Service, Leadership, Scholarship and Sisterhood... Total Sorority Move

Recently, two new phrases have cropped up in our popular culture, with websites to go along with them. These phrases are being tweeted about, posted on facebook and even used in everyday language. TFM or TSM for short, these phrases stand for Total Frat/Sorority Move.

This new trend has become more than just a little disheartening for the Greek community. Is this stereotype really how others on campus see our organizations? Worse yet, is this how we portray ourselves?

As members of Greek organizations we have a collective purpose and values. These organizations were created because we hold ourselves to higher standards. Although, simply by reading these TSM posts you would never guess what Greek life is truly meant to be. The tile of this post includes the four pillars of Greek Life, what we as sorority women and fraternity men are supposed to stand for; service, leadership, scholarship and brotherhood/sisterhood.

At the beginning of every chapter meeting we read our ritual and our purpose, we know the values our founders have set forth for our organizations. We read the Panhellenic Creed at the beginning of every council meeting. We KNOW what our organizations stand for and these values should be deeply ingrained in our memories. So why aren't we living those values in our everyday lives? Why are we okay with these "TSM" posts? And why do even think they are funny?

The discussion of this issue is beautifully put in a recent blog post by AFLV (Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values). I don't think I could say it any better myself, so I'm reposting it here. To see the orginal post visit aflv.blogspot.com.

Smack dab in the middle of conference season, the power of social media in our world is more evident than ever. As an association, we used Twitter, Facebook, and FourSquare to interact with our attendees at #CFLNBGLC11 and will do the same at #WFLNCGLC11 in a few short weeks. Our peer associations like @TheNACA and other Higher Ed Associations like @AFA1976, @NASPAtweets , @ACUItweets, and @ACPA are all using social media to engage participants. It is neat to see the connections being made, and the additional learning that can take place on the conference backchannel.

As with most tools, in the right hands they can be used for good - and in the wrong, for bad. Amongst all this excitement surrounding the potential of social media in our little corner of the fraternal world, there has been something that has been bothering me for a while. I saw a tweet re-tweeted by several people this weekend that brought my frustrations back to the surface.

"@TFM: Charlie Sheen parties pretty hard for a GDI, but I don't think he would have survived the weekend I just had. TFM. "

I don't personally follow TFM, because in my mind, following is a silent endorsement, or approval of content. And that is content I'd personally rather not be connected with, thank you very much. But apparently a lot of people I follow, follow TFM. And over 100 people re-tweeted that tweet. Sad. If that is your definition of the fraternity/sorority experience, I'd invite you to spend some time with your ritual, and tell me where your organization has taught you to value "partying hard". And if Charlie Sheen is an example of "winning" then I'd rather be a loser. If that is the experience you'd like to continue to have in college, please go ahead and take off your badge and turn it in.

I did some quick research to see how many people are following some fraternity/sorority related Twitter accounts. As of 9:00am MT this morning, here are the numbers:

@TFM: 74,050 followers
@TSM: 16, 955 followers
@AFLV: 1,687 followers
@FraternalValues: 221 followers
@fraternalthghts: 875 followers
@fraternityinfo: 680 followers
@nicfraternity: 1,369 followers
@npcwomen: 2,800 followers
@NPHC1930: 235 followers
@AFA1976: 337 followers
@FraternalRitual: 373 followers
@GreekCompass: 239 followers

#thataintwinning, friends, that's worse than I thought. Obviously the followers of TFM are not limited to affiliated members. But consider for a moment that there are hundreds of thousands of living affiliated people. Even if only 5% utilize twitter, our followership is dismal. Clearly, the tweeters of the fraternal world need to be doing more to provide valuable, engaging content for followers (we here at AFLV included). And just like in the "real world", we need to be aware that like it or not, to an outsider, our interfraternal brothers and sisters are representing us to the world. Challenge others when their content is not in line with our shared values. We need to take ownership and responsibility.

We would love to hear your thoughts and comments. How do you represent your values through social media? How does your organization? How are we holding our members accountable for representing our founding values in their tweets? Is this a conversation you've even had? What could we be doing differently? 

Living our Purpose

Attending the Central Fraternal and National Black Greek Leadership conference was an amazing opportunity, which opened my eyes to many issues facing Greek communities across the nation. In the midst of learning how to create a functional budget, improve job interview skills and increase scholarship in my chapter and council I was inspired to start tackling many of the barriers that are currently facing KU Greek life.

We all know that Greek life at KU is far from perfect. Every year events occur that attract negative press, which gives the outside community an imperfect image of what Greek life really is.  We can argue that these events many times occur from our rich “traditions” that have been around for years, but the truth is that these traditions need to change before they put an end to Greek life completely. While it is hard for our community to let go of things that seem so normal to our culture, and yet year after year inflict problems, it is evident that change needs to occur. As keynote speaker Dr. Bernard Franklin said in his speech, changing the negative behavior and raising the outcomes for our members isn’t just a huge challenge, it’s our most important challenge.

Service, friendship, leadership, and scholarship are the core values that stand behind Greek life. Somewhere over the years these elements have been forgotten as major concerns like social events and competition amongst chapters became top priorities.  As these values have been looked over, I think the members of Greek communities have not realized what a difference they could be making. As members of a National Panhellenic Council chapter at KU we belong to an enormous group of the most intelligent and ambitious women on campus. If we worked together, we could make massive amounts of positive change for our community, and for the world.

I don’t mean to mock something that I am a part of, but after listening to speech after speech about being a leader and inspiring change, it has made me reevaluate my priorities. Fraternities and sororities exist to make men better men and women better women.  Sisterhood isn’t about having matching recruitment clothes; it’s about the bonds that we should be creating. It’s not about getting invited to every date party; it’s about coming together to make a difference on campus, and in the community. Each and every one of our chapters has defined values that they feel are the essence of the organization. If you don’t know what your chapters values are I challenge you to learn them and then ask yourself how your own personal values align with your chapters values.

None of the keynote speakers danced around the issues Greek life faces. They were blunt, and to the point. As a community we can either keep hazing, or stop. We can either keep ignoring our council and chapter’s alcohol policies, or start abiding by them. We can keep thinking that the minimum GPA requirement is okay, or exceed it. We can either hold ourselves to a lower set of standards then our organizations define or hold ourselves higher.

- Ellen is a sophomore Delta Delta Delta majoring in Journalism.

International Badge Day

Today thousands of women around the world are celebrating their fraternal experience by wearing their sorority badge or letters. This year’s theme is “Keep Your Fraternal Experience Close to Your Heart.”

The National Panhellenic Conference created International Badge Day in 1997. The conference decided to celebrate this day in March, national women’s history month. The idea came from a paper written by Nora M. Ten Broeck titled, “A Simple Solution- Wear Your Membership Badge Today”. This article appeared in the 1996 issue of Alpha Sigma Alpha’s newsletter “The Phoenix”. The article details Ten Broeck’s personal experience of wearing her sorority pin to work.

Since then international badge day has expanded to include sororities not just in the National Panhellenic Conference but also in the National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc., National Multicultural Greek Council, National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association and National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Inc.

Only initiated members may wear a sorority’s badge or pin. Each sorority has a unique design that often incorporates the organization’s symbols, letters and jewels. In the past some sororities allowed members to design their own badges with the help of a jeweler. Now, sororities use one particular jeweler and one specific design.

Pictures of badges from sororities at the University of Kansas can be found below.

Alpha Chi Omega: The badge of Alpha Chi Omega is a golden lyre with three strings and a black scroll emblazed with the Greek letters “Alpha Chi Omega” in gold. The lyre was chosen as the fraternity’s symbol because the organization was originally founded in the school of music. According to Greek mythology, the lyre, a three-stringed harp, was the first instrument played by the Gods on Mt. Olympus.

Alpha Delta Pi: The badge of Alpha Delta Pi is gold and diamond shaped with a black center. The center features clasped hands, two stars and the fraternity’s Greek letters. This design was adopted at the fraternity’s first convention in 1906.

Alpha Gamma Delta: The badge of Alpha Gamma Delta is a monogram of the fraternity’s three Greek Letters with the Delta plain, the Gamma engraved and the Alpha superimposed on the two. The badge is usually gold and can be encrusted in pearls, the fraternity jewel.

Chi Omega: The Chi Omega badge features the fraternity’s Greek letters as well as the organization’s symbol, skull and cross-bones, and their mascot, an owl. The letter “Chi” is set with fourteen stones, which are either pearls or diamonds. Dr. Charles Richardson crafted the first badge out of dental gold.

Delta Delta Delta: The badge of Tri Delta includes three stars set with pearls within a cresent. The Greek letters Delta Delta Delta are in black enamel. Initiates receive a badge with her initials, the Greek letters of her specific chapter and her initiation number engraved on the back. A gold trident may be worn as a badge guard.

Delta Gamma: The badge of Delta Gamma is an anchor wrapped with a piece of rope and includes the Greek letters Tau Delta Eta. The sorority’s original badge was the letter “H”, which stood for hope, the watchword of the founders. The badge was later changed to incorporate the anchor, which is a common symbol of hope.

Gamma Phi Beta: The badge of Gamma Phi Beta features a black crescent moon cradling the Greek letters, Gamma, Phi and Beta. The design has not changed significantly since 1874. However, the badges worn by International Council members differ slightly from those worn by collegians. These badges are larger and feature white crescent moons instead of black. The international president's badge is set with diamonds on the Greek letters whereas other international officer's badges are set with pearls.

Kappa Alpha Theta: The badge of Kappa Alpha Theta is kite shaped with a pearl border. The center is black and white enamel featuring twin stars and the Greek letters Kappa, Alpha and Theta. The four founders proudly wore their black and gold badges for the first time to Asbury's chapel service on March 14, 1870.

Kappa Delta: The badge of Kappa Delta is a gold pin shaped like a diamond, with an emerald at each of the four points. In between each emerald are pearls. The pearl and emerald are the official stones of Kappa Delta. In the center of the pin are the Greek letters Kappa and Delta and the dagger along with the letters "AOT". To those in Kappa Delta the badge not only signifies membership in the sorority, but also represents a commitment to the values of the organization. For this reason, the badge is worn on the left side of the chest and close to the heart. No other pin is to be worn above it or even at the same level.

Kappa Kappa Gamma: The badge of Kappa Kappa Gamma is one-inch long and is a golden key sometimes inlaid with pearls, sapphires or diamonds. The sapphire is the official jewel of the fraternity and is recognized as a symbol of truth, sincerity and constancy. On the stem are the Greek letters Kappa, Kappa and Gamma, on the ward are the Greek letter Alpha, Omega and Omicron. The initials of the badge owner and her initiation date are often engraved on the back.

Pi Beta Phi: The badge of Pi Beta Phi is a golden arrow with the Greek letters Pi, Beta and Phi on the wings. A chain connects the wings to the tip of the arrow. This chain is limited to 12 links, one for each founder. The badge is worn over the heart with the tip of the arrow pointing up. The first badge created by the founders in 1867 featured the letters “IC” on the wings. At this time the sorority was a secret society named “I.C. Sorosis” with the motto of Pi Beta Phi.

Sigma Delta Tau: The badge of Sigma Delta Tau is a gold torch featuring the Greek letters Sigma, Delta and Tau as well as six pearls and a diamond. The torch is meant to illustrate a sense of leadership and enlightenment. The six pearls represent the six cornerstones of the Sigma Delt Tau new member program; Sisterhood, Health and Social Awareness, Alumnae, Retreat, Panhellenic, and Philanthropy. The diamond sits in the flame at the top of the badge This jewel represents scholarship, the most important of the new member goals.

Sigma Kappa: The badge of Sigma Kappa is a one-inch jeweled triangle with the Greek letters Sigma and Kappa in the center. The badge is set with pearls, which was adopted as the organization's national jewel at the 1915 convention. This triangle design was chosen in 1894. Prior to this the members wore a badge with a snake in the form of the Greek letter Sigma, intertwined with the letter Kappa. The serpent can also be found on the Sigma Kappa Coat of Arms. This original badge is now worn by the new members prior to initiation. Sigma Kappa also has four other types of badges. One for alumnae who have participate in the Order of the Triangle ceremony, anniversary pins of 25 and 50 year denominations and a Pearl Court pin given to recognize alumnae with outstanding service to the organization.

Upcoming Event: Rock Chalk Revue

Rock Chalk Revue is nationally recognized as one of the largest student-run philanthropy activities in the United States. Each year the organization hosts a variety show produced by University of Kansas students to benefit Douglas County United Way. This year marks the 62nd annual production. The show will take place on March 3-5 at the Lied Center. Tickets are on sale now at www.lied.ku.edu.
KU students write and produce the satirical musical revue as well as fill leadership and fundraising roles. Judges selected five shows from 12 entries. This year the five selected shows include;
—    “Above the Weather,” Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and Sigma Chi fraternity
—    “Myth of the Campanile,” Chi Omega sorority and Phi Delta Theta fraternity
—    “A Little White Lie,” Kappa Delta sorority and Pi Kappa Phi fraternity
—    “Just Ad It,” Gamma Phi Beta sorority and Delta Upsilon fraternity
—    “Holiday Hysteria,” Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Beta Theta Pi fraternity
In addition to the variety show, Rock Chalk Revue hosted a benefit concert in the fall and multiple community service events throughout the year. Leading up to the show, student organizations have a chance to submit community service hours to the Rock Chalk Revue advisory board. These hours will be tallied and the organization with the most hours will be recognized with an award on the last night of the variety show.
Last year Rock Chalk Revue raised $47,000 for the Douglas County United Way. Since 1991, the organization has raised more than $800,000 for United Way.
Panhellenic women devote countless hours to this organization. Allie Donahue, one of the directors for Kappa Alpha Theta, explains why she gives so much time to Rock Chalk Revue and what Rock Chalk Revue has given back to her. 

“My experience with Rock Chalk Revue began my freshman year when I performed in Flying Solo: A Super Musical. My sorority Kappa Alpha Theta was paired with Pi Kappa Phi. As a freshman, I truly felt honored to be in the show.  Almost immediately after my first semester at college started, I became involved with the process of attempting to get our group on the Lied Center stage. We spent many nights having vocal rehearsals for our audition CD and our performance in front of judges at Oral Interviews (the audition process). This is when my college experience took off!  The night we found out that our show was chosen to perform has so far been the best night of my college experience. Being involved in Rock Chalk Revue has immensely affected my time at KU and in my sorority. I found that being involved with the show gave me a purpose in my sorority and an outlet for the dancing and theater that I left behind when I came to college. I found quickly that Rock Chalk Revue was a great way for me to get to know other people in other houses. My best friends and roommates are people I got to know through the organization. The boys from the fraternity that we did the show with are still close friends today and we have formed a great group of friends.
Now that I have moved on from just being a cast member to being a director, Rock Chalk Revue has been a completely new and rewarding experience. Being in charge this year has helped me to be a more responsible student. It has challenged me to manage my time by applying myself fully in school and working to make our show Above The Weather the best it can be. This year when my sorority was placed with a new fraternity, I worried that there was no way these boys could match up with the boys I worked with last year. I quickly realized that these guys were going to be good friends and great to work with. As I stand in front of our cast at practice I love the feeling of leading our group to our fullest potential. My other co-directors and I have worked so hard this year and have formed a strong bond. I find that through Rock Chalk Revue I am continually making new friends. It has also helped me to feel a connection to the Greek community and to the University of Kansas.  Rock Chalk Revue has truly shaped my time at KU. I no longer feel lost in the huge student body, I now have a name and I am proud to represent Kappa Alpha Theta. Even though Rock Chalk Revue can be really hard sometimes with long nights, stressful rehearsals, and overwhelming work load, in the end the reward makes it all worth it. We make great friends and irreplaceable memories. The best part about the whole experience is that win or lose, we did this for United Way. The fact that through doing something I love with people I care about is beneficial to the community is one of the most gratifying parts. As our cast hits the stage in the next two weeks I will remember all of the great moments I’ve had with these people while applauding my friends from last year with their new partners. When we take our final bow, I’ll be hoping to return to the stage next year.”
Allie is a sophomore Kappa Alpha Theta majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Dance

A Tradition of Service

We all know that the University of Kansas is a school of traditions. Our university was founded upon the well-known (and deserved!) "dislike" of our neighbors to the east. KU established some traditions of our own: the waving of the wheat, “Beware of the Phog,” and, my personal favorite, James Naismith's greatest sport of all time --basketball!

Being a member of the Panhellenic community, I am no stranger to tradition. The very pillars that uphold our Greek system are resting upon timeless traditions and practices of service, scholarship, leadership and sisterhood.

Another tradition of KU is Rock Chalk Revue. Although not born at KU (we stole it from K-State and made it better), this annual event has become KU's most creative and philanthropic tradition. Each year paired Greek houses write and produce the annual satirical musical revue as well as fill leadership and fundraising roles.

I personally could not dance or sing in front of one other person, so obviously I would not be able to perform in front of the 5,000 Rock Chalk Revue audience members that have been attending every year for the last 62 years. But I wanted to be a part of this legacy. So I chose to get involved in a different way: I interviewed to be part of the Rock Chalk Revue Advisory Board.

My experience on the Rock Chalk Revue Ad Board as the Alumni Relations Coordinator has opened many doors for me. I was thrown into endless networking possibilities with hundreds of former Rock Chalk Revue alumni. I met new people (the other Ad Boarders) and quickly learned to rely on them to help me complete my position's tasks. We've had a great year! It's hard work, but the entire Rock Chalk Revue Ad Board has witnessed the development of this year's shows from the "theme reveal" night and it's truly amazing how it's turned out!

I wouldn't have had the experience to contribute to such an amazing organization without my Panhellenic involvement. KU is fortunate to have a dynamic group of Panhellenic women to foster community involvement to all women within the 13 Panhellenic chapters. Rock Chalk Revue is just one opportunity to fulfill the pillar of service in the Lawrence community. KU's Panhellenic Association makes it easy to get involved in both the KU community and the Lawrence community.

I was able to learn about my non-dancing opportunity within Rock Chalk Revue through my Panhellenic sisters. Involvement in the community, either philanthropic or social, is rewarding because I know that I use my time to better the lives of those in the same community. My participation in both Rock Chalk Revue and the Panhellenic Association has enabled me to network with alumni and students, build confidence in my communication and leadership ability, and to be a strong part of an exceptional KU tradition!
-- Laura is a senior Kappa Kappa Gamma majoring in Journalism emphasis in Strategic Communications

Upcoming Event: KU Dance Marathon

This year the Panhellenic Association is a proud sponsor of campus philanthropy KU Dance Marathon. Panhellenic women stand for the four pillars of Greek Life, one of those being service. Many Panhellenic women have donated their time to this organization and we wanted to back them in this noble cause.


Tomorrow night Panhellenic women will join hundreds of KU students at the campus rec center for twelve whole hours of dancing fun, in hopes of raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The event includes activities, food, dancing and a letter writing campaign to solicit more donations. Also, some very special guests will join the more than 400 students signed up for this event. Children and their families who have benefited from Children’s Miracle Network will be dancing alongside the students as a reminder of what this organization can accomplish. The twelve hour marathon is designed to do just that. Students stand for 12 hours in honor of those that can’t and in the hopes that these children will some day be able to stand and even dance along with them.


For the past few months Panhellenic women have been working with other KU students to make this year’s Dance Marathon a success. Dance Marathon is a national philanthropy dedicated to raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The organization has a presence on more than 100 university campuses nationwide and came to KU in 2007. Since then, the organization has raised more than $50,000 for Children’s Miracle Network and this year they hope to raise an additional $60,000.

Ashley Vega, a junior Kappa Delta has been involved with KU Dance Marathon since 2008. She describes her experience with the organization and what it truly means to serve others.


“Freshmen year I came to KU without knowing about the student organizations on campus or how to get involved. However, through being in a sorority and going to chapter meetings I heard about different opportunities on campus. During one particular chapter meeting my first semester I heard about a great new organization coming to KU called Dance Marathon. I wasn’t exactly sure what Dance Marathon was all about, but I knew that it benefited Children’s Miracle Network and that was something that was particularly close to me.

Children’s Miracle Network is an organization close to my heart because my brother was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. He was in and out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for a while during the beginning stages. Children’s Miracle Network helped give my brother and hundreds of other children the treatment and care they truly deserved and required. Even though Children’s Mercy recently became unaffiliated with Children’s Miracle Network, I still remain a strong supporter of the organization and all the amazing things they have done and will continue to do. 

Since I felt so connected to this charity I decided to take the opportunity to get involved with this organization. I first got involved with KUDM by being on the IT & Media committee. It wasn’t until the night of the actual marathon that I realized KUDM was the organization I wanted to help define my college experience. Being able to interact with the families that we help raise money for is my favorite part of the organization and why I wanted to become more involved. From there my involvement in the organization skyrocketed and I have been on the Steering Committee ever since. The organization itself has made great strides in participation and fundraising since it first started out. KUDM has not only given me the opportunity to work with some of KU’s finest students and staff, but it helped give me the confidence to become involved in other organizations on campus. Being a part of this group let me see that our work and donations really made a difference in the community and the lives of so many people. That feeling makes it worthwhile to become involved and devote so much of your time to a cause.”

Go Greek, Go Lead

Regardless of the reasons that you have heard for going Greek, I know one thing to be true: Greek life cultivates your ability to lead.
In my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, I have had the honor to serve as Philanthropy Co-chair, Panhellenic Delegate, and, most recently, Assistant Vice President of Recruitment. Serving on our chapter’s Executive Board as well as a delegate for Panhellenic Association gave me insight on the structure and complex decision-making processes of the two large, semi-autonomous organizations.
My Greek involvement has served as a perfect complement to the numerous campus activities I have participated in. They range from leadership organizations, community service, scholastic organizations, and social justice groups. I became involved in many of these organizations simply by being a curious freshman and attending many campus events. However, I was comforted by talking to my older sorority sisters, who had also been in some of the organizations I considered joining and highly recommended my participation.
Student Senate, in particular, I would not have known about had it not been for my sorority sisters encouraging me to run in the upcoming election. I was skeptical at first, but quickly became enamored with the wide range of people I was engaging in conversations with throughout the university. This enjoyment translated into my senate seat and more opportunities for involvement on campus. It also led to my nomination and election as Vice President for my coalition, KUnited. I am still grateful for the immense support I received from the Greek community and the continuous love and help I received during the election from my sorority sisters.
The opportunities and knowledge I have gained while serving as Student Body Vice President have transformed my experience at KU. I have met motivated student leaders, dedicated administrators, and made so many friends along the way. It has also taught me so much about leadership, communication, organization, and, of course, time management. I know that my decision to join Alpha Chi Omega and my subsequent involvement in the chapter and the Greek Community strengthened my leadership abilities and gave me the confidence to get more involved and become a campus leader. So Go Greek, Go Lead.

-Megan is a junior Alpha Chi Omega, majoring in Philosophy and International Studies