Notes to the LDC: Amanda's Reflection on Being an LDC

Since today is my final day as a leadership development consultant for Phi Sigma Sigma, I wanted to reflect on all of the great things this job has offered me.

In addition to all of the benefits I mentioned in my first SGT blog post, I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing Phi Sigma Sigma women from around the country.

As you can see in this photograph, I received a lot of love from many sisters.

A majority of these notes are from the sisters of the Gamma Xi chapter at Widener University. They welcomed me into their beautiful home eight months ago. Throughout the school year I have worked closely with the chapter to create positive change and exciting new traditions. While it was a lot of work, the sisters and I had fun together as well. From hanging out in the manor to running the concession stands at PPL Park for a fundraiser, we have created many memories. I hope I taught them a lot because these women helped me develop leadership skills that I did not expect to gain. 

There are also notes in there from my consultant big, Shelly. Shelly is an amazing Phi Sig from Oregon who also was once a leadership consultant for the sorority. Even though she is from the other side of the country, she has been a huge support system for me. Whenever I  needed advice, Shelly offered her love and care through phone calls, text messages, and even surprise packages! Shelly mailed me a big package of my favorite candies and she even got me an adorable tank top from The Greek Supply "just because."

I also need to acknowledge my lovely sisters from the Iota Rho chapter at Saint Joseph's University. Some of the notes in this picture are from founders of the chapter and the chapter's advisor, Beth. This chapter has been such a joy to work with because the sisters are sweet and friendly and the leaders of the chapter are very driven and accomplished. Watching this newer chapter grow and experience its first formal recruitment was so rewarding and I look forward to seeing what the women do next.

Even though I was stationed in the Philadelphia area for a majority of my time as a consultant, I traveled to at least ten states and around 20 universities. In the pile I have an adorable thank you card from the Zeta Omicron chapter at Kutztown University and I have multiple kind notes and letters from another former consultant, Christina, after we colonized Phi Sigma Sigma's newest chapter at Farmingdale State College. All of my visits were unique, enlightening, and definitely unforgettable.

Because this job allowed me to explore different parts of the country with sisters, I added in some ticket stubs. I visited museums in Washington, D.C. with another consultant, Katie, and I even attended a campus-sponsored drag queen show with the Zeta Rho chapter at Fitchburg State University.

At the top of the photograph is a review of my work as a consultant after the fall semester. I added the review to this pile because it was full of encouraging feedback from chapter leaders and advisors. I am so proud to see that I have been making a positive and lasting impact on the chapters I work with and visit. I hope to keep in touch with everyone and hear about how they have grown.

There are many other special people that shaped my LDC experience as well. Some additional memories added in this next college include chaperoning the Grab-a-Date date party for the Delta Eta chapter at University of Delaware, helping the Iota Eta chapter at Florida Institute of Technology with formal recruitment, taking photo shoots with the other Phi Sigma Sigma consultants, working at Leadership Conference in Virginia, running extension presentations with HQ staff, playing laser tag with sisters from the Delta Upsilon chapter at Siena Heights University, and bumping into my grand little at a Phired Up workshop.

This has been a crazy eight months, but I do not regret a minute of it. LITP!

Midterms week

Midterms week!

Alright everyone it’s time for midterms, this is the big warm up for finals. I know it’s scary but we all got to do them while we are in college. I’ve come up with some tips to help ease the craziness of midterm crunch time.  Here are my lucky number 7 tips on midterms week, and may the odds be in your favor! (Pic credit to my Pinterest).

1.       The main thing to remember is DON’T STRESS! I know everyone says that and it’s hard to do but it’s really needed. Don’t cram for your midterms, I know there are some people who work good under pressure but this is not the time to try new things. Stick to what you know and what gets you calm.

2.       Now energy drinks are awesome don’t get me wrong and iced coffee is my weakness. However what has really been helping me with paper writing and pretests, is green tea. It really helps me relax and focus on what I’m working on.

3.      Another thing that helps me is my playlist's. Walking to class to my own soundtrack gets me pumped to go to class and work my butt off during midterms week. Here is my personal playlist. (fyi these songs can also double as a workout playlist)

·         Work Bitch-Britney Spears

·         Break Free-Ariana Grande

·         Fancy-Iggy Azalea

·         Worth it-Fifth Harmony

·         Live it up-Jennifer Lopez

4.      Wear comfy clothes when taking your midterms, let yoga/ sweatpants be your best friend. Midterm and final season is yoga/sweatpants season. Don’t be embarrassed to come to class being comfortable. And if that’s not your thing you can dress up as another option, even give yourself a mani-pedi.  The most important thing is being comfortable and feeling good about yourself.

5.      Don’t use midterms as an excuse to eat junk food. I know it’s hard not to eat the Cheetos and Candy bars when you’re up late studying but sugar is not going to keep you up. The sugar high only helps for a little but then it makes you get slow and lose focus. Do little things to your diet to keep you focused on your midterms. An Example would be adding real fruit to your water such as lemon, or eating oranges (cuties are my favorite). Little changes like that go a long way.

6.      Get a lot of sleep. It’s hard not to sleep but it’s needed especially if you’re taking midterms (exams).  8 hours of sleep is a must, don’t take 4 hour naps and consider that sleep. You need sleep in order to be focused.

7.      Take a walk to get some fresh air. It’s ok to take a bit of a break from the books to see the outside world from the library. Taking a walk helps clear your mind and get you focused.

My Best Friend's Wedding

Back in December, one of my best friends texted me out of the blue with a picture of a little Christmas ornament that said, “Will you Marry Me?”

Ecstatic, I gave her a ton of congratulations and best wishes as she set off into this new phase of her life!

For me this was beyond exciting; I have known this girl since second grade. We grew up together. When I moved away, we slowly lost touch but in our sophomore year of college, fate stepped in she was transferring to Pace University. Around the same time, I found her on Facebook and we reconnected.  The story ends with her coming to Pace, joining the sorority I was in and us picking up our friendship kind of where we left off!

Now that we are both heading our way down the aisle, we will have each other as one of our bridesmaids: just like we said when we were making Valentine’s in Miss Kiss’s class in second grade.

It goes to show you that even with years apart, some friendships are meant to last and some promises we meant to be kept.

So here I formally say (for the billionth time) Congratulations Kelsey and Ryan!!!! I am so excited to watch two people who really love each other agree to share a life together! T- minus one year!

9 Things You Miss Most When You're Away From Your Sorority

Whenever I go on vacation, it is so extremely depressing to be away from your sorority [I seriously mean this, even though going away on vacation is glorious.] While away, it's hard not to think about all the things you're missing out on especially if no one in your sorority is away with you. Here are the top 9 things that almost all sorority girls miss while they're away on vay-k. 

1. Your Little[s]
-Bring on the countless, sappy texts back and forth to one another about how much you miss them and how you wish they were here [just pull more at our heartstrings why don't ya?]

2. Your Big
-No one gets you quite like your big, and when she's not around to keep you in check or to be the first person to come pick you up in your time of dire need, you feel a huge part of you missing.

3. Venting Sessions
-Venting sessions rarely occur in family settings while on vacation, and missing that quality girl time with your closest sisters leaves you without your daily fill of 4-1-1 gossip.

4. Meetings
-Maybe meetings aren't the most fun things to attend in a sorority, but they do keep you up to date on the latest material and events that are coming up and missing one really [for lack of a better term] sucks when you're out of the loop and struggling to read through your chapter minutes to catch up.

5. Going Out
-Being able to let loose and have a great time with the ones who get you the most is disheartening. I love going out with my closest sisters and having a great time; who else is going to dance at parties and bars with you? I can answer that for you- not many, and definitely not your family.

6. New Member Events
-These are prime times to hang out and get to know the associating members of your chapter in different settings, and missing out on new member events stinks, particularly if they're the super fun ones that you enjoyed so much during previous processes or your own.

7. Wearing Letters
-Depending on where you go on vacation it may be way too hot for that cute spirit jersey or adorable pair of long sleeve letters, so having to take a break from wearing letters is extremely difficult. [I try to wear a hat with letters on it because I start to have withdrawal from my beautiful twill babies; consult picture above].


8. Hanging out and Relaxing with Sisters
-Maybe you're relaxing on vacation, but it's always better when there's sisters there to keep you company. How much better would catching rays be with your sisters by your side? A lot.


9. Borrowing Clothes
-Without your sisters there, who are you going to borrow cute clothes from? Unfortunately you can't bring your sisters' wardrobes on vay-k with you so you have to do without them for a while.

How Having a Little Prepares You for Marraige

I know the title of this post seems far fetched but hear me out, there are some definite comparisons.

1. Taking a little is a life long commitment. Marriage is supposed to be a life long commitment too. When you take your little you are promising to be there for her through thick and thin. No matter what. Kinda makes you think of wedding vows?  

2. You want everything to be perfect. Her baskets, her gifts, the reveal, it all has to be perfect for your little. This is just a taste of the madness of planning a wedding.

 3. You give her gifts to seal the deal, kinda like an engagement ring right?

4. You sacrifice for her: you'll do anything for your little. Leaving the house to pick her up at 2 am. Giving her the last bite. Going broke during big/little so she would have everything she wanted. Only the best for your little.

Being in a sorority makes you a more committed person. Joining a sorority is joining a new family. If you're not from a big family this can be overwhelming at first. When you get your big or find your little it's like the process has come full circle.

When a Sorority Girl Auditions for Big Brother

Remember when I shared that I applied to be on Big Brother in a previous blog post?

Over the weekend I attended the NYC casting call to continue my pursuit of getting on the upcoming season of the hit CBS reality show.

In addition to meeting many other Big Brother Season 17 house guest hopefuls, I got to meet three former house guests from last summer!

First I met the Big Brother Season 16 winner, Derrick Levasseur. This former police sergeant became the lucky winner of $500,000 by winning the three-month long game in the Big Brother house. The casting team saw something special in him because he was a good guy with a smart mindset on how to work in the game.

Derrick hung out with the people auditioning for the whole duration of the casting call. It was a total pleasure getting to meet him since I am a BB Superfan!

Who did I meet next? The runner-up, Cody Califiore! Cody is from a town not too far from my hometown. He was recruited by a BB staff member at a bar mitzvah where he was working as a party host for an entertainment company.

Then there was a surprise visit from another Big Brother contestant from last season! Frankie Grande, a social media star who is also the brother of pop star Ariana Grande, showed up to the casting call!

Conveniently his sister had concert performances at Madison Square Garden the night before and the night of these auditions. He shared advice with a few other people and myself about living in the Big Brother house. I am not sure how I managed to pay attention to what he was saying since I was in a state of shock the whole time.

This experience was amazing and I met lots of interesting and fun fans of the show. We were all exchanging social media information just in case one of us ever becomes the next BB star.  I cannot imagine people freaking out seeing me the way I did when I met these reality stars that just a year ago were regular people. Whether or not I ever end up on this show, I am so happy I met these Big Brother stars and had the opportunity to introduce myself to the casting team.

Join Our Blog

      We are a group of sorority girls who blog about college life, friends, relationships, pop culture and so much more.If writing or blogging interests you, you can become part of our team. We are currently looking for women who are strong writers to fill positions blogging, editing, and even some people to fill in our PR. 
       If you are interested please email sororitygirlthought@gmail.com with your name, age, sorority, school, and a link to your Facebook. If you have any writing pieces you would like to send along too that would be very beneficial. Please include the position you are interested in.
       Can't wait to have some new people join our team!
xoxo,

Traveling with You Sisters- A Life Changing Experience

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to travel. I know a lot of people say this, but in all honesty, in the deepest part of my soul, all I want is this world is to be able to see the world through my lens, capture it, and inspire others to do the same (if I got paid to do this that would be a great bonus).

Growing up, my father was never too keen on me being anywhere away from his abusive household. As I grew, my walls became covered with pictures and collages of the many places I wanted to visit. He would always tell me that I would never be able to go anywhere with out him, and I am sure, long before I realized how crazy he was, that every day I felt more and more trapped and thus longed to pick up and go anywhere my heart desired.

Sometime after my father was out of the picture, I was able to take my first adventure. In November of 2011, I registered for a travel course to spend 11 days exploring Greece at the end of May 2012. This was a dream come true for me, especially since years before I became “Greek” myself, I have always wanted to visit and learn about, in my mind, the most beautiful culture in the world.

The best part about this upcoming trip was knowing that I wasn’t going alone. Not only would I be traveling  to the most beautiful country in the world with a class, and a professor I already knew but I would be traveling to Greece with 5 others of my sorority sisters.

Traveling along Greece with my sisters brought us all closer. We learned a lot about the country, each other, and even ourselves. it was an experience that I wouldn’t want to share with anyone else and to this day, I encourage my fellow sisters to take the opportunity to take travel with each other.

And now I am telling you, take the opportunity while you young to travel with your sorority sisters because there are very few experiences in this world that would ever compare!

For me, this made my first traveling experience that much better. I was able to witness the true beauty of the country that is very much a part of me and my fellow Greeks, I was able to see the letters and recognize them, see the agriculture, and art, and country side and felt oddly connect to the place. It was comforting to know that I was not alone, that 7 other individuals (five  in my chapter, two in other sororities) felt that same connection. To this day, I long for the feelings that trip gave me, I long to be back, and I always look back and remember how we felt on that trip together, because all of were better people because of it.

When The Going Gets Tough

Something that has been a struggle for me lately is balancing my sorority with my classes. No I'm not failing, my grades aren't suffering terribly, however they're definitely not as high as they have been previous semesters. There is something so unsatisfying about getting B's on literally every, single assignment. It makes me feel for a lack of a better word, mediocre. However, what I know is that there's clearly no one to blame but myself.

I love my sorority so much, and it is the hardest thing to focus on classes when there's so many fun and exciting things going on within my chapter. I have been crafting non-stop; for my two perfect littles, worrying about what I need to get done for events coming up, and trying to focus my attention on running my own blog and writing for you guys on here. 

I always tell people that the name of my major should be changed to the "art of bullshitting" because I would say I definitely would receive a masters in that. What I need to regain is my self-discipline, I need to force myself to go to the gym more, I need to focus more time on school, and be mindful about the time I need to allot to my sorority. But it's not easy, and it is hands-down one of the most difficult things I've ever tried to juggle in my life. 

I need to try to put more effort into my school work because I don't want to settle for B's, I want the feeling of getting an A and knowing I earned it. I currently have a group project coming up for one of my classes and I'm so incredibly nervous for it because I haven't even read the book yet. [English major probs]. On top of that the past week has been so difficult for me with my Math class I'm taking which is supposed to be "so" easy but is definitely not easy for someone like me who is not so great at Math. 

I guess what I'm getting at in this post is that these next few weeks will be interesting to see how everything plays out. I'm learning stuff along the way, and I'm perfectly okay with that I just don't want to see any aspect of my life suffer because of any of the rest of them. With the end of our new member class's process coming up, some projects to accomplish, I'm interested to see how everything pans out. 

Spring Break Safety

Hello SGT readers! Spring Break season is upon us! 'Tis the season for fun in the sun, but we want you to be safe too! Here are some tips to ensure all of you make it back in one piece:

1. Wear Sunscreem- Looking like a lobster is not cute, it also makes for more time in the hotel room than on the beach. You don't wanna miss out because of a sun burn, so reapply often. Setting a reminder on your phone would even be recommened.
2. Drink Water: The sun and alcohol will dehydrate you fast. It's essential to have fluids while your on the beach all day.
3. Have a buddy system: Don't run off by yourself! Especially when you're out at night stay close to your group. You don't want to end up lost in a place your unfamiliar with especially while under the influence of alcohol.
4. Drink Responsibly: Count your drinks (know your limits) being hungover half the trip does not make for a fun spring break, also your friends would rather not babysit you. So get your drannkkk on but try not to overdo it.
5. Keep your phone on you and charged!!: If you do get separated from the group you don't want to have a dead phone too. Your friends need to know where you are!
6. Bring condoms: Even if you don't plan to hook up while on spring break its better safe than sorry. You don't want to bring back more than memories from your trip!

How Greeks Celebrate Pi Day

In case you avoid math or don't eat dessert or never learned the Greek alphabet, this past Saturday was National Pi Day.

And it was not just any Pi Day.

The first five digits of pi are 3.1415, and the date this year was 3/14/15.

We can take this a step further. And we can extend the digits of pi further. Pi continues on to be 3.141592653

If you happened to have looked at a clock on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 AM/PM, then you saw some unmatched coincidental history!

Pi Day was created to celebrate the birth of Albert Einstein, but it is often used now as an excuse to eat pie and create great puns within the Greek community.

Fraternities and sororities have often had "Pi(e) a Phi" or similarly titled events to raise funds for philanthropies or dues. This money maker is as simple as buying cans of whipped cream and plates and charging people a small donation to pie a member in the face. I took part in this celebration this year to help a math fraternity, because I can't help but support a good cause!

How did you choose to celebrate this special day? Did you get a chance to pie anyone? Or at least eat some pie? Or... do math homework?

Thank You Letter to My Best Friends

       Thank you so much for making me the person I am now. You were always there to have my back along with supporting me along the way. You were there for the ups and the downs and held me when I had everything to lose. When I am in need you are always one of the first people I turn to! 
       You always keep me on my feet too! When the two of us are together we can always make anything into an adventure. Going to the movies, going on joy rides, or just laying on the couch watching some movie that we quote or guess the whole plot to are just a few of my favorite memories. 
        To say you are my friend is one thing, but to say your my best friend is another. We always have each others backs. We always know what the other one is thinking. We know each others favorites of everything. We can do absolutely nothing and can have a blast. 
       We have both been there for the heart breaks and the honeymoon stages in relationships. Although we may not be with each other for a while because of school, jobs, or studying abroad you are always the person I want to talk to when anything comes up in my life! We started as strangers, we moved to friends, and now you are one of my best! 
      Thanks for the past memories, thanks for the current, and thanks for the many more to come. I am lucky to have someone like you in my life to laugh along with on the roller coaster of a life we both have.

XOXO your best friend!

A Personal Reaction to Sigma Alpha Epsilon's Racist Chant

On Sunday a  nine second viral video clip of several fraternity men chanting some very horrific things reached the email of Katelyn Griffith, an editor for “The Oklahoma Daily” student newspaper. Within hours, the story and video instantly made its way across cyberspace and the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Oklahoma University were pulled out of the shadows and exposed.

As of today, the fraternity has been rightfully shunned by its national organization and fellow members, kicked off their local campus, their fraternity house has been evacuate, and several members have been expelled.

At the same time, people across the digital world are weighing in on the subject.

That being said, I felt it was important for me to address the actions of these men on our blog seeing that this platform is geared to Greek Life members.

Let me start off by saying, I do not, under any circumstances, condone the actions of these “men”. No questions asked, these men were wrong and deserve the consequences of this video surfacing. The very fact that several severe punishments were handed out to this “chapter” by both the parent organization and local university within hours of the video surfacing is indicative of the severity of offense and the lack of tolerance of these distasteful actions by other Greek Life members. 

However, I do not agree with others, from individuals to the media ( please refer to this CNN opinion article here), using this as an opportunity to shame all Greek lettered organizations as social cliques that pick and choose who will join their organizations based on qualities such as skin color, religion, sexual orientation or any other social issue.

As a proud member of Greek Life who comes from a chapter with several diverse women, I find it insulting that the actions of these men has become synonyms with Greek Life as a whole. 

In my humble opinion, it is morally and ethically wrong pass judgment on an entire group of people based on the decisions of the few; It is not fair to judge all Greeks based on the actions of these “men” just like it isn’t fair to judge anyone based on any other social issue.

This is one chapter at one university, there are hundreds of chapters from hudreds of Greek Lettered Organizations across the United States alone, each with their own histories, beliefs, and values. No chapter is the same even within the same overarching organization, how is it possibly fair to form an opinion of Greek Life as a whole based on one selection of “men”.

That being said, I urge people to look at this terrible offense as what it is, the actions of a few Greek Life members, not every Greek Life member.