= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity +---+ +---+ | | | | S E C T I O N +---+ +---+ N E W S | | | +---+ + A Newsletter from the Section Chair (electronic edition) Volume 3, Number 5 February 28, 1994 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue: News from Regionals! Report from the COW Section 89 News Challenge What Do Officer's Think Upcoming Section Events and much more.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Wonderful Winter of 1994. Remember to dress warmly, including sensible footwear, and always wear a hat. And if that doesn't work, two words: Chicken Soup. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Pledge Paperwork Just Do It! Please make sure you register your pledges promptly with the National Office. Remember, no one is officially a member of Alpha Phi Omega until their paperwork is on file with the National Fraternity. If you have any problems or questions, contact me or any other Section Staff member. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh; The fundamental things apply, As time goes by. Herman Hupfeld ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Officer's Workshop Moo-ving towards greater leadership On Saturday, February 5th, about 30 actives, advisors, and students from Section 89 and beyond gathered in Buffalo to have a COW - that's Chapter Officer's Workshop, of course. The theme of the day was "Working Together to Get the Job Done", and this theme formed the central point of discussion for the officer groups, as officers discussed how they might best work with other officer's and chapter members, and vice-versa. Look for a synopsis of these discussions elsewhere in this newsletter. In addition, there were seminars on topics including: Conflict Resolution, and Tips & Tricks of Parliamentary Procedure. And, there was a wild 'n' wacky game of Section 89 Jeopardy, an event this section chair certainly won't soon forget (For those of you still awaiting prizes, they will be on their way soon, I hope!) Thanks to everyone who made the COW such a success, and let us know your ideas for the next COW, which we will probably hold next Fall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Report from Regionals Sleepless in Schnectady? Section 89 was well-represented at the recent Region I & II Conference, held in Schenectady, NY, December 27-30. All-in-all it was a good conference, with the usual complement of workshops, fellowships, the big banquet, and all the rest! In gossip news, mrn, Region I Director announced her engagement, as did National Vice-President Wilfred Krenick, who announced his engagement to Kay Hairgrove, former National Service Chair. Leadership development was alive and well: Six section 89 brothers participated in the two-day Chapter President's Workshop. Kudos to: Linda Feng and Rob Stevens (Gamma), Marilyn Mims and Greg Demetrick (Phi) and Rusty Babani and Will Luong (Epsilon Sigma). And many brothers and advisors from Section 89 Chapters participated in the conference itself. Several advisors and staff presented workshops, including: Todd Vaarwerk and Thomas Kulesa from Epsilon Sigma, and Frank Powell and myself from the Section 89 Staff. Special recognition to these award winners: Epsilon Sigma chapter, for winning the overall (as well as Region II) Man-Mile awards! And to Marilyn Mims, of Phi chapter, for taking the grand prize in the APO Jeopardy contest! And also to Alpha Beta Xi for their award-winning Roll Call. Way to Go, Folks! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously. Hubert Humphrey ----------------------------------------------------------------------- March 19 -- A Very Busy Day - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Section 89 Fellowship at SUNY-Oswego There will be a Section 89 Fellowship Day, hosted by SUNY-Oswego, on March 19, beginning around 10 AM. The activities will depend on the weather... if the weather is right, there'll be sledding, skiing and skating. If by odd chance it's warm and sunny, it'll be frisbee, volleyball, etc. And if the weather isn't right for anything else, we'll have indoor stuff--games, food, whatever... To get to the Fellowship Day in Oswego: From Syracuse area, take 81N to 481N. Once in Oswego, turn Left onto 104. Bear left at the fork, then turn right at the light into the main entrance of SUNY-Oswego. From the West, take the Thruway (I-90) East, exit onto Rt 34 N, to 104 E, then turn Left at the light into the main entrance of SUNY-Oswego. From Rochester, you can also take 104 all the way to Oswego. We'll meet at the Hewitt Union, so just follow the signs to that. More details will be mailed to each chapter shortly. Or, you can contact Vicky Schofell at 315-341-4241, or PS-IND14@oswego.oswego.edu For those of use going to the SUNY-Albany Chartering Ceremony, we'll leave from the Fellowshop Day around 1 PM, so we'll be in Albany on time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SUNY-Albany Chartering The chartering ceremony and celebration at SUNY-Albany will be on March 19th, beginning at 5:00 PM. Each chapter should have received informations and invitations by now. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mu Lambda Anniversary Celebration On the evening of March 19th, Mu Lambda chapter will celebrate the second anniversary of their chartering. Information has been mailed to all chapters. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sections 88/89 Sectional Conference April 15-17. Rochester, NY And while you've got your calenders out, mark down the weekend of April 15-17, since that's the weekend of our Section 88/89 Sectional Conference, hosted by Mu Lambda chapter at the University of Rochester. They've been working some time now, and are putting together a fantastic conference--one you won't want to miss. The registration packet should be arriving any day now. Be sure to register early. Hope to see you in Rochester! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ES Dance Marathon Dance until you drop... On March 12-13, Epsilon Sigma chapter will be helping with SUNY-Buffalo's giant Dance Marathon. All chapters are invited to participate and help with this giant charity fundraiser. Contact Epsilon Sigma chapter for more details. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Castles in the air--they are so easy to take refuge in. And so easy to build, too. Henrik Ibsen ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Leadership Development Grants $$$ for Your Leadership Development Program... It's easy to ignore Leadership Development while we're busy with Service and Friendship events. We know this hurts the Fraternity, and that each of us can benefit from quality Leadership Development. And LD shouldn't be limited to LDW's and CPW's... Every chapter should have an active program of leadership development both for new or potential officers and for all members. To help in this endeavor, Section 89 has a Leadership Development Grants program, where your chapter can receive a monetary grant from the Section 89 Fund to help your chapter facilitate Leadership Development Activities. Possible programs are endless, but some ideas include: Leadership Development Workshops or Seminars, Ongoing Programs within your brotherhood and/or pledge program, Officer Training/Development Programs, or a Chapter Leadership Library. Programs can be limited to your chapter or may include any or all other chapters in the Section. If you would like a Leadership Development Grant, submit a proposal to Rick Bojko, Section 89 Chair. Chapters may submit several proposals, but the total amount of money for the whole section is only $300. We will try to spread that total among all viable proposals, but we cannot guarentee that we can fund all proposals. Leadership Grants will be issued on a rolling basis, so submit your proposals early, before the money is gone. A proposal should include: (1) Description of the Proposed Idea, with enough info for a fair evaluation (2) Anticipated Results, that is, How will this further Leadership? (3) Intended Audience, that is, Who is this for? (Chapter, Officers, Section, etc.) (4) Amount Requested, along with a rough budget. The proposals will be evaluated for merit and viability, and awards announced. All funded proposals will require a written report after the event, detailing the plans and results of the event. These will be used to not only evaluate the Leadership Development Grants program, but also to develop future leadership programs for chapter and the section. (A good program reviews and builds on the past...) I look forward to your input on this exciting program! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- C.O.W. Output... Oh, come on. There's so many good lines to go here; I'll let you pick one of your own... At the Chapter Officer's Workshop, each officer group came up with a list of issues and concerns which they had for their relationship with other officers, and with the entire chapter. When the full group discussed these lists, there were, not surprisingly, many similarities between the lists. Here's a quick summary: President's Group ----------------- The Presidents group focussed on the e-board and chapter meetings. Officer Transistions - Definitions of each e-board member's role. Poor definitions and mis-communications lead to power struggles and mis-trust between officers. All officer's experience difficulties with transitions. One good solution is for all officers to get together for specific meetings at transition times. One suggestion was to use a nominating committee to make sure that everyone knows the roles of the office, before elections. Officer notebooks are a vital record-keeping device which, when kept up with, make everything smoother and easier. (There is a Section 89 Handout on Officer Transitions. Ask me if you'd like a copy.) Meeting Lengths - Getting everyone, members and exec board, together and on the same wavelength on the important issues, with each having their say. Trying to let everyone have their say, yet keeping order at meetings. Vice-Presidents of Membership Group ----------------------------------- Most of the issues for the VPMs centered around communication within the chapter. The Grapevine - lack of effective communication. Be appoachable - without being confrontational. Talk directly with involved parties. Suggest Answers, be positive, offer solutions. Some things should be brought up to the whole chapter. Sometimes, direct contact is the only way. Be careful of the pitfalls of e-mail as a communication tool. VPM can facilitate discussions. Members need to let/help officer's do their jobs. Need to trust the officers/Officers need to build that trust. Need open communication Cliques. Pull others in; make one giant clique. This requires a chapter effort - that is, every member needs to make personal effort. Burnout. Delegation - need to learn to do it effectively. Possibly take it easy for a while---take a break. Ask for help. Officers Need Feedback. We all need to say "Thank you" to each other. For many problems: Include fellowship as a part or immediately after all events: meetings, projects, etc. A Chapter Retreat type event is good for everyone. Good for feedback and teamwork. VP-Service ---------- VP's of Service felt frustrated with the difficult task of trying to plan projects the chapter will attend, and dealing with the mess when people don't attend after they have committed. New Ideas for Service Projects -- projects that will hold the chapter's interest. Lack of project signups after interest indicated. Possible ideas included: fine policies, real possibilities, keep track of interest, find out reasons why people aren't going. reminders. Project Chair needs to keep service committee and VP-Service informed of status, so crises don't develop. Project Information Sheets, Project Journal. Keep a good record of service projects - what has worked and what hasn't. Punctuality for projects - Brothers arriving late. Corresponding Secretary ----------------------- Of course, this office revolves around communication, so that was the main topic. People need to write back, i.e. Feedback is essential to doing the job. E-mail: Can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Needs to be used carefully! Incorrect Communication - No one wants the title/responsibility of Corresponding Secretary, yet everyone wants to gossip Section Reps to improve Section/Chapter communications. Sort of working. (Look for a repeat of the definition of Section Rep roles soon!) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Section 89 News Challenge Think About It... If you think you know the correct answer, send it to me in writing by any method - e-mail, US mail, in person, pony express, or sky-writing. Get your answer in before I prepare the next issue, and if you get the right answer, you'll be eligible to win the BIG prizes!!! (OK, this one is still a little tough, I give it an 8/10... Come on! I've got to make them tough, or else I'll have to change the name from the challenge to the give-away, right?) This Issue's Challenge: What one APO word comes from the following six names, all important in our Fraternity history? I'm looking for just that one word. Hints: The order the names are in is important. You may need to consult a reference or two, but you shouldn't need to look far at all... Donald Terwilliger Ross Forman George Olsen Arthur Hatch Lucius Young Frank Horton ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Challenge Answer From the last issue You may remember that last issue's Challenge was to name the source of the quotes in that issue. I warned you it was tough (I gave it a 10 out of 10 on the difficulty scale), and I guess it really was tough, since no one came up with the correct answer. The correct answer was: All of the quotes came from the sugar packets on the tables at the banquet at the Fall 1993 Sectional Conference in Oneonta.... OK, OK, I won't make them that tough in the future.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. Aldous Huxley ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Ads - - - - - - - - - - - Karen at ABB and Mims at Phi: Quick call Geraldo! Boy do I have a story for him!!! Julie - - - - - - - - - - - LisaBeth & Adam at E-Funky-E: May you both get your hearts desire. - - - - - - - - - - - I would like you to meet Scott Lawton, also known as "Thumpah". Scott has been with us since Fall 1992. Poor Scott has a wee little problem. He's shy. In an attempt to cure him of this most heinous malady, I would like to ask all my caring brothers to send Scott a postcard or short letter of introduction. We at Xi Zeta would all really appreciate if you could send Scott a little Friendship. Thanks. Oh, and his address is: 276 Kimball Dr, Rochester NY, 14623. - - - - - - - - - - - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Conferences 88/89 Sectional Conference: Apr 15-17, Rochester 88/89 Sectional Conference: Nov 4-6, St. Lawrence U 1994 National Convention: Dec. 27-30, Dallas, Texas ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 89 News | | | | The Section 89 News is published for Section 89 to provide | | communication from the Section Chair about upcoming events, | | important announcements, and amusement. Please send articles, | | news of events, or other comments to: | | | | Rick Bojko | | Section 89 Chair | | 700 Warren Rd, # 15-3D | | Ithaca, NY 14850 | | | | 607 257-9875 (H) 607 255-2329 (W) | | bojko@nnf.cornell.edu | +----------------------------------------------------------------+