OHIO fraternity and sorority life community presents three programs at national conference
Photo courtesy of: Kristen KardasOHIO undergraduate student Derek Williams and Elon University graduate student Alonzo Cee presented 鈥淢y Advisor is White, What Should I Do.鈥
Several 帝王会所 Fraternity and Sorority Life members were given the opportunity to present and act as experts in their fields during the in February in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The conference is the largest gathering of fraternity and sorority students in the country according to the . Each year, more than 3,500 participants from around 225 campuses gather for an experience that hosts 200+ educational opportunities for students and professionals. The goal of the conference is to 鈥渃reate a change-enabling experience that accelerates progress in fraternity and sorority communities.鈥
Members from OHIO鈥檚 fraternity and sorority life community submitted program proposals to present at the conference and three were selected, including 鈥淲hen Banners Spark a Movement,鈥 鈥淧rogramming With A Purpose,鈥 and 鈥淢y Advisor is White, What Should I Do.鈥
Kristen Kardas, assistant director for fraternity and sorority life at OHIO, said being able to present at the conference helped students understand they had valuable information to share 鈥 to their audience at the event and to the university community when they returned.
Kardas, who co-presented with students and advisors for all three programs, has attended the annual event five times in the past but noted this one was much different because of OHIO鈥檚 role as presenters.
鈥淚 think what made this one different was the opportunity to showcase 帝王会所 in a really positive light, particularly because of the three programs that we presented, as well as how our students were really actively involved and engaged,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 know what it felt like to be an expert in the room until they were suddenly the ones presenting and the ones that were being asked questions 鈥 they had answers and knew how to answer them well.鈥
鈥淲hen Banners Spark a Movement鈥
The 鈥淲hen Banners Spark a Movement鈥 program was presented by graduate advisors Emily Kunkle and Matt Rhyand. Kunkle said the idea for the program stemmed from a grassroots campaign on OHIO鈥檚 campus last fall with banners hanging from fraternity and sorority houses that supported sexual assault survivors and brought awareness to the issue.
, 鈥淣o does not mean convince me,鈥 and 鈥淪tand with survivors.鈥
鈥淭o be able to see throughout the years going as a participant and now being able to present as an advisor and show students across the nation the work that we鈥檙e doing here at 帝王会所, was a really cool opportunity,鈥 Kunkle added.
鈥淧rogramming With A Purpose鈥
Students Rosa Avi帽a, Aurora Santiago Flores and Shelby Gerwin presented 鈥淧rogramming With A Purpose,鈥 which focused on universities holding successful programs for multicultural Greek organizations, according to Avi帽a.
Avi帽a explained she attended the conference last year and was disappointed in the lack of programming for multicultural Greek organizations. She remembers getting locked out of programs because they were too crowded, so she voiced her concerns to Kardas who encouraged her to create a program for this year鈥檚 conference.
During their presentation, the students talked about multicultural events that have been successful and ones that weren鈥檛, as well as event funding and planning. An open discussion was held at the end of their program where the audience could ask questions about how to approach problems on their campus.
鈥淚 have learned so much from this conference and I feel like I鈥檝e become more knowledgeable on the positions that I hold on campus,鈥 Avi帽a added. 鈥淚 was able to talk to my Latinx peers and learn about their experiences and how they inspired them to change things on their campuses. Having this experience gives me hope that someday Latinx students will also be able to overcome some of the problems we face on this campus.鈥
鈥淢y Advisor is White, What Should I Do鈥
OHIO undergraduate student Derek Williams and Elon University graduate student Alonzo Cee presented 鈥淢y Advisor is White, What Should I Do.鈥
Williams said he attended the AFLV/NBGL conference last year and went a session similar to 鈥淢y Advisor is White, What Should I Do,鈥 which was presented by Cee. Williams took what he learned from that and applied it in this presentation which focused on being a multicultural student at a primarily white institution where a majority of advisors are white.
Through making new connections at the conference, Williams learned even Historically Black Colleges and Universities have white advisors, as well. He explained that since hearing from Cee last year, his relationship with Kardas grew and improved, and he was happy to give advice to their audience after their presentation.
鈥淏eing able to bridge the gap between the advisors and the undergraduates was very valuable for me because I felt like I was mending relationships,鈥 he said.
Photo courtesy of: Kristen KardasStudents Rosa Avi帽a, Aurora Santiago Flores and Shelby Gerwin presented 鈥淧rogramming With A Purpose,鈥 which focused on universities holding successful programs for multicultural Greek organizations, according to Avi帽a.