Congruence and Consciousness of Self

Out of all of the Cs, I believe that congruence is the most important when acting as a change Agent. This is the one C that you, as an individual, have complete control over. In order to be fully congruent, one must first have a consciousness of self. Once someone has figured out what their values, beliefs, attitudes, and emotions are, they can then move on to congruence, acting on these elements. In my opinion, understanding yourself can be the most challenging part of being a change agent. It takes years and years to understand your own self. As you grow and live through different experiences, your values, beliefs, attitudes, and emotions may alter. As these change, you will then alter how you act in accordance with these, which is congruence. Before trying to initiate change, it is vital to understand where you stand on at least the issues at hand.

Congruence is how we most effectively convey our beliefs to others. As Emerson explained, “Your actions speak so loudly, I can hardly hear what you’re saying.” Congruence is so important, because you cannot ever make anyone else change their behaviors or beliefs, however you can control your own actions, and that is what other people really pay attention to and mind. It is our job as a change agent to be the change that we want to see.

In having a consciousness of self and acting congruently, it will help with the other Cs. In understanding yourself and presenting your thoughts through actions, it is easier to deal with controversy in a civil manner. In doing this, people will be more apt to understanding and perhaps even agreeing with your way of thinking. Even if they do not agree, they may be more open-minded and considerate if you present your ideas and values confidently and calmly. This ability to communicate effectively can aid in creating collaboration, as you and the others can work together to create a shared vision. When everyone has a shared vision, your group will more likely be committed to the cause. Depending on the nature of the change, hopefully it will demonstrate citizenship; those involved in the cause will most likely believe their effort to display this. With all of these aspects tying together, the group will most likely achieve change. Obviously, all examples will not have the Cs in this order, but most Cs will be demonstrated (positively or negatively) at some point and will work together in some way during a time of change.

Vision

My vision for Epsilon is a place where the collegiate women can enjoy their college experience and meet the standards of Delta Gamma, while involving alumnae and making themselves and alumnae proud.

I envision a chapter where women respect themselves and one another, all while staying true to themselves and going out and socializing in a responsible way. I hope that women of all ages will remember our shared aspirations and ideals and will commit to the longevity of our chapter here at Ohio State, not jeopardizing it through rash decisions for the present.

I hope that I can begin to make more time to talk with and listen to current Epsilon members about what they hope to get out of their four years here at Ohio State. I also hope I can read more of our history and listen more to alumnae’s visions for our chapter and Delta Gamma as a whole. Hopefully, this will allow me to work with all ages of women more effectively and be able to help both parties make choices that meet as many women's needs and hopes as possible. I expect myself to remember this vision as I finish my presidency, for the remainder of my senior year, and, most importantly, for the rest of my life as an alumnae. 

Collaboration

       Collaboration can often be difficult for leaders, because they may begin to make their own agendas. Collaboration is all about having a shared vision. In terms of a sorority or fraternity, I believe our mission statements or constitutions outline what the shared vision should be. However, each class should have liberty to construct their own specific goals to achieve the shared vision. Every group of people is a bit different than the group that came before them, so living out the ideals set forth by the fraternity could look quite different. Although I don’t necessarily care for the idea of forcing ideas onto other people, when you join a sorority or fraternity, you are joining the ideals and values of that organization. While accomplishing these ideals and living through these values, unique ways of collaboration should definitely be used. Each person is diverse and has a variety of ideas, skills, etc., which should be combined to further the cause of the fraternity or sorority, without sacrificing the mission.

        This idea of having a pre-set mission or vision for an organization that is passed down through the generations can be a bit confusing for people. Some women join the sorority and then question why they must adhere to these ideals. Although this is a valid question, no one forces the women to commit to these values, because they never had to join the first place. The real collaboration comes in when the current group of collegiate women unites in their individual talents and efforts to effectively work towards the goals that they interpret from the overarching vision set forth by the fraternity. 

Citizenship

Our chapter of Delta Gamma has been going through some questioning stages of our citizenship lately. A specific example includes the idea of philanthropic giving, education, and socially responsible personal and professional behavior. Recently, our director of fundraising wanted to add an event called “Slices for Sight,” which is the selling of pizza on our lawn between 11:00 pm and 2:00 am. I didn’t think too much of the event, but agreed with the other women that the late night sale would raise quite a bit of money to donate to Service for Sight, our philanthropy to benefit people with visual impairments. After the discussions arose about PHA’s plan to have “Water Wars,” I began to think more about the ideas behind our philanthropic events. Shaina, our PHA representative, Sharrell, and I were engaged in a discussion about philanthropy events here on OSU’s campus. It was during this discussion that Sharrell suggested incorporating education into our philanthropy events. Everyone seems to lure people into their events with cool sporting events or delicious food, but when we get them there, we take their money and send them on their way. It would be so much more meaningful if when we had them at the event we engaged them in even a few seconds of education about the cause. This would enable more people to be knowledgeable and potential advocates for the cause that we already care so much about. During these discussions, the idea of socially responsible personal and professional behavior was also brought up. Although this event was great to raise funds for philanthropic giving, it was not going to work for the educational component, because let’s be honest—most people coming to buy food that late at night will most likely be drunk to some extent. Is this socially responsible? I don’t think that it is. Preying on drunken people makes the individual chapters look bad, and also the whole Greek community, because a lot of non-Greeks do not know the difference from one chapter to another. These people will probably not differentiate between the drunkenness and the worthy cause, as they clash and there will be a stigma with the event. Although I got outvoted to cancel the event “Slices for Sight”, I hope that in the future, we can choose philanthropic events that do more than just raise money, but will also move our cause of Service for Sight forward. 

We are the ones we've bee waiting for

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -President Barack Obama

I always felt a little uncomfortable about an event that the older Delta Gamma women hosted after Initiation and before big events. They said it made us closer- I felt it tore us apart. I will not necessarily give details about the event, but I will reference it. I will go through the stages of change and reflect on my actions to generate the change:


1. I created a sense of urgency by explaining that if this event was found out about by OSU officials, we would be put on probation. I also explained that Delta Gamma advisors had been given tips about the activities, and I did admit to the event occurring. Some say I ratted the chapter out, but I don't lie.

2. I tried to create a guiding coalition, but who wants to stand up to 114 of their peers? The women who seemed to be on board sat there silently when I confronted the chapter. With time and encouragement, other women stepped up and defended their stance. Some still don't agree.

3. I wrote the chapter a letter and reminded them of the oaths we had all taken. I directly quoted our values and set restoring those positive behaviors as the vision.

4. Everyday was filled with communication. After the letter outlining my disappointments in myself and the chapter and establishing some of the goals for the future, each woman wanted her own individual explanation. Every second of everyday was filled with rephrasing the same message over and over again. Eventually it resonated with some- others are still opposed.

5. I tried to empower the women by challenging them to come up with a better tradition to replace this one. I explained that they could leave a new legacy and they would be accredited for years to come.

6. In changing the tradition, they ridded of the public humiliation, but continued to drink after Initiation. This was obviously not ideal, but I had to take this as a short-term win and appreciate a compromise.

7. During the next quarter, women tried to resume the tradition with the reasoning that it was fine to do, since it wasn't directly after Initiation. This then forced me and my newly-gained coalition to produce more change. We had to explain that ending the tradition was not about breaking the rules of drinking around Initiation- it was about degrading our values.

8. This last step is something that still needs to be worked on. An unplanned receiving of the PPD Award from the national DG was a tangible way to show the chapter that we are moving in the right direction, and why stop now? I have been working with women who I see potential in to lead our chapter next. I hope that these women will step up to anchor new approaches in our chapter and keep the momentum going.

Finding elements from this experience to coordinate with these steps does not mean that I think I ran an attempt at change perfectly. They say things are always 20/20 in hind-sight, but I don't even think I can agree to that. Looking back, I see so many things I could have done differently and better that I don't even know exactly how I would do it, if I could do it all over again.

In reference to Obama's quote, I see why people wait around for another person or another time to initiate change. Change is hard. People reject the unfamiliar, and when you equate with the unfamiliar, you get rejected. However, if you desire change, you better act, because nobody else may ever do it. Decide what is important to you, and once you start, you can't look back.

Social Change in Progress

          I believe our DG chapter has been undergoing a very long and slow social change as a whole. When looking at the Change Model, it becomes obvious that the three stages, Group Values, Individual Values, and Society/Community Values are not always achieved in a certain order. That is the case in our house. Overall these past several years, we have been lacking in Citizenship to The Ohio State Sorority and Fraternity Community. This is not to say that no Delta Gammas were contributing positively to society as a whole, but overall, DG was not positively involved in OSU Greek Life: We were not well represented on PHA or other Greek executive boards or planning committees, and we did not actively participate in other sorority’s events.

            In order to change this level of Citizenship, we needed to address our Group Values. Luckily, we had a president who had very strong Individual Values that align with our National Delta Gamma values. She was able to challenge other people to assess their Individual Values, and see how their personal actions either confirmed of denied the beliefs that they held. She also forced others to confront their behaviors by having “statement of obligation reviews” to determine whether their actions were in fact in line with their personal values and/or our DG values. Eventually, most women began to unite around our DG Values or the Common Purpose of living our ritual daily. Of course there was controversy, but it hardly remained civil at first. For those women who refused to align with the Common Purpose of living up to our DG ideals, they were dismissed from the chapter. Although this is not an ideal solution, there comes a time when you need to focus your energies on the people making positive change and let go of those holding you back.

            This struggle of aligning the chapter with the Group Values still continues today, but more individuals have taken the time to evaluate their own beliefs and values and have made genuine efforts to collaborate more as a group to achieve Delta Gamma’s high ideals. Creating change is never easy, and we have seen the good, the bad, and ugly throughout this process. Everyday brings a new challenge, but without challenges, there would be no successes. I hope that we continue to work on the individuals who contribute to the group effort, so that one day we can be known for positively influencing our OSU Fraternity and Sorority Community. 

Motives and Social Change

       After reading up on social change, one idea lingered with me. The idea that serving others is often referred to as being “selfless,” but in actuality, even when we are helping others, it fulfills a personal need: mattering to others or supporting a cause that has meaning to us. There was also the notion of finding yourself through connecting with others. In reflecting on these two ideas, I started to realize that a lot of the service or volunteering I do is not selfless. I often volunteer at the Ohio State School for the Blind, and it turns out that this fulfills many self needs. This work is supporting education; Delta Gamma’s philanthropy is Service for Sight; and my mom is a teacher at OSSB. These truths are telling to the point that perhaps some of the motive behind my choice of volunteering at OSSB includes supporting a cause that has benefited me (education) and that it fulfills the need to matter to others (i.e. my fellow sorority sisters and my mother). Having said all of this, I do not think that having underlying motives is a negative thing, because nobody supports a cause or movement without some type of reason.  Overall however, my main joy in helping at the school comes from contributing to the students learning and their enjoyment during education.

            In regards to the social change element, I have come to realize that my previous ways of thinking were inaccurate. Many times, I, along with others, seem to think we can create social change by rectifying temporary situations. However, social change seems to be more rooted in creating sustainable change. My first realization with this idea was during discussions at the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention. During these conversations, it became clear that giving out sanctions of social probations or other such punishments was a temporary fix for the hazing problems. Although these are important, there needs to be more done in order to create permanent change. In order to fully deal with the issues of hazing, the school or investigative party needs to talk to the people involved and do research to understand why the “hazers” engaged in the activities they did. It is not until we understand the root causes of behaviors that we can make more meaningful and overarching changes to hopefully permanently alter behaviors and attitudes.