Friday, December 20, 2013

Staffing Announcement

Good Afternoon All,

It is with mixed emotions that I am e-mailing you to let you know that
Danny Grzesik will be leaving Lehigh in the new year. Danny has
accepted a position at Adelphi University as the Assistant Director of
Greek Life and Social Fellowships. In order to get a head start on his
new position, Danny's last day in OFSA will be January 6th.

In his four and a half years at Lehigh, Danny has worked with both our
Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils, as well as spearheading our
Rho Gamma, faculty advisor and social host training initiatives. We will miss
Danny's hard work, optimistic attitude and dedication to learning. Adelphi is getting a staff member ready to take on the primary responsibility of stewarding a Greek community and Danny is getting an opportunity to return to his home state of New York. Before the new year, OFSA will be announcing new chapter/OFSA staff pairings for Danny's chapters, as well as Panhellenic advising responsibilities.

Please take a moment to share a note of congratulations with Danny on
his exciting new opportunity.

Thank You and Happy Holidays,

Tim


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Update on Chi Phi



As of today, December 11, 2013 all activities of the Chi Phi Fraternity at Lehigh University have been suspended immediately.  This suspension comes pending the investigation of allegations of University policy violations by the chapter on the night of Friday, December 6, 2013 including providing alcohol to minors, drinking games, hosting an unregistered social event, and irresponsible distribution of alcohol.  Additionally, the chapter will be facing Interfraternity Council recruitment violations for allegations of potential new members being present at the facility where alcohol was present the night of December 6.


This suspension mandates that no activities of any kind may occur, either on Lehigh's campus or off-campus for Chi Phi.  The Chi Phi facility is also designated a dry facility. Chapter members have until 8PM Wednesday, December 11 to remove all alcohol from the facility.


For questions regarding this matter, please contact either Tim Wilkinson or Danny Grzesik in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at (610) 758-4157.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Panhellenic Formal Recruitment Reigstration Reminder


Panhellenic Formal Recruitment Registration Reminder

Good Afternoon-

If you are interested in participating in the Panhellenic Council's formal recruitment process and have not yet registered, please access the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Homepage ( http://www.lehigh.edu/ofsa/ ) and click on the “Spring 2014 Panhellenic Formal Recruitment Registration” link on the right hand side or the Panhellenic Council website (http://www.lehigh.edu/~inpanhel/Recruitment.html ) and click on "Formal Recruitment" Registration link on the right hand side. Please make sure you read through and understand the content of the Enrollment Disclaimer and the Confirmation email you receive upon registration.

It is important that you are present at all recruitment events during the week of January 6th to maximize your exposure to the organizations. If you have a special circumstance (i.e. study abroad, athletic commitments, etc.), please contact the Panhellenic Council Vice President of Recruitment, Tiffany Kuperschmidt(tmk214@Lehigh.edu) as soon as possible if you haven't already been in touch.

We encourage you to follow us on our social media as well:

Facebook: Lehigh Greeks

Instagram: lehighpanhel

Twitter: @LehighPanhel

To join the group to stay updated for Formal Recruitment:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/542238755831457/

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

 

Kaitlin Slattery 

President, Panhellenic Council 

krs214@lehigh.edu

Tiffany Kuperschmidt
Vice President of Recruitment, Panhellenic Council
tmk214@lehigh.edu

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Sign Up for Courageous Conversations

 
 
 
 
Several chapters have reached out on their own to schedule Courageous Conversations for the Spring '14 semester, but we wanted to pass along the opportunity to all as we're now taking schedule requests for January thru April. 


WHAT: Courageous Conversations
Courageous Conversations is a two-part workshop series where participants learn and apply a framework for engaging with others despite having differences in opinions and perspectives.  Much of the series is conversation-based, focusing on topics such as heterosexism, genderism, racism, and other systems of oppression.   


The program is broken into two parts, each part taking place on a separate date and with a run time of 2-3 hours per part.  In total, its a six hour commitment scheduled over the course of 1-2 weeks. 

WHEN: Spring '14
We're currently scheduling dates for Spring 2014.  
The program will only be scheduled Monday through Thursday in the 4:10-7PM time slot with few exceptions. 

WHO: 15-25 chapter members 
Participants must attend both parts - no tagging in and out, no illegal substitutions.  Any less than 15 makes it difficult to do some of the activities and any more than 25 prevents us from having more intimate discussion where everyone participates.   

HOW: 
Reply to Ash Baudouin at amb512@lehigh.edu indicating your chapter's interest in participating.  Workshops will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.    

Let us know if you have any questions or would like to learn more. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

What It Means to Be a Greek President by Julie Stomel


What it means to be a Greek President

 

In January 2013, when I first took over the role of President, I was excited to lead the chapter. I knew I could be the face of my organization and lead both chapter meetings and exec meetings. I could make hard decisions. I knew I could be a role model for younger women. I knew I would be able to do all this, and I knew I would be able to do it well.

But being a Greek president, as I soon learned, was much more than this. Being a Greek President means I was not only acting as myself, I was now the main face of my chapter. If I did something, it was a reflection on my chapter more-so than if I were any other member. I became the contact person on all issues. I became a source of knowledge, an email forwarder, a delegator, and a manager. I became responsible for 100 women. I became a spokesperson for 100 women. I became a therapist to 100 women. I also became the decision maker for 100 women. I was making decisions that would benefit the chapter as a whole while sometimes being largely detrimental to myself or my time. I made decisions that benefited the chapter that also caused my best friends to stop talking to me. There were days that I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into and there were days that I was so stressed that I just wanted to quit.  There were also days that I was amazed with myself and my chapter. I am amazed with all the positive change that we make on campus, and that we are continuously striving to do more.

Some days I absolutely loved my chapter and other days I hated Greek life as a whole. I love the support I get from my sisterhood, the bonds we share, the traditions we have, what we stand for and how we strive to live up to that. I get so incredibly frustrated by the social scene and by recruitment. I know personally, sorority recruitment is the point in my life that my self-esteem was at its lowest. I absolutely hate that a community that I am so involved in can do that to a person, and that it did that to me. I will be the first to admit that the Greek system is far from perfect. But the leaders of the Greek community are working at every meeting on improving what it means to be Greek at Lehigh. I will also be the first to admit that the Greek community can be very supportive. When one of our members passed away, we received sympathy cards and flowers from every single Greek chapter. It was an outreach of support that I never would have imagined.

Being a Greek president has taught me how to truly live my values. I can recite pieces from our ritual and apply it to my life. The younger members are amazed when I do this, but its now so ingrained in me that it’s second nature. I can truly say that I live up to my founder’s expectations and that I live my ritual. I actually look forward to rituals and enjoyed leading them, because it are these ritual ceremonies that remind us why we joined and what we should strive for. I share that with the younger members and hope that they too will start to see that when they act to reach their fullest potential, they are being the best Greeks we can ask for.

Being a Greek president overall has been an amazing and transformative experience. While it, like Greek life in general, is not for everyone, it was definitely an experience that I am grateful for. I have made great friends in the other sorority presidents and I am proud of the progress we have made. I am proud of the change I have made in my own chapter and how new initiatives are now ingrained in chapter culture. Now as my term comes to an end it is bittersweet. In the past 10 months, I have learned so much about my sisters, Lehigh, Greek Life, myself, and how they all fit together.

So what does it mean to be a Greek president? It means knowing when you are right and when you are wrong. It means making your chapter the best it can be, while allowing your chapter members to show that to the community. It means communicating your strengths and weaknesses to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and realizing how many resources there are available. It means truly living your values and ritual. It means endlessly giving your thoughts, your time, your mental capacity, and your self to your sisters.


Julie Stomel, 2014
Kappa Alpha Theta President

Monday, November 11, 2013

Meet Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated!


Do You Have What It Takes?

Calling all ladies of Lehigh University! Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated will be having a table on display on the 2nd floor of the University Center on Thursday November 14th from 10am to 2pm. Who is Sigma Gamma Rho you ask? Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on November 12th 1922 by 7 young educators.  Founded on the principles of Scholarship, Sisterhood and Service, the founders sought to positively and proactively serve the community.  Our legacy continues to flourish by the distinguished women of Sigma Gamma Rho.  So I ask you, do you have what it takes to be a woman of Sigma?  Come find out!
There will also be a "Chat and Chew" event with alumnae members on Friday, November 15th at 7:22 pm in Maginnes 101.
 
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated website: http://www.sgrho1922.org 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Be a GEM Mentor


The Greek Emerging Leaders Program is currently recruiting for mentors for the 2014 program. Anyone involved in the Greek community can apply to be a mentor.  We encourage students who are involved in the community, value being a leader, who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with future Greek leaders to consider!

Applications are currently available and will be accepted until Sunday, November 10.  Please see the application for more information about the process and responsibilities of a mentor. 

Application Link

You can also visit our facebook page or website for additional information.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact Stefanie Burke (sdb212) or the GEM intern, Jessica Scott, at jas615@lehigh.edu.


Thank you,

Greek EMerging Leaders Program

Panhellenic Floor Meetings



Lehigh University Panhellenic Council Rho Gamma Floor Meeting Information

Are you interested in joining one of the nine Panhellenic Council sororities on campus? Do you want to know more about the formal recruitment process in January? Do you want to know what sororities are all about? If so, floor meetings led by your Recruitment Counselors (Rho Gammas) are for you!

Rho Gammas are trained upperclassmen students who have disaffiliated from their respective organizations until the end of formal recruitment to offer unbiased guidance, support and resources to help you understand what membership looks like and what to consider. Rho Gammas lead monthly floor meetings and let you know about any upcoming recruitment events during the fall semester.

We invite you to attend the next scheduled floor meeting this Friday, November 1st at 7:00pm. Your meeting space is determined by your residence hall building/floor.
RHO GAMMA MEETING PLACES!
M&M First Floor Residents: Meet in First Floor Lounge of M&M
M&M Second Floor Residents: Meet in Second Floor Lounge of M&M
M&M Third Floor Residents: Meet in Third Floor Lounge of M&M
Leavitt/McConn Residents: Meet in Leavitt Lounge
Palmer/Stevens Residents: Meet in Palmer Lounge
Richards Residents: Meet in First Floor Lounge of Richards
Congdon/Emery/Smiley Residents: Meet in Congdon Lounge
Beardslee/Carothers Residents: Meet in Carothers Lounge
Stoughton/Williams Residents: Meet in Williams Lounge
Dravo Residents: Meet in A1 Lounge
Drinker/Taylor/Umoja/WarrenSquare/House 104/Brodhead/Trembley/Campus Square Residents: Rauch 141

We encourage you to follow us on our social media as well:
Facebook: Lehigh Greeks
Instagram: lehighpanhel
Twitter: @LehighPanhel
To join the group to stay updated for Formal Recruitment:

If you have any questions about Rho Gammas, please email Panhellenic Council’s Rho Gamma Coordinator Cara Smalley at cls214@lehigh.edu or the Panhellenic Council’s Vice President of Recruitment Tiffany Kuperschmidt at tmk214@lehigh.edu .






Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Shirts!




Order t-shirts for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week now! These high-quality, long-sleeve shirts are only $10.00 and raise money for New Bethany Ministries and the Valley Youth House, two fantastic non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to support, and be a resource for, our local community.

Non-perishable food donations are also encouraged.

If you are interested in ordering or have any questions, please contact inserve@lehigh.edu or stop by the Community Service Office located on the lower level of the UC

Monday, October 14, 2013

St. Jude All-Night Competition

 
 
 
Lambda Theta Alpha, along with other campus organizations, is very passionate to build upon our efforts to contribute to our organization's philanthropy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Last year we are proud to have raised $30,691.02 among our LTA chapters across the nation, but are reaching out to the Lehigh community to help break this record yet again. The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. We're excited to host the St. Jude All-Night Competition at Lehigh University Thursday, October 17th at 10pm, but need your help to make it as big and successful as possible and truly a campus-wide unifying effort to bring joy to the brave patients and families of St. Judes.

The St. Jude All-Night Competition at Lehigh University is a student-led philanthropic program in which student organizations raise funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The competition hopes to create unity across campus, raise funds for the children and families of St.Judes, and educates participants about what we can all contribute for children in our communities.  In the spirit of competition, participating teams will earn points by completing an outdoor scavenger hunt and indoor tournament.

Please consider a $10 donation, but any amount helps and even sharing this email with your chapter members and friends to ask for their support as well also makes a difference. If your chapter would like to make a donation, please consider a generous contribution. Don't forget to come out to the competition Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10PM to support the cause and our teams! We'll be collecting donations throughout the event.


Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stjudeatlehigh 

If you have any questions at all, email us at lehigh.stjude@gmail.com.

To learn more about St. Jude,please visit http://www.stjude.org/abou

Friday, October 11, 2013

More Than Just a House... by Alpha Phi, Epsilon Psi chapter members







Epsilon Psi Chapter, Lehigh University
More than Just a House…



Being part of Greek life at Lehigh University typically generates many different questions from those unaffiliated or students looking to become affiliated. What house are you in and what house do you live in, are some of the most frequent questions received by members of Greek life. The Epsilon Psi chapter of Alpha Phi is constantly striving to better both the Bethlehem and Lehigh community. In order to foster unity among the other chapters represented on campus and within ourselves, Alpha Phi is moving to define ourselves as a chapter rather than a house. As a group with over 90 members we represent much more than just a house. We are not merely defined by the building we live in during our semesters at school. Being a member of Alpha Phi entails joining an organization of outstanding women who support one another in lifelong achievement. It is our hope that by redefining ourselves we can encourage others to do the same. A house is merely a building that we will live in for 2 years of our lives, however being a sister of the Epsilon Psi chapter of Alpha Phi is something that will last forever.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Hunger and Homelessness Week

Friends of the Community Service Office -- 

This year, the week of October 21st is dedicated to raising awareness on Hunger and Homelessness Issues affecting our community.

We are hosting a Faces of the Homeless Panel on Wednesday, October 23rd -- where brave panelists will share their personal stories of living in the Lehigh Valley while homeless. Followed by an educational and interactive simulation that challenges participants to live in poverty. 

Additionally, we are selling our Hunger and Homelessness Week t-shirts, which raise money for New Bethany Ministries and Valley Youth House. Two amazing non-profits that work tirelessly to support and be a resource for our community. 

If you are interested in ordering a t-shirt, please email the CSO at inserve@lehigh.edu.

Thank you for your continued support of the Community Service Office.
In Service,

Karen Haberland and Carolina Hernandez


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Looking for a part-time job?


 

Seeking TechGYRLS Instructors!


The YWCA of Bethlehem is looking for instructors for the 2013-2014 TechGYRLS program. This is a part-time, seasonal job working 3-6 hours per week. Must be able to teach classes twice a week for seven weeks at consistent days and times for the semester.

This position is perfect for college women studying math, science, or education. While prior experience is not required, previous teaching experience and familiarity with Scratch, Alice and/or Lego Robotics is a plus.

Responsibilities would include: attending all training sessions, paid meetings, 2 TechEXPOs, and a spring field trip; instructing a class of 10-15 girls; working with site administrators and the TechGYRLS Coordinator on various programs; monitoring student progress and the program's effectiveness.

Please email a resume and weekday availability ASAP to Amber Mirza, Empowerment Center Director, at amirza@ywcabethlehem.org.

The YWCA of Bethlehem is an EOE.

The YWCA of Bethlehem is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

To learn more about the YWCA of Bethlehem, please visit:
http://ywcabethlehem.org/

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Fraternity Expansion Announcement



Good Afternoon All,

We are excited to announce that the Interfraternity Council at Lehigh University will be moving forward with the expansion of our fraternity community in the fall 2014 semester. The purpose of this expansion effort is to continue the goal of providing a myriad of options within the community to meet the ever changing needs of our undergraduate student population.

The University will be giving priority to those organizations that are fundamentally committed to espousing Jewish culture and heritage. Additional consideration will be given to organizations that have had active chapters on campus in the past.  The relationship with those groups is a valued part of the future of the fraternity community at Lehigh.  However, this will not automatically “disqualify” any organization which submits materials.  Additionally, any fraternity expansion at Lehigh will not include a residential facility, and there will be no plans or timeline in place to convert any newly recognized non-residential chapters to residential chapters.

Questions about this process may be directed to Jessi McPherrin, Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, at jlm811@lehigh.edu or 610.758.4157.

Fraternally,
Tim Wilkinson

Senior Assistant Dean of Students, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs