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December 13, 2004

Christmas Dinner with the DBNs

There was so much food. So much. And the turkey, don't get me started on the turkey. It was perfect, succulent, moist, and tender. Thank God for Nichole.

All the DBNs dressed up, while most of our guys showed up in jeans and a t-shirt. Oh well.

As usual, the guys strained around the TV, while the girls got everything in the kitchen underway. For the second time in a row, our guys have been stuck with the task of cooking the turkey. A sorority (two now, actually), full of GIRLS that can COOK, wants a bunch of guys who play videogames and whose definition of cooking involves a trip to McDonald's to prepare a turkey -- the hardest and most oft-miscooked and item on the Thanksgiving table. Whatever.

In the end, we all settled down around the TV, and Justin plopped in the tape of the Christmas Dinner in 2003 last year. I think it one of the few times we actually hung out with the DBNs back then, and there was a lot of lively talking and partying around the food. It looked like a genuinely fun time. I think I even caught a glimpse of Malina and I flirting on the couch. I miss having the old house on Rossi. But all good things must end, right?

Maybe we're getting tired of the DBNs. That's all we do anymore. If there's an event with a sorority that happened this semester, you can bet your ass it happened with the DBNs. They're not as organized as the Alpha Chis, who require months of notice. They're also not as different as the AZDs, who are harder to hang out with on account of their marriages.

It was successful, no doubt. But it wasn't the same as last year. Maybe we need to spice it up a little. We'll see. We have some time reserved specifically for the Alpha Chis, such as sledding in January, and other blocks that will be later announced. We figured since it was getting so repetitive with the DBNs, we should be branching out and hanging out with the AXOs and the AZDs more. And so we got in there before the AXOs did their calendar planning session, and now we've actually got some variety in the mixers lined up for the Spring.

With the coming up of the SAEs on campus, we have a little more competition. Which is a perfect chance for us to step it up and be the best we can be. It's no longer just the Kappa Sigs and the AKLs when the girls wanted to hang out. We'll see how it works out. They have the single largest international fraternity in the world, so they've got lots of resources to help them succeed. It's up to us as leaders in our own chapter to step it up and succeed.

So let's do it.

Posted by spunkinator at 02:35 PM

December 10, 2004

Elections

This time last year, tensions were growing to see see who would be the next president, and who would be taking seats in the all-important E-Board. In hindsight, it wasn't pretty at all. The competition was fierce, and some people were sorely dissappointed. And then a few months into it we had to go through it all again, rebuilding after a colossal failure of a presidency; filling the position and rearranging our organization from the ground up.

With the appropriate backstory, you can tell this year's elections were loaded with memories and sour tastes. Impeaching your own president is something that no organization should ever have to go through, and I feel sorry for all the new members that had to go through the ordeal. But things start afresh every year, and the topic eventually made its way into our chapter meetings a month ago. What would happen? Who would be our figurehead? Our leader?

I expressed my concerns about this to our honorary alumni/member Keith "CrackPike" Pike, the Dillard's programmer who we met at Conclave. He visited us here in Boise a few weeks ago to say hi, and he had a great time. In the time that he's left, we've stayed on steady email contact, and I told him what I thought about this year and the elections. His reply was very crucial.

You know, elections were never a big thing to me. I never held a high office in my chapter, but I always controlled it. If a vote didn't go the way I wanted it to, it didn't bother me; I just knew that I would have to go about getting what I wanted some other way. And as long as you have the best interest of the chapter at heart, and not your own, the chapter will thrive. If everyone did whatever it took to make what's in the best interest of the chapter happen no matter what (elections, etc.), then the chapter will survive and it's members will be the better for it. Titles don't matter. People will ALWAYS follow the leader, no matter what his title. Keep that in mind. After I left, the chapter fell apart after the very next election. No one accepted the way the election went and the chapter crumbled right then and there. It was crazy. I wish I had been there (or at least conferenced in) to tell them that no matter what happens, the fraternity has got to keep it together. The real leaders will never care about the title, and they won't ever care if anyone acknowledges that they are the leader. It will be evident that he is the leader when he turns around and everyone is behind him.

I beat myself up thinking that I should have talked to them before elections. It may have made the difference. Unfortunately, I will never know.

Elections are so important; not so much who 'wins' the big new titles, but the attitude everyone takes with the new administration (including those that ran against the victors, and the ones that voted for them). You can tell the character of a man by how he adapts when things don't go his way. No matter what, the brotherhood has to survive. Just because things don't go your way, don't wash your hands of the fraternity. MAKE them go your way next time. I wish I had talked to your guys about this while I was up there, but it was never the right time.

Although I think you have already caught onto this, my advice to Danny Dickman is, don't care about the title. Care about the good of the fraternity. A coach manipulates the entire game without ever stepping foot onto the field. Remember that.

These words echoed in my mind as I sat in on the meeting. Before it started, I asked for a minute to express my feelings on the subject to the chapter before we started the elections. Adam "Bhudda" Binder's term as president was ending, and we were all eager to get started on the elections. After a torturously slow meeting (50 minutes to approve money for a turkey and reading announcements), we got started on the actual elections. Maybe Bhudda realized he wouldn't be able to run the meetings anymore, and dragged it longer than it should have, but we only had two hours to get six officer positions filled before we were kicked out of the building at midnight.

Thank God it was a House Meeting and everyone was wearing ties. It was a small but appropriate nuance that helped set the correct mood for the evening. Joe had become recently engaged to Kim from Delta Beta Nu, and was unfortunately taking more time at work and less time at school to be better prepared for his wedding and family's needs down the road. It was no surprise, then, that he announced his wish to decline all his nominations a week before elections. Wontor caught wind of this, and pulled him to the side and gave him a pep-talk while general business was handled.

Blaise took the Presidency by storm. It was refreshing to see such unanimous support from all the members this time around, instead of a dealing with split feelings down the middle of our chapter. Hopefully he won't get arrested (again). I kid. After proving himself worthy when he got suckered into being the treasurer, he definitely deserves it after paying his dues (Ha! God I'm good).

The Vice Presidency was up next, and out of nowhere Joe jumped in the ring. Whatever words Sean used worked miraculously. We had another willing, able contender. Brody, who dreamt of Rush Chair since even before his pledgship, was now calmed by that fact that he might not have to take VP. I stepped out of the ring as well, and it was again no contest. Joe swept it clean.

Treasurer was also easy. Bhudda was originally elected Treasurer last year, but was then voted in to be the interim president after the arduous impeachment. As an accounting major, it was a no-brainer to see him sit in on the role. His promises to run the chapter finances as a business (and "not a checking account") still pique my interest, but only time will tell how he will turn things around.

Jeremy had expressed his desire to become the Fraternal Educator even before Kai had started this semester. Garrett, who had scored the highest out of his pledge class, was also in the running. Jeremy really was the right man for the job, and Garrett realized it and admitted it to us during his speech. So Garrett became Jeremy's assistant FE, and together I think they will do great things not only in new membership education, but continuing education and programs as well.

Brody and Jeff were next up for Recruitment chair. The exact same situation arose, and we tagged Jeff to Brody as his assistant, although Brody got the official title. Like Keith told me above, though, real leadership doesn't come from a title. I think Jeff has great things going for him. This applies to the entire Eta class, which is one of the strongest and ablest pledge classes this chapter has ever seen.

Secretary finished out the list of officers, and I decided as soon as Joe stepped it up for VP that I wanted to be Secretary. Although it's mostly busy work and record-keeping, it's something I thought I could excel at. I was also glad (along with Brody) that Joe had filled the glaring vacancy of one of the more important positions in this chapter, as I was able to run for Secretary with full strength. After a long debate, I was elected.

The meeting came to a close, barely three hours after we had begun. I think the general feeling as we left the room was one of satisfaction and comfort, knowing this chapter was in the hands of good leaders. Everybody walked out knowing that the right man for the job was duly elected. Now we look forward to a year together making this chapter the best it can be, by growth and commitment.

When asked what had changed his mind half-way through the meeting, Joe answered, "I told Sean about how I have to worry about the other organizations I'm in (Sigma Beta Phi Honor Society President), and how I have a new job coming up, and how I'm spending less time at school. He asked me one simple question: where do my loyalties lie?

"He was right. I knew right then and there how important AKL was to me. And with that, I stood up and announced my wish to run for VP."

Posted by spunkinator at 01:59 PM