So you think you can Greek?

The 2011 Central Fraternal Leadership Conference/National Black Greek Leadership Conference in St. Louis has finally arrived!! Training with the rest of the undergraduate and graduate student interns was a blast and we are ready to welcome a record-breaking number of attendees! The energy is contagious and I cannot wait to experience something “life-changing,” as previous attendees have described their experience.
Try and picture this: nearly 2,350 fraternity/sorority leaders from around the country in one convention center discussing all things “Greek.” I cannot help but ask, “So you think you can Greek?”

It’s time to start seeing the bigger picture of the fraternity/sorority community. So you know your organization’s history, values, ritual, colors, chants, etc., but how much do you know about the other organizations in our fraternal family? Striving for excellence and upholding the values of our own organizations is great, but we must continue to advance the entire community…TOGETHER! It’s time to work together, to challenge our perceptions of what Greek really means, and to inspire positive results from our brothers and sisters.

Each conference attendee is bringing a unique perspective. We have new members, chapter leaders, council presidents, advisors, alumni, unaffiliated supporters, headquarters staff, NPC, NALFO, NPHC, NIC, associate representatives, professional speakers…the list goes on and on. Overall, representatives from 164 affiliations are at the conference! Yes, that is 164 different affiliations! I want to see letters I’ve never seen before, I want to hear chants that make me say, “Wow,” I want to have a fresh outlook on fraternal values, and I want to share it with someone when I leave the conference. How about you?

So, do you think you can Greek? Be prepared to think again.

Jon Bell is a graduate student at the University of Kansas, a graduate Intern at Baker University, and a member of Alpha Delta Gamma.