Delta Zeta Sorority at USF: Leadership

July 25, 2013

Norma Minch Andrisek Leadership Conference

This past week two of our sisters, Laura Crowther and Jenny Echeagary, attended the 2013 Norma Minch Andrisek Leadership Conference. NMALC is held for emerging leaders within the sorority at our Alpha Chapter, Miami University, Oxford, OH. We cannot wait to hear about all of the new lessons they will learn and see how they will apply these new leadership skills to our chapter once they return. Below is a picture with DZ's National President, Jeanine Peterson Triplett. Not only is Ms. Peterson Triplett a wonderful leader and representative of Delta Zeta at a national level, she was in fact very influential and helpful in starting our local chapter here at USF. Laura and Jenny were so honored to meet her!

Here is a look back in time at some Delta Zetas in 1926 at the National Convention which was being held in San Francisco at the time! The Sorority sponsored a train so that members could all travel together. The rich history of Delta Zeta and the dedicated, loyal members make DZ a one-of-a-kind organization.

Jenny's reflection on the Convention afterwards was that, "It was an enriching experience, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go! During a panel with four of our past national presidents I had an epiphany that I wanted to work for and with Delta Zeta for the rest of my life! It was beautiful realizing that the women at the conference--from across the nation to our national President Jeanine Triplett-- all shared a piece of our special sisterhood." Here are few additional photos from their experience at the conference:

June 26, 2013

UIFI Convention

The Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) is a five day leadership program in which Greek leaders from different universities across America come together to gain the knowledge and skills to positively lead chapters, councils, and larger communities. It is a program of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. At the end of June two of our sisters, Kelly Konblett and Jenny Echeagary, had the opportunity to attend the institute and walk away with a few life lessons.

Jenny stated her amazing experience below:

      UIFI has a pithy statement that never fails to ignite the fire in me. "It starts with you," is the saying. Initially, I obviously agreed that self-motivation was the key to most success. However, throughout the program I began to really grasp the full meaning of the saying. It challenged me to acknowledge the obstacles we deal with as Greek organizations and gain the self-assurance to tackle these issues. I learned if I don't always live by our rituals and values, no one will. If I don't encourage my Greek brothers and sisters, they will stop believing in themselves. If I don't stress over the minor issues, they could evolve into larger ones and endanger the existence of Greek life. Not only did I learn how to be a values-based leader, but I gained a lot of respect and passion for all Greek life.

     My favorite memory was the last activity of the third night, where each sorority and fraternity recited their creed or their mission. I will always treasure this night, because I realized that at the core Greek organizations are almost identical and how the words of our Delta Zeta creed are so beautifully powerful.

     After UIFI, I fully recognize the promise I made to myself, my Delta Zeta sisters, and my Greek life community to carry the legacy and passionately be everything our founders wished Delta Zeta to be.

We are proud of Jenny and Kelly for representing our chapter at UIFI, and we look forward to seeing their new leadership skills in action this Fall!

April 25, 2013

Region Weekend Awards

During Region Weekend this past April, our chapter was recognized for a number of awards that demonstrate our passion for creating strong, insightful and determined leaders. Our Executive Board accepted three awards in particular, on behalf of our chapter: Recruitment Strength, New Member Education, and Collegiate Appreciation Award.

The Strength in Recruitment Award was given to us for demonstrating our continuous improvement in recruitment performance. Last year we welcomed some amazing new girls into our chapter which raised our total number of sisters to 100! We could not have been prouder of our 2012 VP of Membership, Holly Ersek for all of her hard work! Looking forward to this semesters sure-to-be fabulous recruitment with 2013 VP of Membership, Claire Posel.

The New Member Education Award was given for our 100% initiation rate! This exemplified the fact that all of our 2012 new members successfully completed the new member process and were initiated in the Fall! Congratulations to 2012 VP of New Member Education, Laura Crowther for all of her dedication. Can't wait to see what 2013 VP of New Member Ed, Marianne Meyer has in store for us this semester!

The Collegiate Appreciation Award was awarded to our alumna and advisor, Jenn Baldwin. Jenn was recognized as and "Unsung Hero" for her countless support and devotion to Xi Lambda, even with a full-time job in the city, she still finds the time to mentor our current leaders. We couldn't do half the things we do without your support Jenn, thank you!