This is an interesting topic. Mostly because a lot of it deals with what if. I loved this class and what it's taught me, the discussions we've had, and the ideas we've thrown around. But I keep coming back to one thing. We are all FIJI. This is one group, who are different people but share very similar values, out of how many other fraternities there are throughout Ohio State. I know for a fact that a lot of them do not share the same values we do which makes it hard for me to wrap my head around "just us" having developed this ideal Fraternal Movement. Having said all that I understand that this is the type of movement and direction we want to be moving towards. It's just hard for me to talk about this topic with the above constantly berrating my mind.
Anyway our movement as many of the same goals that the one we live in today has. Obviously we want to advertise the good that Greek life does and hopefully get rid of all the bad publicity. The sad thing is the world today still believes that greek life is all "animal house" antics. The only way to get rid of that is to give the public more information about what it is Greek life is a part of and what it accomplishes. In addition a big part of our FM is the development of individuals as a person. While not all of greek life develops the type of character that FIJI's approve of I do believe that Greek Society as a whole emphasizes this in all of the people involved.
As for the difference I think the major difference is the way our councils are set up. These councils would incorporate members of every Fraternity and Sorority, respectively, and join them a single body to hear everyone's opinions, complaints, etc. This is quite the contrary to what we have now. While I think what we have now worked because of major issues in the past I think it needs to evolve and change to adapt to the specific issues of today. the issues of the past are not as prevalent, still there though, and by keeping groups separated we continue to make the issues of the past an issue during the present. Another major difference and one that I fully support is our ideal of Collaboration EVERYWHERE and between EVERYONE. I even consider myself guilty of this from time to time. In order to revolutionize Greek society Fraternities and sororities must be willing to collaborate with one another on a daily basis. Not once every 10 weeks. The more man power that is behind a SINGLE MOVEMENT the more it stands out and the more pressure it can put on society. In the end this makes the movement more successful and more effective.
These are the major difference and similarities, in my opinion, but of course there are plenty more where those come from. The key for me is to never settle for what we're at now. Once change starts to take place is when we work harder and harder. After we gain momentum is not the time to stop and congratulate ourselves. Making our Fraternal Movement a reality will take years of constant struggle and effort. But I know I speak for our entire class when I say we are willing to put forth that time and effort.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Change Agent
When reading this chapter in our text book a few things jumped out at me. The first of which was Collective Efficacy. One person can do a little bit, but a group of people can do a lot. If you have a group of people that are passionate, involved, and believe in what they are doing then they can be an unstopable force in creating change. A change agent is responsible to build this Collective Efficacy in order to create social change. No matter who they are no one can stand alone. I think this is probably one of the hardest things to do. To build a group from the ground up with people who like you, share in the same vision, but have different approaches and then maintaining that group to create change. It has to be one of the hardest parts to accomplish in creating change.
Another was the Facilitating The Change Process. This section talked about being open to change yourself. And of course having the willingness to accept changes for the better of the group. In my head, while I was reading this part, I was going through what I thought a person would encompass during this. Facilitating Change does not necessarily mean you are at the forefront and leading the charge. It might mean you're the quiet one who maintains the group and keeps them on task and focused on the problems at hand. Maybe your the one that asks about the opinions of others who are more reluctant to just shout them out. a person who Facilitates the Change Process can come in all shapes and sizes. That got me thinging about a Change agent in general.
In my opinion being a change agent will never be a uniform task. Much of the type of person you will be will depend on what social change you are trying to implement. There might be a time where you have to fight tooth and nail to gain even an inch of ground in the right direction. There could be times where you have to do hours and hours of paper work and emailing to gain that type o grind. Either way a change agent must do whatever they're called to implement their desired change. Without question I believe the ideal of a change agent is unique for every person, and every situation. Ha get it it's a constantly changing Change Agent. Try saying that 5 times fast.
I'd like to end with another little sub-heading I believe to be very important. "Experience is the Best Teacher". Such a simple little phrase but what a profound truth it holds. Our experiences are what have shaped our life. Without them we wouldn't be who we are today. We are constantly learning from our experiences, whether through failure or through success. Each and every experience teaches us something different. Some unique thought or idea that had eluded us before. I think this is very important to keep in mind. Especially when it comes to the rollercoaster ride that Social Change usually consists of. It's not always gonna be happiness and success. Failure and depression will also be a part of any change agent. However learning from those failures can mean all the difference in becoming a change agent and creating a better society for everyone.
Sorry this was so long. It was a really interesting chapter. See you all in class!
Another was the Facilitating The Change Process. This section talked about being open to change yourself. And of course having the willingness to accept changes for the better of the group. In my head, while I was reading this part, I was going through what I thought a person would encompass during this. Facilitating Change does not necessarily mean you are at the forefront and leading the charge. It might mean you're the quiet one who maintains the group and keeps them on task and focused on the problems at hand. Maybe your the one that asks about the opinions of others who are more reluctant to just shout them out. a person who Facilitates the Change Process can come in all shapes and sizes. That got me thinging about a Change agent in general.
In my opinion being a change agent will never be a uniform task. Much of the type of person you will be will depend on what social change you are trying to implement. There might be a time where you have to fight tooth and nail to gain even an inch of ground in the right direction. There could be times where you have to do hours and hours of paper work and emailing to gain that type o grind. Either way a change agent must do whatever they're called to implement their desired change. Without question I believe the ideal of a change agent is unique for every person, and every situation. Ha get it it's a constantly changing Change Agent. Try saying that 5 times fast.
I'd like to end with another little sub-heading I believe to be very important. "Experience is the Best Teacher". Such a simple little phrase but what a profound truth it holds. Our experiences are what have shaped our life. Without them we wouldn't be who we are today. We are constantly learning from our experiences, whether through failure or through success. Each and every experience teaches us something different. Some unique thought or idea that had eluded us before. I think this is very important to keep in mind. Especially when it comes to the rollercoaster ride that Social Change usually consists of. It's not always gonna be happiness and success. Failure and depression will also be a part of any change agent. However learning from those failures can mean all the difference in becoming a change agent and creating a better society for everyone.
Sorry this was so long. It was a really interesting chapter. See you all in class!
SCM model
I would like to start out by saying that I think the Social Change Model is a very interesting read. While yes it was very repetitive there was a lot of different information in the textbook that captured my attention. And that's where i'll begin.
The Social Change Model covered a lot of areas that are very familiar to me. Controversy with Civility, Commitment, Congruence, Collaboration, etc. were all values that i've come in contact with throughout my entire life. In essence they were things i've enacted and lived by every single day. However, specific words and definitions eluded me until I read our textbook. It was almost as if I had a "a ha" moment while reading the later chapters. Something just clicked. I have been searching for so long for ways to give a definition to my leadership style, or the way i go about handling things, or the way I interact with people but I was never able to. I could never put it into words. That is until I started reading our textbook and the SCM. In a way after reading it I almost felt enlightened. Like a burning desire to put into words the way I felt and the way I acted everyday had finally been achieved. I'm not even sure i'm making sense because that's how hard I find it to try and put this type of stuff into words. For the most part this is what the Social Change Model brought to me. It brought me a better understanding of myself and the way I feel towards each of the areas our textbook covered. It didn't necessarily introduce me to any new concepts but it was instrumental in me understanding more in depth material that things like Conflict with Civility and maintaining Congruence covers.
Sorry this was such a short post but i'm still finding it hard to put into words what the SCM model has done for me. Please feel free to comment and i'm sorry if it was hard to understand!
The Social Change Model covered a lot of areas that are very familiar to me. Controversy with Civility, Commitment, Congruence, Collaboration, etc. were all values that i've come in contact with throughout my entire life. In essence they were things i've enacted and lived by every single day. However, specific words and definitions eluded me until I read our textbook. It was almost as if I had a "a ha" moment while reading the later chapters. Something just clicked. I have been searching for so long for ways to give a definition to my leadership style, or the way i go about handling things, or the way I interact with people but I was never able to. I could never put it into words. That is until I started reading our textbook and the SCM. In a way after reading it I almost felt enlightened. Like a burning desire to put into words the way I felt and the way I acted everyday had finally been achieved. I'm not even sure i'm making sense because that's how hard I find it to try and put this type of stuff into words. For the most part this is what the Social Change Model brought to me. It brought me a better understanding of myself and the way I feel towards each of the areas our textbook covered. It didn't necessarily introduce me to any new concepts but it was instrumental in me understanding more in depth material that things like Conflict with Civility and maintaining Congruence covers.
Sorry this was such a short post but i'm still finding it hard to put into words what the SCM model has done for me. Please feel free to comment and i'm sorry if it was hard to understand!
FIJI Strenghts and those other areas
In my opinion FIJI has a lot of strenghts. The first and foremost is our morals. I believe, while many of us might stumble (myself included) that we stay congruent to the values we believe in. We are a fraternity that says one thing and then makes sure our actions and conduct exemplify what we proclaim. In other words we act the way we speak. I think this is a very important strength because not all fraternitites do this. How many fraternities say "we don't haze" and then how many actually follow that. I KNOW that we don't haze and we're very adament about following that policy. But i know of other fraternities who do not.
Another strength is our push to be the best in academics. We are very good about holding people responsible for their grades and pushing them to be the best they can be. I know I could turn to any one of my brothers if I needed help in a class. It's very comforting knowing each and every one of us is there for one another, whether its academics, you need a favor, or you just need someone to talk to.
I also think our dedication to being the best we can be is an impressive strengh. We are always striving to do/be better than before. The red bull chariot race challenge, greek week, academics, brotherhood, it doesn't matter what category it falls in. Our dedication at working hard to be the best is one of our greatest strengths.
For areas where we need improvement I will be echoing a lot of brothers. Social and Recruitment are probably one of our weaker areas at the moment.
The social aspect of the fraternity I'm as much to blame as anyone. I understand this is important to many brothers and I should be more open to these kinds of get togethers and facilitate as much as possible my brothers and mine interactions with sororities. I understand it is a great way to get our name out there as well as have a good time in the process. I have not done a good job in thinking about TG's and various other social aspects as I could and I would like to apologize for that. Next quarter I plan on doing better and hope that FIJI as a whole does better.
As for recruitment I am responsible for a lot of blame in this area too. I have not been very active on the recruiting trail and next quarter I plan on turning that around. I already have a few guys in mind that I would like to have come by the house more and meet my brothers. While I don't think this is a weakness there is definitely room for improvement and it all starts with me and my brothers finding guys around campus that we know would be good FIJI's.
Another strength is our push to be the best in academics. We are very good about holding people responsible for their grades and pushing them to be the best they can be. I know I could turn to any one of my brothers if I needed help in a class. It's very comforting knowing each and every one of us is there for one another, whether its academics, you need a favor, or you just need someone to talk to.
I also think our dedication to being the best we can be is an impressive strengh. We are always striving to do/be better than before. The red bull chariot race challenge, greek week, academics, brotherhood, it doesn't matter what category it falls in. Our dedication at working hard to be the best is one of our greatest strengths.
For areas where we need improvement I will be echoing a lot of brothers. Social and Recruitment are probably one of our weaker areas at the moment.
The social aspect of the fraternity I'm as much to blame as anyone. I understand this is important to many brothers and I should be more open to these kinds of get togethers and facilitate as much as possible my brothers and mine interactions with sororities. I understand it is a great way to get our name out there as well as have a good time in the process. I have not done a good job in thinking about TG's and various other social aspects as I could and I would like to apologize for that. Next quarter I plan on doing better and hope that FIJI as a whole does better.
As for recruitment I am responsible for a lot of blame in this area too. I have not been very active on the recruiting trail and next quarter I plan on turning that around. I already have a few guys in mind that I would like to have come by the house more and meet my brothers. While I don't think this is a weakness there is definitely room for improvement and it all starts with me and my brothers finding guys around campus that we know would be good FIJI's.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Service
So i'm gonna take this in a different direction also. I am a part of Buckeyethon and i'm really happy with the message and the goals that this organization markets for itself. Because of being on Buckeyethon I have had multiple opportunities to work closely with the kids who have have been/are being treated by the Children's Hospital. It has been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We've put on halloween parties, movie nights, and various other events like that where we get to hang out with the kids and remind ourselves the motivation behind what we do. These kids are special in so many ways. Some of their stories are just unbelievable. And despite all they go through they always have a smile on their face.
I can't begin to explain the impact this has had on me. I am thankful every day for my friends, family, and my health. I am capable of taking part in so much without being hindered by anything. To hear some of the stories of what these kids have gone through and to see how happy they are in doing the simplest of things, it never gets old. It reminds me of how grateful I need to be for all the blessings in my life. And the best thing is, it motivates us all (Buckeyethon) to raise as much money as possible to help these kids even more. Some of the most rewarding experiences are seeing the people you're trying to help smile and laugh like they don't have a care in the world. That is the kind of affect Buckeyethon has had on me.
Spending time with these kids has really opened my eyes to what kind of services are out there. Community Service comes in all shapes and sizes and sometime it can affect one person (like Quintero's email buddy) or multiple people. In the end Service is about bettering the lives of others who are less fortunate, or less able to participate in the things that we are blessed to be able to do. This one organization has showed me how blessed I am and how important it is to give back to my community. Not only will I become a better person but I have the ability to CHANGE someone's life for the better. That, in itself, is motivation enough for me.
I can't begin to explain the impact this has had on me. I am thankful every day for my friends, family, and my health. I am capable of taking part in so much without being hindered by anything. To hear some of the stories of what these kids have gone through and to see how happy they are in doing the simplest of things, it never gets old. It reminds me of how grateful I need to be for all the blessings in my life. And the best thing is, it motivates us all (Buckeyethon) to raise as much money as possible to help these kids even more. Some of the most rewarding experiences are seeing the people you're trying to help smile and laugh like they don't have a care in the world. That is the kind of affect Buckeyethon has had on me.
Spending time with these kids has really opened my eyes to what kind of services are out there. Community Service comes in all shapes and sizes and sometime it can affect one person (like Quintero's email buddy) or multiple people. In the end Service is about bettering the lives of others who are less fortunate, or less able to participate in the things that we are blessed to be able to do. This one organization has showed me how blessed I am and how important it is to give back to my community. Not only will I become a better person but I have the ability to CHANGE someone's life for the better. That, in itself, is motivation enough for me.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Dilemma Facing the Fraternal Movement
Well i'm just gonna jump right into it. I think the biggest problem is the stigma of "animal house" that has branded fraternities. I was a victim of it. My parents were victims of it. While both their's and mind has been changed that is only because I was lucky enough to find FIJI. If i had not been a part of this fraternity then I think I would still have the same attitude towards fraternities that I had growing up. I think the biggest challenge we face is how to we make that mentality disappear?
I remember when we talked about this in class and some interesting thoughts came up. More often than not "News" that gets around to schools and campuses and into people's homes is of the negative sort. Look at today's media. Very little is talked about unless it's in a "tragic" tone of voice. I think that is one of the problems Greek Life faces. Everyone knows about the bad things that happens but very little is done to promote the good that Greek life does
Another area is particularly troublesome in my mind. We have a saying that it only takes one person to screw things up for the rest of us. Well that goes for all of the Greek communtiy as well. It only takes one fraternity to make a ghastly decision whose consequences will screw us all over. Does anyone else feel like we're fighting an uphill battle? I do. I know how this fraternity has changed my life and my parents do as well. But how do we get others to know that. Especially one's who are not directly affected by Greek life.
I know this doesn't exactly answer the dilemma but i'm not sure I have one at the moment. It's a problem that is not gonna change unless a long term (many years) plan has been developed.
I remember when we talked about this in class and some interesting thoughts came up. More often than not "News" that gets around to schools and campuses and into people's homes is of the negative sort. Look at today's media. Very little is talked about unless it's in a "tragic" tone of voice. I think that is one of the problems Greek Life faces. Everyone knows about the bad things that happens but very little is done to promote the good that Greek life does
Another area is particularly troublesome in my mind. We have a saying that it only takes one person to screw things up for the rest of us. Well that goes for all of the Greek communtiy as well. It only takes one fraternity to make a ghastly decision whose consequences will screw us all over. Does anyone else feel like we're fighting an uphill battle? I do. I know how this fraternity has changed my life and my parents do as well. But how do we get others to know that. Especially one's who are not directly affected by Greek life.
I know this doesn't exactly answer the dilemma but i'm not sure I have one at the moment. It's a problem that is not gonna change unless a long term (many years) plan has been developed.
Brotherhood Vs Socials
So my extra blog doesn't have a video in it about the stupid things people do to give greek life a bad name. It's more of a topic that's been on my mind ever since I joined FIJI. I'm just very curious to get everyone's opinion and I hope that's alright and not against what were supposed to use as an extra blog. The question I'm asking is essentiall do you put on a different face around sororities? Now I understand this is kind of a cloudy question but please try to answer honestly. I want to hear everyone's opinion on it. Of course you can start by reading mine and then go in your own direction with it but please comment. I'm very curious as to how my brothers feel about this.
I joined FIJI because I saw brotherhood. Growing up with two older sisters it was not something I was accustomed to or familiar with by any means. I've been in more petty little fights with my sisters than I care to rehash, but i'm getting off topic. When I was first introduced to FIJI something inside me just clicked. It was like I finally found a piece of me that had been missing for my entire life. It was awesome and I've not regretted my decision since.
Then of course there is the social aspect of the Fraternity. I understand that we are a Social fraternity and want to have good times with Sororities. I have no qualm with that and genuinely support that ideal. However, I have been to 3 socials throughout the time that i've been a part of FIJI. Each one of them sucked. I'm not a shy guy so I don't mind introducing myself to girls and starting a conversation with them. At 2 of the TG's i even grabbed Mufasa and took him over to a group with me (Cause he's HOT) to try and get the girls to have a conversation with us. When they weren't on their phone texting or calling someone they were getting drinks and standing in an impenetrable circle of girls. It's annoying but that isn't really what bothers me the most.
More than a few brothers put on this facade when we go to these things and pretend to be someone their not. I don't know whether they think the girls will like them more or they're just putting on a show but it really upsets me. Mostly because the facade they put on is detrimental to what FIJI stands for. As soon as there are girls around us it's like they're a different person entirely. Many times i've been put down by people who would never say anything of the sort if it were just guys. Now don't get me wrong, I can take a joke but there is a difference between sarcasm and belittling someone continuously. I hate the idea that people do this. I joined FIJI because I loved what it stood for and the "Gentlemanly" attitude that we represent. When it's thrown back in my face at these socials, I just can't express in words how much this upsets me. It's not an isolated incident either. I have been to 3 TG's and at each one something like this has occurred.
I have been to a ton of brotherhood events and don't have a negative thing to say about it. Yes sometimes there are arguments and emotions run high but that's what a family does. They argue and get angry but in the end you know that each one of us is there for one another.
Anyway sorry if this was a long reading but this is something that has bothered me since I joined FIJI and I felt like this was a good time to throw it out there. Please comment I would love to know what everyone thinks!
I joined FIJI because I saw brotherhood. Growing up with two older sisters it was not something I was accustomed to or familiar with by any means. I've been in more petty little fights with my sisters than I care to rehash, but i'm getting off topic. When I was first introduced to FIJI something inside me just clicked. It was like I finally found a piece of me that had been missing for my entire life. It was awesome and I've not regretted my decision since.
Then of course there is the social aspect of the Fraternity. I understand that we are a Social fraternity and want to have good times with Sororities. I have no qualm with that and genuinely support that ideal. However, I have been to 3 socials throughout the time that i've been a part of FIJI. Each one of them sucked. I'm not a shy guy so I don't mind introducing myself to girls and starting a conversation with them. At 2 of the TG's i even grabbed Mufasa and took him over to a group with me (Cause he's HOT) to try and get the girls to have a conversation with us. When they weren't on their phone texting or calling someone they were getting drinks and standing in an impenetrable circle of girls. It's annoying but that isn't really what bothers me the most.
More than a few brothers put on this facade when we go to these things and pretend to be someone their not. I don't know whether they think the girls will like them more or they're just putting on a show but it really upsets me. Mostly because the facade they put on is detrimental to what FIJI stands for. As soon as there are girls around us it's like they're a different person entirely. Many times i've been put down by people who would never say anything of the sort if it were just guys. Now don't get me wrong, I can take a joke but there is a difference between sarcasm and belittling someone continuously. I hate the idea that people do this. I joined FIJI because I loved what it stood for and the "Gentlemanly" attitude that we represent. When it's thrown back in my face at these socials, I just can't express in words how much this upsets me. It's not an isolated incident either. I have been to 3 TG's and at each one something like this has occurred.
I have been to a ton of brotherhood events and don't have a negative thing to say about it. Yes sometimes there are arguments and emotions run high but that's what a family does. They argue and get angry but in the end you know that each one of us is there for one another.
Anyway sorry if this was a long reading but this is something that has bothered me since I joined FIJI and I felt like this was a good time to throw it out there. Please comment I would love to know what everyone thinks!
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