trip, they ran out of chips, the guy in charge forgot to light the grill so burgers were an hour late, and then there was that recruit from Kentucky. That cool guy. The one in the PFG shorts. That guy was awesome, we should bid him. Wait, what was his name?

The point is, fraternities are engaging with potential members via regular social interaction (again, not drunk). This is how normal people get to know each other. It is not done, as my people might think, through clapping, singing, and conversational rotations in precise five-minute increments.

Panhellenic sororities take recruitment seriously. It’s color-coded, assigned to committees, entered into spreadsheets, timed with the accuracy of a Swiss watch, practiced, perfected, and then practiced again. The songs from the movie “Grease” are changed, memorized, and choreographed. The door opens and closes on cue to avoid a $75 fine. No girl leaves the house with even a used napkin because we don’t want to get in trouble.

Then four days later, new members arrive and the sisters don’t know if one is a table-dancing drunk or cheated her way through high school math. But by god, everyone knows she’s on dance team and likes to ride horses. Yes, it’s obsessive, a little crazy and often women make choices based on other people’s opinions. However, it’s organized, involves teamwork, and most importantly, it’s done with passion.

Think about those concepts and apply it to things like service projects, Greek Week or study hours.

I know a fraternity chapter where study hours included writing obscenities in the library Bible collection and not one new member was initiated with over a 3.0. How effective were those “study hours?” I also know sororities where girls are called into standards because they forgot to sign in at study hours. Not that they forgot to go, they forgot to sign in. Who cares if she got a 4.0? Let’s make her cry because she forgot to write her name down!

Are sorority women so uptight that we’ve taken all the fun out of things? Then again, are fraternity men so lax that there’s no real accomplishment? Are women so obsessed with pleasing everyone else that their own experience lacks depth? Are men apathetic to the point of neglecting their own experience?

Of course, this isn’t always the way it is. There are campuses where phenomenal chapters work in partnership to accomplish extraordinary things. When we’re not working together, though, what could we take from the other gender’s practices? We do have a lot to learn from each other. As most guys would tell us, women just need to calm down sometimes. But guys could make their experience more worthwhile with a little effort. And I promise, you can do it without having to learn the songs from “Grease.”

[modorney]

We’re Holding Out for a Hero: A Love Letter to Fraternity Men •August 7, 2012 • 23 Comments
By: Vice-President of Communications for Delta Gamma Fraternity Cori Wallace, who also serves professionally as the director of marketing and communications for Sigma Sigma Sigma National Sorority.

Cori is a Phriend of Phi Tau whose commitment to interfraternalism has led her to many appointments within our community. Cori works tirelessly with fraternity men around the country through national programming like the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute and organization specific leadership programs.

I share stories for a living. Every day, all day, I tell your stories and hear the stories of fraternity men and sorority women. It is an awesome job—the absolute best job I have ever had.

My job has led me to have conversations with men like you that blow my mind. Hours and hours of listening has been the privilege of my life. I’ve picked up on one central truth: Being a young man is hard, hard work. Figuring out what being a man is, how men should serve others, what it means to be a father or a friend. Wow, those conversations have made me struggle with how I can be a better woman and friend to you. I learn from you because of the stories you share. I’ve heard these stories at leadership programs, memorial gatherings, alumni reunions, chartering banquets and conventions for more than a decade.

I believe the story of fraternity is designed to make you nothing short of a cultural hero. Fraternity is designed for you to be an icon of character, chivalry, scholastic and cultural excellence. We create spaces and places in fraternity that are etched so deeply in our collective memories, bound so tightly in the story of our life, that we can simply walk on a college campus and feel what we once felt at age 18 or 21. We create incredible memories that are shared with our best friends. Those stories define us.

Most of the best stories have a hero involved. But don’t take my word for it! According to story-telling expert Kurt Vonnegut, most great stories go something like this:

Part 1: I am a good person, and the world is a good place. Oh look! Here’s an opportunity for something AMAZING to happen! (The most beautiful girl in the world walks by. The fluxcapacator makes a time machine. I discover I have some kind of superpower.)
Part 2: I am a good person, and something bad or challenging has befallen me. (The girl has a boyfriend and he looks like Ryan Reynolds and has the money of Mark Zuckerberg. The time machine needs lightening. Yeah, I have a superpower, but so does that other guy over there. And he’s a jerk.)
Part 3: I am a good person who has decided to be great. I step up and do something amazing. And the world rejoices.
Part 2 is key here. The distance between Part 2 and Part 3 can feel like a freaking minefield. But the men in my life figure out what courage looks like, and they navigate the mines. Deep breaths, one foot in front of the other, they model the way to greatness.

We need you to get to Part 3. Our culture needs you to step up and be a man. We need more men in the world who are living with purpose. Here’s the honest truth.

We need you.

Our world is complicated. We have people who need ethical leadership and demonstrations of exemplary character. People are starving. Wars are being waged. Children are running from danger. Cultures are crumbling. Learning has taken a back seat to survival, and not to freak you out or overwhelm you, but our organizations were founded to elevate the experience of life. We were all founded to fix the problems of the world, using focused attention to some weighty principles.

We still need you.

I see the stories of fraternity men. I’ve been in some. You’ve been in my stories. Let me give you a tip. The best stories of fraternity don’t start standing around a keg. Want to be a hero? Figure out how to craft a story with real bonds, in real environments, where you are called to be a man stone-cold sober.

I don’t know much, but I know what is like to have a fraternity man, a real man give me stone-cold chills from his actions of courage and conviction. I’ve seen fraternity men stand up and decide to lead. I’ve heard the men in my life describe why the chapter they joined, the brothers they trusted have fallen afoul of the fraternity’s mission and purpose, and suggest, bravely, that the group needs to change course. I’ve seen fraternity men explain the vision of an organization with such conviction, I would assume the ghosts of the founders were whispering in his ear. I’ve watched fraternity men serve as pallbearers, best men, honor guards, tutors, battle partners, wakeup calls, motivators, and accountability buddies in each others’ lives.

I’ve watched fraternity men fight, laugh, love and cry together. I’ve seen men step up and do heroic things. No fraternity man is perfect. Not all of those memories are things we are proud of. Some of those memories aren’t the best demonstration of your character. That’s okay. Make amends when needed, take a breath, and move on knowing better. Just do better, because that’s what a man does.

If you are still in school, you may believe this is a bit much.Ask yourself this question.

Does my chapter encourage our members to be fraternity men?

Does your chapter encourage equality? Character? Ethical choices? Am I my best self because I joined Phi Kappa Tau? Is this a place I am proud to bring my family? Will I meet my confidants, colleagues and best friends because of the bonds we are building? Do we serve others? Do we care about improvement? Do we extend our hand to people in need? Do I hold myself and my friends accountable? That’s a man.

And man, we need more of THAT in the world. We need more Phi Kappa Tau. We need more men who step up in the name of the mark of distinction. I know plenty of bros. I know tons of dudes. “Brahs.” We need more brothers in the bond of fraternity. If you’ve see the ritual of Phi Kappa Tau, you have seen and experienced what men look like when they commit to something huge. Every time. You are signing up for something heroic.

The ritual element of fraternity should serve as a reminder that you are a man.

“I shall try always to discharge the obligation to others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.” And thank goodness.

In case you had any doubt what a fraternity man can do to make his life story powerful and heroic, you can take a peek at what you, as fraternity men, have taught me.

A fraternity man reads. A fraternity man reads his ritual, reads the paper, reads books that make no sense and books that speak to exactly where he is in his life. He reads the Bible and the Koran. He reads and gives books away, because words are powerful when used properly.

A fraternity man cares more about his badge than his bow ties. A gentleman in a bow tie or a beautiful suit is a thing to behold. But if you don’t have your badge anymore, or have lost connection to the relationships in fraternity, your bowtie or other marks that you are a gentleman become nothing but a costume. A real fraternity man knows when to humbly serve in a T-shirt and jeans. His badge, even if he’s not wearing it, is a part of his outward appearance because he is living his ritual.

A fraternity man knows the power of family. There is a reason you call the Phi Tau men in your life your “brothers.” A brother, father, son, or husband is a man who has stared commitment down and made some choices. The choice to support your family is the choice of a man. Only your family will be there when things get tough. That’s why we love to see you get married or have a child. You’ve made a choice to expand your family. Powerful stuff.

A fraternity man grieves when things are lost. Grief and sadness, closure and farewell are all a part of the fraternity story. As a fraternity man, saying goodbye should be something you learn how to do. A real man says goodbye like a gentleman, with mutual respect, because he honors the fact that things end.

A fraternity man knows how to love. Real love, the love of a person or an institution is unselfish and ego-free. It liberates and does not hold. The love of a fraternity man is more than a song and more than words on a page. The love of a fraternity man is demonstrated by his actions. Love liberally and in an unguarded way. Love will find you when you most need it. A real man loves with intention, and fraternity is tied by the actions of men who loved the potential of brotherhood. That potential speaks to us even today, and that is because of love.

A fraternity man will never treat another human like they are worth less, or worthless. A real fraternity man is humble, hardworking, and uses his letters to elevate other people, rather than look down on those who are not a part of his personal circle. The mark of a boy is someone who puts other people who are unfamiliar down. There is simply no excuse to denigrate others.

A fraternity man knows that ritual and purpose give rise to greatness. We don’t want you to be normal. We expect you to be great. Those expectations exist because of the ritual of your organization. The ritual is powerful. It is constructed to push you to rise up and serve others at a level most men will never see. The purpose in your story will make you a hero if you let it.

We’re holding out for a hero. I’m thinking that hero could be you.

With love,

Cori Wallace – Delta Gamma Fraternity

Proud wife of a fraternity man. Proud sister to a fraternity man. Proud friend to countless fraternity men.

[modorney]

W.W.T.I.N.R.S. •August 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
By: 2012 Shideler Award winner and past Southeastern Interfraternity Conference’s Man of the Year, Ben Donlon, Louisville ’09.

“Without work, there is no real success.”

-Morton Walker

As a child, one of the first things I learned was that if you wanted something, rarely would it fall into your lap. Instead, you had to exert the effort and hard work in order to achieve it. The satisfaction of achievement reached through hard work and dedication has always been far more rewarding than simply being handed satisfactory results.

When I came to the University of Louisville in the fall of 2008, I encountered one fraternity that exemplified the ideals of hard work and success. Alive with the excitement of a spectacular new house on the corner of Greek row and the satisfaction of recently achieved goals, it was evident that the brothers of Phi Kappa Tau worked collectively to reach greatness.

I knew nothing about Greek Life, or even what the strange symbols on the side of the nice new house represented. As I meandered up and down Greek row, several fraternity men told me of their accomplishments as they recruited me to join their organization, but none could provide proof of the hard work they had invested in their achievements.

The brothers of Phi Tau, however, demonstrated their investment in the value of hard work. They weren’t number one in academics, intramurals, or social status, but they had something unique from any other organization. Grades rise and fall, athletes come and go, and last year’s most outrageous party will soon be replaced by the next big thing. Despite their deficiencies, I was sure the brothers of Phi Kappa Tau exemplified the one thing that mattered most: Passion.

As a newly initiated member, I quickly realized that while passion was an important key to fueling the fire, there was much work to be done to ensure the success of my newfound brotherhood. There was a mountain that needed to be climbed…and soon. Our organization boasted one of the strongest brotherhoods on campus, but we didn’t have much more to offer at that point. At the time, I was not in any position to drastically revamp the entire environment. I knew that with time I could make the necessary changes to build a strong organization, and when that day came I wanted to be ready to act.

I spent one night chatting with a combination of past and future leaders. We threw around some ideas for how we could improve the Beta Beta chapter in the next few years. I listened intently as the elder brothers reflected on what they wished they had accomplished in their four years at the University of Louisville. We developed ideas for how to improve a chapter that had, in recent years, settled for mediocrity. We made a goal, large but attainable—something that the Beta Beta chapter had not even discussed for several years. The future leaders of Phi Tau resolved to win a Maxwell Award by the time we graduated. (Luckily, none of us graduated on time, so we had an extra semester to get this done!)

We left that night inspired; I was charged with a passion that I had never before felt with any group or team. Tirelessly, we worked together to create change within a system not susceptible to it.

As any great leader knows, the right decisions are not always the most popular. Sometimes we weren’t liked, even hated. However, we continued to set our sights on the long-term goals. Despite some resistance within our chapter and beyond, our strong leadership and vision led to a continued rise in academics, philanthropic donations, community and campus involvement, and intramural accomplishments.

In my undergraduate years at the University of Louisville, the Beta Beta chapter has reached a level of success not seen since 1996, the year of our last Maxwell Award. Recently, the last hurdle to conquer stood before us. It was time to demonstrate the product of our hard work in the 2012 Maxwell application.

Months passed after the submission of our application. With every passing day, our anxiety rose as we wondered whether if we would be selected as a finalist.

On a sweltering hot afternoon in June, my iPhone buzzed, signaling I had just received an e-mail—an e-mail that changed everything. I have won state championships and prestigious awards, but none of these achievements compared to the excitement I felt as I read the text on my screen. The Beta Beta chapter was selected as a Founders Four chapter. All of the hard work, long nights, headaches, sweat, and occasional tears had finally paid off.

No one knows what the will future hold. Your chapter may be the worst on campus. You may feel like you don’t have a shot to reach the top. You may even be thinking of quitting. It is important to realize that one person cannot change a chapter. A strong chapter requires a group of motivated, passionate, inspired individuals who are willing to dedicate hard work to facilitate improvements and change.

Without work, there truly is no real success.

Life will throw you curveballs and place you in some of the most difficult situations, but it is what you do with these obstacles that determines where you’ll end up. Face the curveball with confidence and rigor, and you’ll hit a home run out of the park rather than striking out. Ask for help when you’re faced with a tough situation, and realize that with practice you will reform each strike of the past into a solid hit of the future. Find alternatives when you feel like you’re stuck. Explore, interact, inquire, and never accept mediocrity or excuses as roadblocks on your path to success. Remember, on your path to greatness, that there is no elevator to the top of the highest mountains—the only way up is to climb.