ALPHA PHI ODU

                              Alpha Phi Executes Leaders, I am Lucky to be One

Emerging Leaders Institute was one of the most life changing experiences.  I am so thankful Alpha Phi gave me the experience to embark on one of the most creative journeys.  This following post explains every detail of my journey and I hope you enjoy!

I first heard about the Emerging Leaders Institute from my Pledge Mom, now Alumni Megan Williams.  She told my pledge class it was a five day retreat for 150 women from Alpha Phi chapters all over the United States and Canada.    Megan told us she had the opportunity to learn more about Alpha Phi and how to become an effective leader; I knew then I had to jump at the chance to go.

In order to attend I had to apply for a position.  The application was a lot like a college application, they asked for my GPA, organizations I participated in, along with countless essays about leadership, values, and much more.  They said we would hear back if we got in or not in about a month.  When the day came I checked my email every five minutes but, they pushed back the announcement a week.  Finally, a week later I got on my email casually and found out I had the opportunity to attend the Emerging Leaders Institute.  Of course, I had to let everyone know, so I posted it on Facebook.  In a matter of minutes I had sisters calling and texting me and even friends from high school calling and telling me they looked up ELI online and were so happy for me. 

Finally, at the end of May I was packing my bags for Butler University, where ELI was being held.  Instantly, I met sisters from around the United States and Canada, I wasn’t weird not knowing anyone, because we all had one thing in common and shared something only a select few women get to share…Alpha Phi.  We began to play name games, talk about how are chapters ran, and what our schools were like.

Then, we broke off into our silver circle groups.  Silver circle groups were ten girls and Alpha Phi alumni that volunteered and applied for a position to come teach active sisters more about Alpha Phi and how we can improve our chapters.  In our silver circle groups we played small games, talked about our values, what we want to see improve in our chapters, how we run our chapters, and much more.  Then, it was time to get down too why we were really there; how to become an effective leader.  For the next five days we had conferences with two women, one who was an Alpha Phi alumni; they taught us ways to become a better leader, fix sticky situations, and the best part learning even more about Alpha Phi’s rituals.

On the second day we went to a ropes course that was designed to improve on leadership and working together to accomplish a challenge or task.  Some fun team building activities we did were a zip line, trust fall, wall climb, and a human seesaw.  Many of the tasks were challenging and there were even a few people being a little bossy, but we worked through it and saw firsthand and practiced how to work on those situations and still get across what you are trying to say but, in a way people will listen and respect you. 

ELI taught me how to deal with “sticky situations”, conflicts, relating to others, and taking everyone’s opinions and forming into one idea that can please everyone. Not to mention, I got to learn even more about Alpha Phi, from rituals and how different chapters run.  I still keep in contact with all of the women from the Emerging Leaders Institute via Facebook, and I talk to my close friends from ELI all the time.  I would highly recommend every Alpha Phi to jump at the opportunity to go because everything I learned I know it will help me with Alpha Phi and in my career; not to mention it was great networking.  Alpha Phi’s Emerging Leaders Institute is an experience of a lifetime.

Taylor Chappell

Assistant New Member Educator 

Fun in the Sun!

It’s summer time and there is nothing more our chapter loves than some fun in the hot summer sun! After a long winter we were all excited to enjoy our 4 months off from classes and meetings and appreciate each other’s company outside. Luckily a lot of our sisters live close to each other whether it is in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area or in Northern, VA so we don’t have to miss each other too badly!

Whether it’s trips to the beach, long days at the pool, or country concerts under the stars Alpha Phi’s will find any excuse to spend their summers with sisters! Even girls who stayed at ODU taking classes during the summer have enjoyed themselves by taking trips to the oceanfront and spending time with the locals. Now that the summer is coming to a quick ending, 18 days to be exact, we are cramming in lots of quality time before its back to the books! Plans include a cookout, pool party, day at the beach, and so much more!

Michelle Conrad

Director of Formal Recruitment 

Life’s A Beach When You’re An Alpha Phi

After the weekend of March 23, 2012, words cannot describe our sisterhood in Alpha Phi. We held our sisterhood retreat in Sandbridge, VA and not only got to know our newly initiated sisters better, but bonded with the entire Epsilon Eta chapter as a whole. The sisters loaded their cars with blankets, pillows, and games for a fun filled weekend. As everyone piled out of their cars in excitement, the sisters geared up in their classy white shirts and dark jeans for an afternoon of pictures. We grabbed our wooden Alpha Phi letters and headed to the beach. With the photography help of sisters Jackie and Nina, we united together and posed for the camera. We had pledge classes in pyramids posing, big and little pairs walking along the waterside, and families within the chapter smiling with pride. Laughter and excitement filled the air as the sisters smiled from every direction

After a long afternoon of modeling on the beach, everyone headed inside for some quality bonding time. We sprawled out across the living room next to one another and passed a beach ball around with different questions. Sisters passed around the ball and answered the questions one by one getting to know individual sisters more. Many of the questions really gave sisters an opportunity to know one another so well. Questions ranged from what is your dream job to what is your biggest fear. We all then proceeded to get with the girls we were roomed with and had to create Alpha Phi chants together. We only had one hour to do so and they could be serious or funny. The best chant would be the group winner. Each group of sisters preformed their chants one by one. The chants were very creative and cleaver to say the least. They involved dancing, music, and even props were included in some.

The day went on with sisters stuffing their faces with snacks, laughing with one another at outrageous life stories, and learning the new chants that were taught.  Dinner was absolutely delicious with mounds of spaghetti, sauce, and salad. Eight boxes of pasta and 5 heads of lettuce later, sisters were satisfied and full. Sisters enjoyed some down time playing apples to apples, pool, and foosball. Some sisters even took the time to bring out their inner child and play the game hot lava. If you aren’t familiar with the game, basically you have to go around the house stepping on anything you can except the floor itself. The floor is considered “hot lava” and if you touch it, you’re out. This was comical to watch as the sisters went from room to room trying to cover the entire house. Keep in mind the house slept 25 girls so there was a lot of area to cover.

Sisters stayed up all hours of the night talking, laughing, and bonding with one another. It was like one big sleepover with your closest friends. Brought back memories to when we were younger and would have those late night slumber parties with friends staying up all night gossiping, eating food, and making loud noises. Except this time we didn’t have to worry about waking up our parents. Eventually everyone passed out so we could get a night of rest for the next day. Sunday morning, sisters woke up and helped one another prepare breakfast. We all cleaned up the house, packed up the cars, and drove back to Old Dominion. We continued our Sunday, otherwise known as Alpha Phi day to us, with our chapter meeting and homework.

The Alpha Phi sisterhood retreat, in my eyes, was one of the best weekends of the year for me. I could definitely speak for the chapter as a whole when I say that it has brought us closer together than ever. We not only got to know our newly initiated sisters better, but we got to sincerely know each individual sister a whole lot better. We sang chants, we played games, we laughed until tears ran down our faces, and didn’t have a care in the world. The girls in Alpha Phi are more than sister’s to me, they’re my family. They are the ones who I can always count on and after the sisterhood retreat it definitely reminded all of us what our sisterhood is about. We are unique individuals who share a special bond with one another. We are loyal friends, hard working students, who share the love and compassion for Alpha Phi. We come together as one and know at the end of the day, our sisters are the ones who will always be by your side.

Alpha Phi love & mine, Corinne Fisher

Vice President of Program Development

A Little Hand and Hand

This past weekend Alpha Phi held a sleepover with the local girl scouts! At the sleepover we helped the girls obtain their ‘eating for beauty’ badge. They were given the task of putting on skits, commercials, routines or programs to address heart health, diabetes, obesity, stress, facial care and fitness. They then had to preform the tasks for the entire group educating everyone on the negative effects of a poor diet.

We also planned a few icebreakers for the girls. These were a blast. They helped us have some fun, while getting to know them better. For one icebreaker we asked the girls to rip as many pieces of toilet paper off a roll as they wanted. When everyone was done, we revealed to the girls that they now had to give the group as many facts about themselves as squares of toilet paper ripped. Some of the sisters and girl scouts pulled over 25 squares!

After all the activities were completed we had some snacks and settled down. We played apples to apples and watched the movie Monte Carlo. Overall the sleepover was a great success!  We were able to incorporate the Alpha Phi Foundation into their activities because they focused on eating healthy, working out and heart health! We are looking forward to planning more activities with the Girl Scout troops in the fall!

Chelsea Langford

Families, Adventures and Love All Around

If you know anything about Greek life then you know that each sorority or fraternity member cherishes their relationships with their bigs or littles. For Alpha Phi’s at ODU, big sister/little sister is a memorable two week period where the new members get showered with gifts from their anonymous big sisters. Each year, the new members (or little sisters) are brought to the Alpha Phi table during activity hour to find a basket or box filled with goodies from their bigs. Each basket has a theme,  is filled with all of the little sister’s likes, and also has a card with three clues in it in the form of “two truths and a lie” as to who the big sister is.

This year, February 23rd marked the beginning of big/lil. The first basket given on that Thursday was Alpha Phi themed, so every basket was overflowing with silver, bordeaux, and Alpha Phi everywhere. The second basket given was themed as the Favorites basket. For this basket, the big sisters received a list of her little’s favorite color, animal, magazines, flowers, etc and was in charge of making this basket full of the little’s favorite things. The third basket was the Family basket. In addition to trinkets themed solely for the little sister’s family, each girl was given either a pair of family letters or a pair of letters chosen by the big sister.  Through all of the days, each girl was surprised by all of the things she received by her big sister and had a fun time plotting with the other girls about who’s big sister is who’s.

On the evening of the final day, big/lil revelation took place. The little sisters met in North Cafe in Webb Center and went on a train ride of fun stops, each bringing her closer to the location of her big sister. At every stop, an older sister was there to read them the importance of the location, like the library, lion statue, and Greek rock, and then administer a fun activity like team building games and exciting chants. At the end, the little sisters were brought to the MGB parking lot where they were given a car key. Then, they went in pairs to the top floor to try to find the car that matched the key in their hand. Once they found the match, their big sister was inside sitting in the front seat. After all of the new members found out who their bigs were, there were cheers of happiness, laughter, and many pictures taken.  Overall, the time spent crafting, planning, and tricking during big/lil was all worth it to see the happiness on every girl’s face. Now that it is over, I am excited to see the bonds grow between sisters and new members and for each new member to find her niche within the chapter.

Director of New Member Orientation

“Our Hearts Beat for You”

We held our annual cardiac arrest event this past week. Cardiac arrest is a fun and upbeat philanthropy event that continues to help us raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation. For this event, sisters are given the task of “arresting” students or faculty throughout the university. The “inmates” are then required to raise a minimum of 20 dollars bail in order to be released. While behind bars, participants were gifted with baked goods and candy as a reward for their dedication and support to the cause.  All of the participants were great sports and did an outstanding job, but one participant went above and beyond and raised the most money while in jail.  He was awarded “Alpha Phi’s Most Wanted” and received an Old Dominion themed gift basket. Thank you Tomas Luna, Sigma Nu for your hard work and dedication!

Additionally, sisters went into the campus community requesting that students donate a dollar to sign a heart donation sheet showing their support for the Alpha Phi Foundation. These donation sheets were displayed on a banner in our Student Center.

Cardiac arrest was a huge success. The participants had a blast trying to raise their 20 dollar bail. Some of them even took the microphone in hopes that their shout outs would gain them a donation! The event was really exciting. We played upbeat music, handed out goody bags to the participants and loved the support! Without the support of other organizations and the Old Dominion community, this event would not have been as much of a success as it was!

Courtney Morey

Vice President of Marketing

Simply the Best

This weekend our executive board and advisors traveled to Nashville to participate in Alpha Phi’s South East/ South Central Regional Conference. We were among 150 other Alpha Phi leaders from over 30 universities. The conference was organized so each department went to sessions regarding their duties in the chapter. The sessions were facilitated by members of the regional team, International Executive Board, and even International President, Linda Boland!

The award ceremony was exciting for Epsilon Eta. We were awarded with Excellence in Fall Formal Recruitment for the Fall 2011 semester! The Alpha Phi Foundation gave us a challenge to donate more money than the Northeast Region and we did; $2,400 in TWO days! Saturday night we attended a Rock the Red Dinner, where we had a pleasure of eating with Alpha Phi Foundation chair member, Susan Barrick. She shared her experiences volunteering and fundraising for the Alpha Phi Foundation. After the dinner, all collegiates participated in a t-shirt swap, where we got the chance to trade shirts with chapters all over the country.

Our key note speaker for the closing ceremony was Patty Hendrickson. She inspired and motivated sisters to concentrate on personal excellence as well as excellence in sisterhood! My favorite part of our trip was being able to share ideas with sisters across the country and to bond with sisters  while planning new activities for our chapter. We can not wait to bring back everything we learned and pass our new knowledge to our chapter.

Nina Smith

President

Give A Heart, Save A Heart

Yesterday, the sisters of Alpha Phi celebrated Valentines Day by giving back to the community. We held our annual Huggy Pillow Co-sponsorship with the Civic Engagement C enter!

Throughout open-heart surgery, the patient’s sternum (breastbone) is broken. This allows the doctors to have direct access to the heart during surgery. Once the surgery is completed the sternum is wired back together and the healing process begins. The Huggy Pillows are then given to the patients to help with the healing process. During recovery coughing puts a great amount of pressure on the sternum, ribs, and chest muscles. The pillows allow the patients to support the chest by hugging the pillows while coughing, sneezing or laughing. Not only do the pillows help patients while they are recovering in the hospital but they are also used for at least 4-5 weeks at home. While transporting from the hospital to home the pillow is used as a buffer between the patient and the seat belt in case of an accident they are protected.

As you can see heart surgery can be a traumatic experience for patients. To make the Huggy pillows we set up a small section in the Webb with a breakdown of 5 different stations. The stations consisted of tracing the heart stencil onto the fabric, cutting the hearts out, sewing the hearts together, stuffing the pillows, and hand sewing the pillows shut. As we worked together we also received help from students and other organizations by helping us stuff and hand sew the pillows. With help from others, the sisters of Alpha Phi completed 95 Huggy pillows, which will be donated to the Norfolk Sentara hospital.

You can make a difference just like the sisters of Alpha Phi did. Start loving your heart today! Special Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Huggy pillow event. This was an amazing event and so glad I got to experience this with my sisters!

AOE Angelica Cordero <3

Director of Philanthrophy