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.