This final group project was an interesting self discovery for me. I think this is because living in a Greek community that doesn't foster a sense of community can be pretty draining on one's enthusiastic outlook on change. When I went into this group project, most people will tell you that I was very pessimistic and negative while trying to brainstorm ideas for our "perfect" Greek community. I have discovered that this outlook arose out of the countless subliminal "paslov" reinforcements. A majority of fraternities and sororities are not looking for group cohesiveness.
This is where the first major gap in fictional Greek community and the real life one we currently are in. One of the major differences is that our project community highlighted collaboration heavily between fraternities and sororities. Each Greek house aimed at improving themselves while also improving others. This selfless commonality not only ensured individual chapters were refined into achieving their greatest potential, but the community at large accomplished this as well. The problem with the current fraternal situation is that it lacks heavily in the area of collaboration. In fact it borders on directly hindering collaboration. "Chapter Bashing" is notorious in our Greek Community. Even chapters that have similar values as ours are hated(i.e. called douches) because they don't "carry out" their ideals in a similar fashion. I know from having roommates and floormates in other chapters that this is a common community practice. Luckily, this change would be pretty simple to convert to our fraternal change model and would seriously help with the "resistance" so many of my brothers have brought up in their blogs.
The other major gap in our two groups is community congruence in individual chapter and Greek life values. In our project, each chapter individually had values special to them which fostered intrinsic motivation for maintaining these ideals, and improving their chapter. In a community setting our similar values combined into a unified front which created a communal sense of cultivating individualistic improvement and benefitting the ohio-state community as a whole. As of now, our community is more focused on "ragers" and selfish, inward looking mindset. Although there is the argument that this style benefits individual chapters, the Greek community's image as a whole is being negatively affected. When one chapter is "bashed" then the community as a whole gets grouped in this negative stigma.
Both of these differences really explain the rest of the differences in our final presentation and Greek life as it is now. This is because the rest of the differences are actually similarities once these two disparities are corrected. Active self improvement of character, community involvement/ betterment, and fostering lifelong social etiquette/ lifelong positive friendships are just a couple of similarities that would show if we fixed our group cohesiveness and congruence.
Any thoughts?
Coz
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Agent for Change
This chapter jumped out to me for a few reasons. The first major thing that lept off the page at me was that anyone can be an agent for change. You don't have to be the president or a leader of an astute corporation or group. It could be a five year old who sees something that is lacking in the community. I think people often assume that if you are not in a position of legitimate power than you cannot make a difference. This chapter points out that as long as you see a need for change, you have a mission to accomplish that change, and you follow the seven c's of the social change model that you have the makings to start effective change.
The second thing that I would like to stress is how an individual, no matter how passionate and enthusiastic about change, can only go so far. In order for to achieve the greatest potential for change it must be focused around a group effort. Not only does this help diversify and freshen ideas, but it also allows for a sounding board to gather ideas from and to bounce ideas off of.
I think in a group setting there is also times for leading and times for following. Sometimes one's ideals and efforts can only go so far as a leading force. However difficult it may be letting go of the reigns, it is necessary sometimes to let others take the lead. If one is so steadfast in being a leader it can lead to group conflicts that end up hindering the group. Also, leading takes on different appearances depending on what is necessary. Sometimes coercive power is indeed the kind of power that has to be implemented to get things rolling. In some circumstances referent power works better. It all depends on the situation as does knowing when to lead and when to follow.
The second to last idea I really like in being a change agent is taking small steps at a time. In most situations one's figurative muscles are not developed enough to make a giant leap into the waters of change ( ha cheesy much ). Although it is hard to see changes in the small steps, they are the most beneficial in building the foundation for change. As one of my brothers mentioned in his blog, "it takes time to implement change." Just because you dont see immediate results doesn't mean your plan for change isn't working. Sometimes a bunch of small steps that take a while to produce results end up making the biggest difference. When you add little factors they will add up overtime and create lasting change.
Anyways, those were just some ideas that came to me while reading.
Dueces sideways,
Coz
The second thing that I would like to stress is how an individual, no matter how passionate and enthusiastic about change, can only go so far. In order for to achieve the greatest potential for change it must be focused around a group effort. Not only does this help diversify and freshen ideas, but it also allows for a sounding board to gather ideas from and to bounce ideas off of.
I think in a group setting there is also times for leading and times for following. Sometimes one's ideals and efforts can only go so far as a leading force. However difficult it may be letting go of the reigns, it is necessary sometimes to let others take the lead. If one is so steadfast in being a leader it can lead to group conflicts that end up hindering the group. Also, leading takes on different appearances depending on what is necessary. Sometimes coercive power is indeed the kind of power that has to be implemented to get things rolling. In some circumstances referent power works better. It all depends on the situation as does knowing when to lead and when to follow.
The second to last idea I really like in being a change agent is taking small steps at a time. In most situations one's figurative muscles are not developed enough to make a giant leap into the waters of change ( ha cheesy much ). Although it is hard to see changes in the small steps, they are the most beneficial in building the foundation for change. As one of my brothers mentioned in his blog, "it takes time to implement change." Just because you dont see immediate results doesn't mean your plan for change isn't working. Sometimes a bunch of small steps that take a while to produce results end up making the biggest difference. When you add little factors they will add up overtime and create lasting change.
Anyways, those were just some ideas that came to me while reading.
Dueces sideways,
Coz
SCM
O boy, the social change model. I will go into what this means, hopefully not being to repetitive haha.
The SCM has helped me realize the potential I have in Fiji's community, the Greek community, and the OSU community. It has solidified what I have already known about leadership, debunked some of the myths of leadership, and added to my understanding of leading. It has done this is a few different ways.
First of all, I think the social change model has really helped to put some structure to what I already knew about group collaborations and leadership. I guess before the social change model I never realized just how much focus there should be on the individual. First you need to understand your own values, because without understanding your own beliefs how can you expect to lead others towards a goal or belief. Also I have learned just how important congruency is in your values, not just for your character, but also for gaining trust from others which is extremely important in leadership.
The second thing I have learned Is how to effectively integrate myself in a group and just how important diversity in a group can really be. SCM has really shown me that a group does not have to have similar mindsets to be effective. In fact its better to have different mindsets so that there are multiple perspectives on how a goal can be achieved and you can take the positive aspects of each different perspective. One myth SCM has helped me debunk is that there can only be one leader in a group. I think this is a great thing to know especially when you accompany this idea with a diverse group. Each member brings in a different perspective and also excels in different areas. This means that for given situations any member can be a leader.
Another great idea the social change model brings forth is controversy with civility. This is because with unique and differing perspectives it is easy to get into arguments over which one is better. Controversy without civility causes groups to be dysfunctional. But with civility multiple ideas can come together and form a new all encompassing idea. This ensures that all different ideas are analyzed and the best possible idea/ combination of ideas is/are chosen.
The SCM has really shed light on all of these different areas of leadership and I cant wait to try and integrate what I have learned into my leadership capabilities.
Peace out yall
Coz
The SCM has helped me realize the potential I have in Fiji's community, the Greek community, and the OSU community. It has solidified what I have already known about leadership, debunked some of the myths of leadership, and added to my understanding of leading. It has done this is a few different ways.
First of all, I think the social change model has really helped to put some structure to what I already knew about group collaborations and leadership. I guess before the social change model I never realized just how much focus there should be on the individual. First you need to understand your own values, because without understanding your own beliefs how can you expect to lead others towards a goal or belief. Also I have learned just how important congruency is in your values, not just for your character, but also for gaining trust from others which is extremely important in leadership.
The second thing I have learned Is how to effectively integrate myself in a group and just how important diversity in a group can really be. SCM has really shown me that a group does not have to have similar mindsets to be effective. In fact its better to have different mindsets so that there are multiple perspectives on how a goal can be achieved and you can take the positive aspects of each different perspective. One myth SCM has helped me debunk is that there can only be one leader in a group. I think this is a great thing to know especially when you accompany this idea with a diverse group. Each member brings in a different perspective and also excels in different areas. This means that for given situations any member can be a leader.
Another great idea the social change model brings forth is controversy with civility. This is because with unique and differing perspectives it is easy to get into arguments over which one is better. Controversy without civility causes groups to be dysfunctional. But with civility multiple ideas can come together and form a new all encompassing idea. This ensures that all different ideas are analyzed and the best possible idea/ combination of ideas is/are chosen.
The SCM has really shed light on all of these different areas of leadership and I cant wait to try and integrate what I have learned into my leadership capabilities.
Peace out yall
Coz
Fiji Strengths and Weaknesses
Hello Everyone,
Since I don't like to end on negative notes I suppose I will start off with Fiji weaknesses.
Service is definitely an area in which Fiji lacks and we lack for a couple of reasons. The first is we don't harp on brothers who don't make their service hours. Seven a quarter is not difficult and the only disincentive that is out there is a weak sentence normally comprising of being a sober monitor at one social event. In my mind ( not saying I do this ) it is almost better to skip the 7 hours of service and get the fine. Why waste seven hours when you get a fine you might not even have to be forced to do ( I have heard several brothers with this mindset for the record ). The second big issue is that we don't reward/congratulate brothers who excel in this area. There is no incentive to become excellent in this value ( in essence we are neglecting two values by treating service like we do.) Most Fiji's just try to comply with the minimum of 7 hours and then pass up other service opportunities because the requirement was fulfilled. Now the last problem I see is that Fiji makes service an individual prerogative. Although there are some huge group events, no brothers actually make an effort to plan service projects with other brothers. As one of my brothers already mentioned in his blog, Fiji could really grow in the area of service if we just attempted to make it more group oriented.
The other obvious area Fiji is lacking in is the social aspect. I'm not saying we don't like to go out and have a good time. Of course not, some of the best times I have ever had have been out with my brothers. What I am talking about is our interactions and "lasting impressions" we leave with sororities. We have talked about this issue in class a lot so I'll just summarize a couple points of where we are lacking. The first is the connections we "fail" at making. Not trying to sound harsh or anything, but Fiji has some trouble making lasting connections. This could be a result of awkward social settings, needing alcohol for "confidence", or our lack of previously known sorority ladies. Either way, only a few brothers are able to make connections in the night and, as another brother mentioned, when we wake up nothing significant has changed since the prior night. I do think that more sober events could really strengthen us in this area. Accompany that with treating a T.G. as a pre game instead of "the game" would also help us make actual connections with sororities.
Both of these weaknesses revolve around our community. However both of these could be great strong suits if we change our deficiencies in both categories.
Onto Fiji strengths.
This will be really lengthy if I go into every area in which we are great so I'll narrow it down to what I think is our greatest area.
I believe it is our diversity that sets us apart from any other chapter. Not in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of ideas and perspectives. Everyone in Fiji is so unique. There are social extroverts, brothers involved in every area of campus, video gamers, musicians, and many more. All of these different perspectives combine into the most unique fraternity on campus. I think this diversity leads not to a downfall, but a true advantage in the Greek community. Becoming stagnant is a true fear in Greek life. I think this is very likely if your chapter has similar perspectives and ideas. This is why Fiji is so great. We always have new ideas and perspectives to contribute to the overall greatness that is the Feej. This causes our values to be continually checked and improved never allowing our chapter to grow contempt in our ways but to always be striving for excellence. I believe this comes primarily from recruitment. Every brother looks for potentials who embody our values. However, every brother has different values they cherish more than others. So this leads to bringing potentials around who all excel in different areas of Fiji. Our diversity is also a strength in our community because we have brothers who can relate to every chapter and person on campus. This is great for recruitment and trying to foster a unified Greek community.
I think that cabinet is really starting to address our weaknesses and they are doing a great job in fostering a unified Fiji front. However, other than recruitment, I feel like our committee chairs are lacking mostly from poor organization skills. I do think that cabinet will help them grow and really utilize our resources to make Fiji the best that it can be.
Signing off.
Coz
Since I don't like to end on negative notes I suppose I will start off with Fiji weaknesses.
Service is definitely an area in which Fiji lacks and we lack for a couple of reasons. The first is we don't harp on brothers who don't make their service hours. Seven a quarter is not difficult and the only disincentive that is out there is a weak sentence normally comprising of being a sober monitor at one social event. In my mind ( not saying I do this ) it is almost better to skip the 7 hours of service and get the fine. Why waste seven hours when you get a fine you might not even have to be forced to do ( I have heard several brothers with this mindset for the record ). The second big issue is that we don't reward/congratulate brothers who excel in this area. There is no incentive to become excellent in this value ( in essence we are neglecting two values by treating service like we do.) Most Fiji's just try to comply with the minimum of 7 hours and then pass up other service opportunities because the requirement was fulfilled. Now the last problem I see is that Fiji makes service an individual prerogative. Although there are some huge group events, no brothers actually make an effort to plan service projects with other brothers. As one of my brothers already mentioned in his blog, Fiji could really grow in the area of service if we just attempted to make it more group oriented.
The other obvious area Fiji is lacking in is the social aspect. I'm not saying we don't like to go out and have a good time. Of course not, some of the best times I have ever had have been out with my brothers. What I am talking about is our interactions and "lasting impressions" we leave with sororities. We have talked about this issue in class a lot so I'll just summarize a couple points of where we are lacking. The first is the connections we "fail" at making. Not trying to sound harsh or anything, but Fiji has some trouble making lasting connections. This could be a result of awkward social settings, needing alcohol for "confidence", or our lack of previously known sorority ladies. Either way, only a few brothers are able to make connections in the night and, as another brother mentioned, when we wake up nothing significant has changed since the prior night. I do think that more sober events could really strengthen us in this area. Accompany that with treating a T.G. as a pre game instead of "the game" would also help us make actual connections with sororities.
Both of these weaknesses revolve around our community. However both of these could be great strong suits if we change our deficiencies in both categories.
Onto Fiji strengths.
This will be really lengthy if I go into every area in which we are great so I'll narrow it down to what I think is our greatest area.
I believe it is our diversity that sets us apart from any other chapter. Not in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of ideas and perspectives. Everyone in Fiji is so unique. There are social extroverts, brothers involved in every area of campus, video gamers, musicians, and many more. All of these different perspectives combine into the most unique fraternity on campus. I think this diversity leads not to a downfall, but a true advantage in the Greek community. Becoming stagnant is a true fear in Greek life. I think this is very likely if your chapter has similar perspectives and ideas. This is why Fiji is so great. We always have new ideas and perspectives to contribute to the overall greatness that is the Feej. This causes our values to be continually checked and improved never allowing our chapter to grow contempt in our ways but to always be striving for excellence. I believe this comes primarily from recruitment. Every brother looks for potentials who embody our values. However, every brother has different values they cherish more than others. So this leads to bringing potentials around who all excel in different areas of Fiji. Our diversity is also a strength in our community because we have brothers who can relate to every chapter and person on campus. This is great for recruitment and trying to foster a unified Greek community.
I think that cabinet is really starting to address our weaknesses and they are doing a great job in fostering a unified Fiji front. However, other than recruitment, I feel like our committee chairs are lacking mostly from poor organization skills. I do think that cabinet will help them grow and really utilize our resources to make Fiji the best that it can be.
Signing off.
Coz
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Under the Microscope ( extra blog )
To the naked eye many things go unseen. Whether cells, atoms, electrons, nuerons, protons, ultra-violet light, ext, ext, all of these remain overlooked. Not to mention that these microscopic "anomalies" are fundamental aspects of normal life. These things exists everywhere whether we acknowledge them or not. (I think this brings up a good point that people notice only what they want to notice and choose to ignore or overlook the other aspects.) Without certain equipment these remain invisible, but once something like a microscope is used it is basically impossible to ignore what is in front of your eyes.
I believe this is a perfect metaphor for the greek community. There are many aspects that match up exquisitely.
First of all, in a broad general view of greek life, a lot of things go unseen. Greek life for most people are like cells and atoms. Everything about fraternal community would be unknown if not for magnifying certain aspects. Everything about greek life are "fundamental" to its identity much like atoms are fundamental in life. These aspects make up the greek community in its entirety whether they are acknowledged or not. However, once certain aspects were exposed thats now all people can see. Of course I am talking about alcohol, hazing, wild sex,..... basically anything negative has been put on a slide and is now under examination. The problem with this scrutinization is the microscope has been focused too much. Now other aspects of fraternal life are being kept under the radar (service to name one). And now with the magnifying lens being dialed in so far its hard to retract.
With so much focus on the negatives, how are we as a community supposed to dial back the lens of the outside world? That is the question I want to be posed because I am sick of this microscope.
Another thing that has been bothering me is how the lens is only focused on the greek community when the college community is basically doing the same thing.
But, since there isn't a magnifying lens (i.e. greek tv shows or movies) on "regular" college life, these things sneak their way past observers. Everyone one in college "rages." Almost everyone has sex. But if you ask who the drinkers and "partiers" are Fraternal life is the number one answer. How is that fair especially since the lens is focused on the rowdy fraternities and not the ones that are benefiting Ohio State community... I have no idea.. This has just been on my mind lately and I wanted to find out and discuss this issue.
Signing out,
Coz
I believe this is a perfect metaphor for the greek community. There are many aspects that match up exquisitely.
First of all, in a broad general view of greek life, a lot of things go unseen. Greek life for most people are like cells and atoms. Everything about fraternal community would be unknown if not for magnifying certain aspects. Everything about greek life are "fundamental" to its identity much like atoms are fundamental in life. These aspects make up the greek community in its entirety whether they are acknowledged or not. However, once certain aspects were exposed thats now all people can see. Of course I am talking about alcohol, hazing, wild sex,..... basically anything negative has been put on a slide and is now under examination. The problem with this scrutinization is the microscope has been focused too much. Now other aspects of fraternal life are being kept under the radar (service to name one). And now with the magnifying lens being dialed in so far its hard to retract.
With so much focus on the negatives, how are we as a community supposed to dial back the lens of the outside world? That is the question I want to be posed because I am sick of this microscope.
Another thing that has been bothering me is how the lens is only focused on the greek community when the college community is basically doing the same thing.
But, since there isn't a magnifying lens (i.e. greek tv shows or movies) on "regular" college life, these things sneak their way past observers. Everyone one in college "rages." Almost everyone has sex. But if you ask who the drinkers and "partiers" are Fraternal life is the number one answer. How is that fair especially since the lens is focused on the rowdy fraternities and not the ones that are benefiting Ohio State community... I have no idea.. This has just been on my mind lately and I wanted to find out and discuss this issue.
Signing out,
Coz
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Rivalry Run: A Community Based Around Service
One of the most profound acts of community service I have ever been a part of is Rivalry Run. Not just for what I helped give to the Stephanie Spielman Fund, but also what it gave back and taught to me.
First of all, I have never been part of such a strong group effort to contribute to society. Everyone of my brothers helped contribute in some way to this goal of raising money for breast cancer. Now I will admit in the scheme of things I really didn't do that much. All I did was coordinate schedules with Andrew Garcia. We got together and used the money that was given to me for printing by the Fisher College of Business and printed off letters for all of our graduate brothers. Then we found a time that worked with most of our chapter and had a group of about 15 or so brothers sign, seal, and stamp the letters to be sent off in the mail. I have never seen a group work so efficiently to accomplish a goal in such a short period of time. It taught me a lot about how a small group can really accomplish so much if they are all driven by a common goal and excited to make a difference. In two sessions of about 20 minutes each we got letters sent to all of our graduate brothers which is over 700.
Another thing Rivalry Run taught me is how beneficial our chapter can be when it is energetic. Coming from a crazy spring into an intense RR fall, all of our brothers accomplished so much. It goes to show how much we are lacking when we are apathetic (i.e. in the worst of all seasons.... winter). Our chapter can be contributing, not only to itself, but to the community as a whole if we just pushed ourselves all year around. It actually blows my mind thinking of all that we could accomplish. WE want to be the best chapter on campus, I believe keeping people energetic is definitely the way to do this. Yes I know... quite difficult but I'm sure that we can find a way :).
All in all I have found the need to do more community service, even if it is something small. Why waste free time playing smash when I could be out making a difference.
Coz
First of all, I have never been part of such a strong group effort to contribute to society. Everyone of my brothers helped contribute in some way to this goal of raising money for breast cancer. Now I will admit in the scheme of things I really didn't do that much. All I did was coordinate schedules with Andrew Garcia. We got together and used the money that was given to me for printing by the Fisher College of Business and printed off letters for all of our graduate brothers. Then we found a time that worked with most of our chapter and had a group of about 15 or so brothers sign, seal, and stamp the letters to be sent off in the mail. I have never seen a group work so efficiently to accomplish a goal in such a short period of time. It taught me a lot about how a small group can really accomplish so much if they are all driven by a common goal and excited to make a difference. In two sessions of about 20 minutes each we got letters sent to all of our graduate brothers which is over 700.
Another thing Rivalry Run taught me is how beneficial our chapter can be when it is energetic. Coming from a crazy spring into an intense RR fall, all of our brothers accomplished so much. It goes to show how much we are lacking when we are apathetic (i.e. in the worst of all seasons.... winter). Our chapter can be contributing, not only to itself, but to the community as a whole if we just pushed ourselves all year around. It actually blows my mind thinking of all that we could accomplish. WE want to be the best chapter on campus, I believe keeping people energetic is definitely the way to do this. Yes I know... quite difficult but I'm sure that we can find a way :).
All in all I have found the need to do more community service, even if it is something small. Why waste free time playing smash when I could be out making a difference.
Coz
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fraternal Change and the Barriers it Faces
Everyone seems to agree that there is a negative stigma placed on the greek community. Actually I would go as far as saying its a greek identity. It is what the greek community thrives on. A majority of recruitment is based on this stigma because this is the only greek community is portrayed. When someone goes to college and decides to join a fraternity or sorority, their thought process normally involves fulfilling these stereotypes.
The first stereotype, which is probably the biggest, is "boozing hard." Greek life is overwhelmed with the idea that everyone in its community drinks all the time and that most of those drinks are probably bonged. Most fraternities recruit based on these facts. "Hey if you are interested in _________ come to our party this weekend should be a great time and tons of free alcohol." I was solicited at least 3 different occasions with that opening line. Even though this identity is, for the most part, true this is the stereotype that pisses me off the most. Don't worry little birds i'll tell you why. Is there any other place that is known for "partying hard?" Ya its called college. Does that make everyone in college who bashes fraternities for raging hypocrites..... I think so. Now I'm not saying that all of college drinks insane amounts but there is a definite majority. I don't know how many parties I have been at where someone finishes a beer bong or takes multiple shots and then mocks a fraternity for doing the same thing.
This annoyance does bring up a point I wanted to make. Once you acquire a stigma, it is way harder to break that stigma than it was obtaining it. All news or press that the greek community receives revolves around its defects and not its positives. A fraternity can do asmuch community service or activities that benefit others as it likes but the only mention it will get in a newspaper is about a wild party it threw where a kid died. Or how about a formal where there is a line to have sex in the bathroom. Every fraternity and sorority are not like this, but, as one of my brothers stated very well, one bad apple is enough to ruin the whole bunch.
After that little rant, another stereotype that plagues the greek community is hazing. Every movie or tv show that I have seen since the 1970s based around or featuring some aspect of fraternity life has involved hazing. Naked running, forced alcohol consumption, inflicting physical pain, and social abuse are just some of the "hazing" that apparently occurs within every fraternity. I remember when i had to run a naked mile while chugging beer......... It really bonded me to my chapter.... Just wanted to let everyone know :) (sarcasm people). Honestly, I do like the "intention" behind hazing. The classic point that it builds brotherhood. But hazing doesn't even accomplish this. There are plenty of other ways in which fraternities and sororities can achieve this goal.
The last thing that I believe hinders the fraternal movement is actually not related to stereotypes. It is the "individualistic" nature of the greek community. I'm not saying that everyone single person looks out for themselves, but chapters as wholes look out for "themselves." I think it stems from the fact that you join a chapter cause you think its the best chapter for yourself. This tends to form negative opinions of other chapters in your mind. So every chapter thinks its the best and it definitely shows in the greek community. This detracts from the community working as a whole and forming a uniting front. All that happens is bashing and that negates from the positive fraternal movement most fraternities are seeking.
Anyways its late I'm hitting the hay.
Cozzzzzzz
The first stereotype, which is probably the biggest, is "boozing hard." Greek life is overwhelmed with the idea that everyone in its community drinks all the time and that most of those drinks are probably bonged. Most fraternities recruit based on these facts. "Hey if you are interested in _________ come to our party this weekend should be a great time and tons of free alcohol." I was solicited at least 3 different occasions with that opening line. Even though this identity is, for the most part, true this is the stereotype that pisses me off the most. Don't worry little birds i'll tell you why. Is there any other place that is known for "partying hard?" Ya its called college. Does that make everyone in college who bashes fraternities for raging hypocrites..... I think so. Now I'm not saying that all of college drinks insane amounts but there is a definite majority. I don't know how many parties I have been at where someone finishes a beer bong or takes multiple shots and then mocks a fraternity for doing the same thing.
This annoyance does bring up a point I wanted to make. Once you acquire a stigma, it is way harder to break that stigma than it was obtaining it. All news or press that the greek community receives revolves around its defects and not its positives. A fraternity can do asmuch community service or activities that benefit others as it likes but the only mention it will get in a newspaper is about a wild party it threw where a kid died. Or how about a formal where there is a line to have sex in the bathroom. Every fraternity and sorority are not like this, but, as one of my brothers stated very well, one bad apple is enough to ruin the whole bunch.
After that little rant, another stereotype that plagues the greek community is hazing. Every movie or tv show that I have seen since the 1970s based around or featuring some aspect of fraternity life has involved hazing. Naked running, forced alcohol consumption, inflicting physical pain, and social abuse are just some of the "hazing" that apparently occurs within every fraternity. I remember when i had to run a naked mile while chugging beer......... It really bonded me to my chapter.... Just wanted to let everyone know :) (sarcasm people). Honestly, I do like the "intention" behind hazing. The classic point that it builds brotherhood. But hazing doesn't even accomplish this. There are plenty of other ways in which fraternities and sororities can achieve this goal.
The last thing that I believe hinders the fraternal movement is actually not related to stereotypes. It is the "individualistic" nature of the greek community. I'm not saying that everyone single person looks out for themselves, but chapters as wholes look out for "themselves." I think it stems from the fact that you join a chapter cause you think its the best chapter for yourself. This tends to form negative opinions of other chapters in your mind. So every chapter thinks its the best and it definitely shows in the greek community. This detracts from the community working as a whole and forming a uniting front. All that happens is bashing and that negates from the positive fraternal movement most fraternities are seeking.
Anyways its late I'm hitting the hay.
Cozzzzzzz
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Collaboration - Its a dance thing
Hello blogthers,
It was interesting for me when thinking of an event that required a lot of collaboration. Many events came to mind, some were of a time when I had to lead a group and others were when I was being led. But before I get into the actual event I would like to discuss some ideas about collaboration I had the other night.
First, collaboration isn't about being the "perfect" group. A lot of people have this general preconception that collaboration entails a group that agrees on every topic brought up; a group that has no quarrels or conflicts; a group that is bound to "group think." I believe that in true collaborations it is quite the opposite. In order for an idea to reach its full potential, there have to be disagreements and struggles for these positively affect the decision process. How can you make an informed decision with only one side of an issue? I believe it should be and is impossible to do so with only one side.
This leads me to my next point of diversity. A diverse group had much more potential than a group that is similar. This should be pretty self explanatory, but I'll dive into this a little further. (Just realized this blog is reading more as a paper than a blog... my apologies ha but I guess that's cause I'm on a little rant.) Now I'm not talking about diversity in terms of ethnic groups, but diversity in terms of different backgrounds and thought processes (so yes diverse ethnicities would most likely fulfill this definition.)
Anyways, now that I explained my two little thoughts I can go into my collaboration.
Dance team baby. Fiji dance team. One of my favorite experiences of college and presumably my most challenging. Now for a little background. Last year Fiji decided to enter the Greek Week Variety Show for the first time. This show involves fraternities and sororities who compete in a dance off. Fraternities against fraternities and sororities against sororities. So when Fiji decided we were going to enter we decided we wanted to go for it all.
Ron Holgado ( presumably the best dancer in Fiji other than perhaps thee Ray Sharp ) decided he was going to assemble a group of dance leaders. The leaders he chose were himself ( of course ), Tony Gallenstein, Ray Sharp, and I. For the record I suck at dancing haha. Together we decided we would go with a Michael Jackson tribute for our dance theme. Ron and Ray handled the "bad" group, and Tony and I handle the "good" group. Our dance leaders all had very different intentions about what our final dance was going to look like. But, I believe that all of these diverse ideas ended up benefiting our dance as a whole. We incorporated bits and pieces from everyone's ideas and then passed it down to any Fiji who volunteered to perform in the show. Now collaboration was required by the dance leaders. Even more collaboration was required in teaching and syncing everyone's movements. I have no idea if this is true, but I would assume part of the definition of dance is a group collaboration. Anyways, all of the trials and errors ended up making our dance the best and how do I know this? Because we won first place!!!!
I learned a lot about dealing with others through this collaboration. How to motivate others to share your enthusiasm, working with people from all different skill levels to form a succinct coercive outcome, and how to manage a group of individuals towards a greater good (us winning of course ha.)
Anyways hope you enjoyed that little shpeal.
Signing out,
Oz
It was interesting for me when thinking of an event that required a lot of collaboration. Many events came to mind, some were of a time when I had to lead a group and others were when I was being led. But before I get into the actual event I would like to discuss some ideas about collaboration I had the other night.
First, collaboration isn't about being the "perfect" group. A lot of people have this general preconception that collaboration entails a group that agrees on every topic brought up; a group that has no quarrels or conflicts; a group that is bound to "group think." I believe that in true collaborations it is quite the opposite. In order for an idea to reach its full potential, there have to be disagreements and struggles for these positively affect the decision process. How can you make an informed decision with only one side of an issue? I believe it should be and is impossible to do so with only one side.
This leads me to my next point of diversity. A diverse group had much more potential than a group that is similar. This should be pretty self explanatory, but I'll dive into this a little further. (Just realized this blog is reading more as a paper than a blog... my apologies ha but I guess that's cause I'm on a little rant.) Now I'm not talking about diversity in terms of ethnic groups, but diversity in terms of different backgrounds and thought processes (so yes diverse ethnicities would most likely fulfill this definition.)
Anyways, now that I explained my two little thoughts I can go into my collaboration.
Dance team baby. Fiji dance team. One of my favorite experiences of college and presumably my most challenging. Now for a little background. Last year Fiji decided to enter the Greek Week Variety Show for the first time. This show involves fraternities and sororities who compete in a dance off. Fraternities against fraternities and sororities against sororities. So when Fiji decided we were going to enter we decided we wanted to go for it all.
Ron Holgado ( presumably the best dancer in Fiji other than perhaps thee Ray Sharp ) decided he was going to assemble a group of dance leaders. The leaders he chose were himself ( of course ), Tony Gallenstein, Ray Sharp, and I. For the record I suck at dancing haha. Together we decided we would go with a Michael Jackson tribute for our dance theme. Ron and Ray handled the "bad" group, and Tony and I handle the "good" group. Our dance leaders all had very different intentions about what our final dance was going to look like. But, I believe that all of these diverse ideas ended up benefiting our dance as a whole. We incorporated bits and pieces from everyone's ideas and then passed it down to any Fiji who volunteered to perform in the show. Now collaboration was required by the dance leaders. Even more collaboration was required in teaching and syncing everyone's movements. I have no idea if this is true, but I would assume part of the definition of dance is a group collaboration. Anyways, all of the trials and errors ended up making our dance the best and how do I know this? Because we won first place!!!!
I learned a lot about dealing with others through this collaboration. How to motivate others to share your enthusiasm, working with people from all different skill levels to form a succinct coercive outcome, and how to manage a group of individuals towards a greater good (us winning of course ha.)
Here the amazing results,
Signing out,
Oz
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Citizenship
Hello everyone,
For today's topic, I'll be covering citizenship. Well, to start off I have never really thought about what it means to be a good citizen. I would say that one always grows up believing a good citizen is someone who acts in accordance with any kind of law. Whether it be your city's, parent's, or neighbor's law, as a kid that is what you grow up following ( or not following ). If you abide by these "rules" then you are seen as a good citizen of your city.
I would say that as people grow older, its not just about following rules. I would say a majority of people I know follow these rules, but I wouldn't consider them a great citizen. On the contrary, I would consider them, as one brother so eloquently put it, leeches. To "just live" in a town or city that gives its citizens so many benefits, well thats just parasitic in theory and practice. Now I do understand that American society is based around an individualistic nature and that anything you can get for free is considered great on a benefit to cost analysis. However, I believe in order to be an outstanding citizen you have to be active in helping your community
Another topic of consideration is how broad the term citizenship is to be applied. One can be a model citizen their family but not to their city, to their city and not their state, and to their state but not their country. All of these different communities have different requirements for citizenship. So when we are discussing what it means to be a model citizen, one has to consider the broad spectrum that the word can be applied to.
All of these things also go into how you act as a citizen. In the book it discusses that one must be empathetic in nature in ore to be a good citizen. To be able to understand others situations. Not just being openminded, but actually relate to others. This for me is probably the most difficult. Most people, especially growing up in the sheltered suburbs, cant relate to those in dire situations. But, as a model citizen that is what we are "called" to do.
On top of all of this, the last bit of citizenship I believe applies is not just being active yourself, but getting others to be active in your community as well. This shows how citizenship applies to being a leader. No matter how much you do in your community, if you can get others to join your plight you must be doing it in passionate way. This to me is key.
Anyways, I believe all of these different factors go into citizenship and define what it means to be a good citizen.
Loggin off,
Chris
For today's topic, I'll be covering citizenship. Well, to start off I have never really thought about what it means to be a good citizen. I would say that one always grows up believing a good citizen is someone who acts in accordance with any kind of law. Whether it be your city's, parent's, or neighbor's law, as a kid that is what you grow up following ( or not following ). If you abide by these "rules" then you are seen as a good citizen of your city.
I would say that as people grow older, its not just about following rules. I would say a majority of people I know follow these rules, but I wouldn't consider them a great citizen. On the contrary, I would consider them, as one brother so eloquently put it, leeches. To "just live" in a town or city that gives its citizens so many benefits, well thats just parasitic in theory and practice. Now I do understand that American society is based around an individualistic nature and that anything you can get for free is considered great on a benefit to cost analysis. However, I believe in order to be an outstanding citizen you have to be active in helping your community
Another topic of consideration is how broad the term citizenship is to be applied. One can be a model citizen their family but not to their city, to their city and not their state, and to their state but not their country. All of these different communities have different requirements for citizenship. So when we are discussing what it means to be a model citizen, one has to consider the broad spectrum that the word can be applied to.
All of these things also go into how you act as a citizen. In the book it discusses that one must be empathetic in nature in ore to be a good citizen. To be able to understand others situations. Not just being openminded, but actually relate to others. This for me is probably the most difficult. Most people, especially growing up in the sheltered suburbs, cant relate to those in dire situations. But, as a model citizen that is what we are "called" to do.
On top of all of this, the last bit of citizenship I believe applies is not just being active yourself, but getting others to be active in your community as well. This shows how citizenship applies to being a leader. No matter how much you do in your community, if you can get others to join your plight you must be doing it in passionate way. This to me is key.
Anyways, I believe all of these different factors go into citizenship and define what it means to be a good citizen.
Loggin off,
Chris
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Ritual
Hello modern day cyber journalists,
Today I will be discussing my ritual and what it means to me.
Well to preface this blog I would like to say that I have two differing rituals that focus on two areas in my life. There is my personal ritual and my Fiji ritual.
I think i'll start off describing my Fiji ritual. The all encompassing friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence. What's nice about these "guidelines," as another one of my brothers put it, is that they challenge us to live to a higher standard. Everyday we are reminded about our ritual and we can see if we measure up to those lofty ideals our founders set out for us. What is nice about the Fiji ritual is that it is split up into two fundamentally significant life groups. Those values focused on yourself and those focused on others. Although one can say that all the values benefit others, I believe morality and knowledge are there to improve one's self. To counter balance these introspective ideals, Fiji also presses the importance of friendship and service. What a better way to push a group of people toward a higher standard of living then to focus on individuals and the people they interact with. To top it off, all of these values are tied together through excellence.
All in all I would say living in Fiji really helps to put these values in to practice (living my ritual.) Being around my brothers who all hold these values like I do helps to keep me committed. Which brings up a good point I want to make; living a ritual is made easier when you surround yourself with those of similar ideals. I would like to say, however, that your ritual isn't tested until you surround yourself with people who's beliefs differ from yours. So it is good to build the basic structure surrounded by similar thinking men, but to cement your ideals you need to put yourself in uncomfortable situations.
Now fortunately for me Fiji has helped to finalize my personal ritual. My personal ritual used to focus more on friendship, knowledge, and excellence. Friendship because I am probably one of the most extroverted people you will ever meet. Knowledge because for some reason I just enjoy learning (if it is in an area I enjoy.) Excellence existed in order to prove to myself and my parent the type of person I could become. Fiji has helped me to move away from a self centered approach on life. Now my ritual is more focused on my interactions with others and less on myself. Now of course I am still struggling in areas but I really enjoy the man this ritual is making out of me.
Anyways I guess a little sum up of this blog for those who aren't going to read it all. My personal ritual focused on improving myself and the Fiji ritual has helped to "round" my life out by focusing on others.
Cool? ha. Hope you guys enjoy finding out a little more about me.
Coz
Today I will be discussing my ritual and what it means to me.
Well to preface this blog I would like to say that I have two differing rituals that focus on two areas in my life. There is my personal ritual and my Fiji ritual.
I think i'll start off describing my Fiji ritual. The all encompassing friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence. What's nice about these "guidelines," as another one of my brothers put it, is that they challenge us to live to a higher standard. Everyday we are reminded about our ritual and we can see if we measure up to those lofty ideals our founders set out for us. What is nice about the Fiji ritual is that it is split up into two fundamentally significant life groups. Those values focused on yourself and those focused on others. Although one can say that all the values benefit others, I believe morality and knowledge are there to improve one's self. To counter balance these introspective ideals, Fiji also presses the importance of friendship and service. What a better way to push a group of people toward a higher standard of living then to focus on individuals and the people they interact with. To top it off, all of these values are tied together through excellence.
All in all I would say living in Fiji really helps to put these values in to practice (living my ritual.) Being around my brothers who all hold these values like I do helps to keep me committed. Which brings up a good point I want to make; living a ritual is made easier when you surround yourself with those of similar ideals. I would like to say, however, that your ritual isn't tested until you surround yourself with people who's beliefs differ from yours. So it is good to build the basic structure surrounded by similar thinking men, but to cement your ideals you need to put yourself in uncomfortable situations.
Now fortunately for me Fiji has helped to finalize my personal ritual. My personal ritual used to focus more on friendship, knowledge, and excellence. Friendship because I am probably one of the most extroverted people you will ever meet. Knowledge because for some reason I just enjoy learning (if it is in an area I enjoy.) Excellence existed in order to prove to myself and my parent the type of person I could become. Fiji has helped me to move away from a self centered approach on life. Now my ritual is more focused on my interactions with others and less on myself. Now of course I am still struggling in areas but I really enjoy the man this ritual is making out of me.
Anyways I guess a little sum up of this blog for those who aren't going to read it all. My personal ritual focused on improving myself and the Fiji ritual has helped to "round" my life out by focusing on others.
Cool? ha. Hope you guys enjoy finding out a little more about me.
Coz
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Representing Fiji
Hey brothers and blog readers,
This blog I think I am going to discuss what it means to represent Fiji and stigmas in the greek community itself.
Last class we discussed for a while why we do not drink in our letters. Out of respect for our fraternity and to not adhere to the normal fraternity stigma, we make it a rule to keep our attire Fiji free (when alcohol is involved). Jon Brown brought up a point that even if we aren't in our letters people can still associate us with Fiji. I have been thinking about this a lot and am very conflicted. Does this mean we shouldn't drink alcohol at all? Do we have to be the "perfect" fraternity in order to break these greek stigmas? And if we do go and partake in a few libations does that mean we aren't in congruence in our values as a fraternity?
These questions have been running through my mind ever since last tuesday. WE are already known as an "organization" of the greek community. We aren't greek week partners with theta because we couldn't throw the big parties the older ladies were looking for ( damn ATOs ha). This brings me to another question I have been thinking of. How can we change a community that actually lives up to the negative stigmas that are placed upon it? 90% of the greek community joined in order to be sexually promiscuous and go to raging parties. You can see that in the Ohio State greek community where the "best frat" is the one who has the biggest bros, throws the best parties, and has with the most free alcohol.
I think representing Fiji in the Ohio State greek community is similar to representing your faith in the present day. You want to be an example in your community, but people judge you for not "living your life" like they do.
This similarity brings another question to my mind. Just how perfect are we supposed to be? One of the main reasons I question faith is because of people who have to adhere to strict rules and believe their way of faith is the only way to worship. I don't want Fiji to take on this role in the greek community because I feel that it is counter productive to getting the results we wish to see in fraternal life.
Anyways... I kind of feeling that I am rambling and not making to many coherent thoughts.. So I think I am just going to leave this blog for now. It is something to consider so please let me know what you think on this issue. ( And sorry if this offended anyone. It wasn't supposed to. I was just trying to convey my thoughts. ) PLEASE RESPOND.
This blog I think I am going to discuss what it means to represent Fiji and stigmas in the greek community itself.
Last class we discussed for a while why we do not drink in our letters. Out of respect for our fraternity and to not adhere to the normal fraternity stigma, we make it a rule to keep our attire Fiji free (when alcohol is involved). Jon Brown brought up a point that even if we aren't in our letters people can still associate us with Fiji. I have been thinking about this a lot and am very conflicted. Does this mean we shouldn't drink alcohol at all? Do we have to be the "perfect" fraternity in order to break these greek stigmas? And if we do go and partake in a few libations does that mean we aren't in congruence in our values as a fraternity?
These questions have been running through my mind ever since last tuesday. WE are already known as an "organization" of the greek community. We aren't greek week partners with theta because we couldn't throw the big parties the older ladies were looking for ( damn ATOs ha). This brings me to another question I have been thinking of. How can we change a community that actually lives up to the negative stigmas that are placed upon it? 90% of the greek community joined in order to be sexually promiscuous and go to raging parties. You can see that in the Ohio State greek community where the "best frat" is the one who has the biggest bros, throws the best parties, and has with the most free alcohol.
I think representing Fiji in the Ohio State greek community is similar to representing your faith in the present day. You want to be an example in your community, but people judge you for not "living your life" like they do.
This similarity brings another question to my mind. Just how perfect are we supposed to be? One of the main reasons I question faith is because of people who have to adhere to strict rules and believe their way of faith is the only way to worship. I don't want Fiji to take on this role in the greek community because I feel that it is counter productive to getting the results we wish to see in fraternal life.
Anyways... I kind of feeling that I am rambling and not making to many coherent thoughts.. So I think I am just going to leave this blog for now. It is something to consider so please let me know what you think on this issue. ( And sorry if this offended anyone. It wasn't supposed to. I was just trying to convey my thoughts. ) PLEASE RESPOND.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Values
Hello blog readers of 2011.
I suppose today is the day I will be discussing the three most important values I hold.
Before starting this bog I would like to preface by saying these aren't necessarily always my top values since my values seem to change with the different stages of my life. I think this is true for everyone. Values seem to come and go depending on what is most pressing currently in your life. Now i'm not saying one loses interest in certain values or that everyone lacks integrity. All I am trying to say is that the values that one considers the most important seems to change over time. That at least is true for me. I always have the same group of values. The ones I cherish the most however change from time to time. Since this is true for me, it makes it a bit difficult to pinpoint my top three values, but I will say, for the most part, these are the ones that have been fairly consistent no matter what has been happening in my life. (So I suppose they are my "top" values.)
The first value that has been very stagnant in my life in open-mindedness. Within the last four years of my life I believe this has been the most prevalent value I have acquired. Maybe its because of my own personality. Maybe I acquired it because of some of the situations I have had to deal with. Either way I admire and respect people with open minds. Now i'm not saying that one shouldn't stick to their values, but when a valid argument is brought against your own I think a revision of your own views is necessary. When a revision isn't made I think it borders on ignorance and I hate ignorance haha(if someone wants to show me how its not I would love to hear it (trying to be openminded)). Ok, that might have offended some people so my apologies. Anyways I think that open-mindedness is a great trait for someone to possess and that it leads to improvement of ideas and society in general. What if society was close-minded ... say around the time of the geocentric model of our galaxy ( and yes I know they weren't completely receptive to the idea at the time, but they ended up "opening" their minds.) If they stayed close minded we would still believe that we were the center of our galaxy even though we now know that the sun is the true center. Just trying to back up my value haha.
OK this guy might annoy you a little but I think this video makes some great points about being open minded.
And on to my next value. That is my value of honesty. Honesty speaks a lot about a person and what kind of relationship you have with that person. I believe you can completely understand a relationship from the level of honesty that is present. The better the relationship the more honest you are to one another. Even when the truth will hurt someone I believe the result of telling them will be better than keeping someone in the dark. White lies are only needed if you don't have a good relationship with person. Although I say this and although this value is one of the most important, it is probably the hardest in practice. Every value only becomes a character trait once it is "practiced" in life. I am working on this however because the consequences of a lie outweigh the consequences of telling the truth or said in a different fashion "coming clean."
While i'm discussing the value of honesty, I thought I might share this honest 4 Loko commercial.
Recently I believed that my third most appreciated value was encompassed best by the term hard work. That was until I had a discussion with my brother Eli. After that discussion I believe passion provides a better description of this value. Passion. Its amazing. So many different aspects of a person's personality can be explained by their passion. What they value in life, how seriously they take their work, how they love, what fascinates them. These are just a few of the many things that can be explained by a person's passion. I feel like it is this all encompassing trait of how one faces the different tasks and issues life throws at him. It literally describes everything, which is why I value it so much. I always wish to express my passion to the world, but sometimes I feel I do a poor job haha. Anyways, it is probably the one value that is impossible to express through words. Passion is shown through actions and that is definitely something I have to work on.
Well I feel I went a little to long with this so i'll spare you a last video.
Peace out.
I suppose today is the day I will be discussing the three most important values I hold.
Before starting this bog I would like to preface by saying these aren't necessarily always my top values since my values seem to change with the different stages of my life. I think this is true for everyone. Values seem to come and go depending on what is most pressing currently in your life. Now i'm not saying one loses interest in certain values or that everyone lacks integrity. All I am trying to say is that the values that one considers the most important seems to change over time. That at least is true for me. I always have the same group of values. The ones I cherish the most however change from time to time. Since this is true for me, it makes it a bit difficult to pinpoint my top three values, but I will say, for the most part, these are the ones that have been fairly consistent no matter what has been happening in my life. (So I suppose they are my "top" values.)
The first value that has been very stagnant in my life in open-mindedness. Within the last four years of my life I believe this has been the most prevalent value I have acquired. Maybe its because of my own personality. Maybe I acquired it because of some of the situations I have had to deal with. Either way I admire and respect people with open minds. Now i'm not saying that one shouldn't stick to their values, but when a valid argument is brought against your own I think a revision of your own views is necessary. When a revision isn't made I think it borders on ignorance and I hate ignorance haha(if someone wants to show me how its not I would love to hear it (trying to be openminded)). Ok, that might have offended some people so my apologies. Anyways I think that open-mindedness is a great trait for someone to possess and that it leads to improvement of ideas and society in general. What if society was close-minded ... say around the time of the geocentric model of our galaxy ( and yes I know they weren't completely receptive to the idea at the time, but they ended up "opening" their minds.) If they stayed close minded we would still believe that we were the center of our galaxy even though we now know that the sun is the true center. Just trying to back up my value haha.
OK this guy might annoy you a little but I think this video makes some great points about being open minded.
And on to my next value. That is my value of honesty. Honesty speaks a lot about a person and what kind of relationship you have with that person. I believe you can completely understand a relationship from the level of honesty that is present. The better the relationship the more honest you are to one another. Even when the truth will hurt someone I believe the result of telling them will be better than keeping someone in the dark. White lies are only needed if you don't have a good relationship with person. Although I say this and although this value is one of the most important, it is probably the hardest in practice. Every value only becomes a character trait once it is "practiced" in life. I am working on this however because the consequences of a lie outweigh the consequences of telling the truth or said in a different fashion "coming clean."
While i'm discussing the value of honesty, I thought I might share this honest 4 Loko commercial.
Recently I believed that my third most appreciated value was encompassed best by the term hard work. That was until I had a discussion with my brother Eli. After that discussion I believe passion provides a better description of this value. Passion. Its amazing. So many different aspects of a person's personality can be explained by their passion. What they value in life, how seriously they take their work, how they love, what fascinates them. These are just a few of the many things that can be explained by a person's passion. I feel like it is this all encompassing trait of how one faces the different tasks and issues life throws at him. It literally describes everything, which is why I value it so much. I always wish to express my passion to the world, but sometimes I feel I do a poor job haha. Anyways, it is probably the one value that is impossible to express through words. Passion is shown through actions and that is definitely something I have to work on.
Well I feel I went a little to long with this so i'll spare you a last video.
Peace out.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Social Stigmas ( sorry class I got personal )
Ok. Before I start this blog I need to preface it by saying this might not be the most well put-together or thought out blog entry, but I need to get it off my chest before I take an extreme rash action and potentially jeopardize my friendships in Fiji. This is also commenting on Fiji as a whole, not any individuals specifically so if anyone is reading this that feels it is a personal attack... its not.
Joel... ha... this is personal, especially to this fraternity ... so if you don't want to know about some of my private issues then stop reading.
(Also this post will include some derogatory and vulgar language so stop reading if you don't want to let your eyes fall upon these words. Also if you don't want to read some very personal information stop reading as well.)
And so it begins.
Stigmas. Fucking social stigmas. How or why these come into being and come to define one's whole existence is beyond me. Whats even worse is the stereotypes that come along with these stigmas. If you excessively drink one too many nights, society defines you as someone who has a drinking problem(by the way this is not my problem.. at least I don't believe its the heart of the issue in my fraternity. I will dive into my problem later on.) This drinking problem leads to stereotypes, and stereotypes lead right back to worsening the stigma that has now been placed upon you.
Stigmas don't even have to be a direct result of your actions. In my example about myself, that i'll get into later, it could even be placed on you through who you surround yourself with. More easily defined, you are guilty by association.
Now that I have expressed some of my views about stigmas I suppose i'll jump right into my situation.
Who fucking cares? I like to have a good time and party as well. Not many people can say they don't. So what I want to know is why some people get their panties in a bunch over this? What in god's name gives these elitist pricks the right to assume that if a person has ever "patrtied" they are of no contributing value to society? Why is it when someone has smoked pot or partied that instantly they have a stigma put upon them that instantly defines every unexplained action. Recently I needed to take a break from my brothers because I was pissed at a certain situation in my fraternity. So I removed myself from the situation and spent 2 nights at some of my friends outside of Fiji. When I came back..... guess why everyone thought I was away..... to smoke pot. What the fuck? Do people seriously not know me well enough to think there might be other reasons for my absence?
This situation has perpetuated itself over and over again in Fiji. At the start of my Greek career I informed my brothers that I loved to party. Guess I set myself up poorly for future interactions because from that point on I was known as "that" kid. To make it worse, the friends I hung out with in Fiji already had a bad stigma. So even though I have never really been out of control drunk (or at least not as consistently as most of my brothers), and definitely do not fit the stereotypical stoner role, I all of the sudden found myself in a world of judgement for not living my life "up to Fiji code."
Now I will admit that I was might have partied a little harder than some. But I do not believe, especially after I have made so much progress in Fiji, my life goals/priorities, and myself as a person, that my freshman year should hold me back in people's minds.
People in Fiji do NOT value my opinions or look to me to be a contributing member in any fashion.
Recently I applied for Chair positions in Fiji to prove myself to my fraternity, in an attempt to "throw off" my stigma and the stereotypes that have been put on me. Apparently, two brothers who have been in Fiji a lot less than I have got the two positions because our Cabinet wanted them to have a chance to shine. I still don't actually believe thats the real reasons why I wasn't chosen, but I still would have been fine with the decision. What pisses the FUCK out of me is that everyone else who applied for chair positions, and like me didn't get a position, were told by cabinet, specifically, how they wanted them to contribute to Fiji's overall improvement. GUESS WHAT? I wasn't even talked to until I asked why I wasn't chosen. When I questioned this, the response I got was "well if you want to do something just join a committee and contribute how you want to."
I don't know if i'm overreacting but why would other brothers be informed specifically on what aspects they were to contribute and then I get thrown by the wayside?
I have never given Fiji a reason to doubt my abilities when contributing to its well-being. So why am I not trusted? All I can think of is my stigma that for some reason is still around.
Not everything I do revolves around partying and getting fucked up. And if people don't know this then I seriously am frowning on the years i've wasted with people I thought were my friends and would get to know me... for ME, and not some stupid stigma that was placed on me.
This isn't even an issue with me specifically, I think it is a problem with Fiji as a whole to anyone who has a stigma that has been placed upon them.
Anyways, glad I could get this off my chest. Thanks if you have read this all the way through.
Joel... ha... this is personal, especially to this fraternity ... so if you don't want to know about some of my private issues then stop reading.
(Also this post will include some derogatory and vulgar language so stop reading if you don't want to let your eyes fall upon these words. Also if you don't want to read some very personal information stop reading as well.)
And so it begins.
Stigmas. Fucking social stigmas. How or why these come into being and come to define one's whole existence is beyond me. Whats even worse is the stereotypes that come along with these stigmas. If you excessively drink one too many nights, society defines you as someone who has a drinking problem(by the way this is not my problem.. at least I don't believe its the heart of the issue in my fraternity. I will dive into my problem later on.) This drinking problem leads to stereotypes, and stereotypes lead right back to worsening the stigma that has now been placed upon you.
Stigmas don't even have to be a direct result of your actions. In my example about myself, that i'll get into later, it could even be placed on you through who you surround yourself with. More easily defined, you are guilty by association.
Now that I have expressed some of my views about stigmas I suppose i'll jump right into my situation.
Who fucking cares? I like to have a good time and party as well. Not many people can say they don't. So what I want to know is why some people get their panties in a bunch over this? What in god's name gives these elitist pricks the right to assume that if a person has ever "patrtied" they are of no contributing value to society? Why is it when someone has smoked pot or partied that instantly they have a stigma put upon them that instantly defines every unexplained action. Recently I needed to take a break from my brothers because I was pissed at a certain situation in my fraternity. So I removed myself from the situation and spent 2 nights at some of my friends outside of Fiji. When I came back..... guess why everyone thought I was away..... to smoke pot. What the fuck? Do people seriously not know me well enough to think there might be other reasons for my absence?
This situation has perpetuated itself over and over again in Fiji. At the start of my Greek career I informed my brothers that I loved to party. Guess I set myself up poorly for future interactions because from that point on I was known as "that" kid. To make it worse, the friends I hung out with in Fiji already had a bad stigma. So even though I have never really been out of control drunk (or at least not as consistently as most of my brothers), and definitely do not fit the stereotypical stoner role, I all of the sudden found myself in a world of judgement for not living my life "up to Fiji code."
Now I will admit that I was might have partied a little harder than some. But I do not believe, especially after I have made so much progress in Fiji, my life goals/priorities, and myself as a person, that my freshman year should hold me back in people's minds.
People in Fiji do NOT value my opinions or look to me to be a contributing member in any fashion.
Recently I applied for Chair positions in Fiji to prove myself to my fraternity, in an attempt to "throw off" my stigma and the stereotypes that have been put on me. Apparently, two brothers who have been in Fiji a lot less than I have got the two positions because our Cabinet wanted them to have a chance to shine. I still don't actually believe thats the real reasons why I wasn't chosen, but I still would have been fine with the decision. What pisses the FUCK out of me is that everyone else who applied for chair positions, and like me didn't get a position, were told by cabinet, specifically, how they wanted them to contribute to Fiji's overall improvement. GUESS WHAT? I wasn't even talked to until I asked why I wasn't chosen. When I questioned this, the response I got was "well if you want to do something just join a committee and contribute how you want to."
I don't know if i'm overreacting but why would other brothers be informed specifically on what aspects they were to contribute and then I get thrown by the wayside?
I have never given Fiji a reason to doubt my abilities when contributing to its well-being. So why am I not trusted? All I can think of is my stigma that for some reason is still around.
Not everything I do revolves around partying and getting fucked up. And if people don't know this then I seriously am frowning on the years i've wasted with people I thought were my friends and would get to know me... for ME, and not some stupid stigma that was placed on me.
This isn't even an issue with me specifically, I think it is a problem with Fiji as a whole to anyone who has a stigma that has been placed upon them.
Anyways, glad I could get this off my chest. Thanks if you have read this all the way through.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Blog Assignment #1
Why Hello Blog World.
Current Song: Chrystal Castles
Current Location: The Quaffice
My name is Chris Osborne and this happens to be my first official attempt at blogging. I never thought I would be hopping on the blogabus, but now that I'm on I might as well see where it takes me.
My full name is Christopher Mack Osborne and I am a junior majoring in accounting and finance with statistics and information technology as my minors. I was born and raised in Libertyville, Illinois for a majority of my life, except for a couple years in the U.K. and my high school years in Bay Village, Ohio. Even though I have only lived in 2 states and Britain, I did move around a lot in those areas. If one wants to get a preview into my private life, this traveling caused me never to really have a best friend and definitely shaped my personality and character into what it is today. My "best friends" are always the group of people I am currently hanging out with. With that being said, Fiji has definitely become my new best pal. I'll go into why I love Fiji here in a little bit.
Anyways, to retreat back into a comfortable area, I am obsessed with hockey, lacrosse, and football (the british use of the word of course.) I have played hockey since I was 5 years old and would like to think I'm pretty talented (being modest and all haha.) I didn't play lacrosse till high my sophomore year, but it is my favorite sport to play. If I hadn't torn my acl my senior year, then I would probably still be playing it competitively now. As for the best sport to watch in the world, i.e. FOOTBALL, I am head over heals obsessed. Love watching the Premiere League and the World Cup (Go Uruguay (D. Forlan is a beast.))
If anyone wants to watch some matches let me know, we'll make an event out of it.
If you are still reading this I guess i'll throw in another tid bit about myself. To put this bluntly, earth and environmental sciences revs my jets. I have never been so fascinated by a study. Something about earth's gerontology I just find fascinating. Maybe it has something to do with my religious ... how should I phrase this... anxiety? Either way it is my favorite study, which makes planet earth one of my favorite shows and national geographic my favorite t.v. channel.
Ok, enough of that.
I think this will be the part of my blog where I transition into the Fiji aspect of my life.
To be honest, when I arrived at The Ohio State University I was very skeptical about joining a fraternity. Everyone has those stereotypical views on fraternity life before coming to a university. To save a thousand words, I will sum up my previous preconceived views on greek life with some visual aid.
Ok, let that soak in. Alright, another thousand.
Ok, heres a little Kevin Bacon to further this description.
I believe that was a sufficient summarization to get my point across. Don't get me wrong, some of those might seem fun and or funny, but I didn't want these stereotypical views to be a sum total of my college experience. That is why I was very hesitant when it came to looking at fraternities. Fiji just so happen to be the fraternity that changed my perception of what it meant to be a contributing member of the greek community. Attractions to this magnificent brotherhood included the dedication to academics, the diversity of personality types, and the chance to gain a multitude of "best friends." Now I know some of you reading this blog might think that I am "buying friends" by joining a fraternity, but I became friends with my Fiji brothers even before I officially joined. I also knew that by joining I would have people always pushing me to strive for excellence in all areas of my life. That was the biggest factor that compelled me to join and now I can honestly say it was the best choice I have ever made.
To conclude my article i'll finish off by talking about how I felt after reading the Blogabus in it's entirety. For one I am really interested in what we will be covering in this class. I have always wanted to take a leadership class, and now that I am finally in one, I am excited to have been put into a class that is focusing on how leadership can impact the greek community and the view of outside scrutinizers. I am also really happy to be able to discuss all of these issues with a group of my brothers. I feel that we will be able to be brutally honest and beneficially critical i.e. these conversations are going to (for a lack of a better word) rock! I am also excited to find what leader type I will be. I have never really looked into it, so now that I have the opportunity, I am going to take full advantage of the situation.
I don't know if any Fiji's have seen this video but I think this is a great way to portray the greek community.
Anyways I suppose i'll thank those of you who will made it through first blog and hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little about me.
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