Everyone needs to get a little Unstuck sometimes.

 Mentors. Teachers. Advisors. Life Coaches. Everyone can need a little help and direction in life sometimes and we turn to those people in our lives for guidance. Well here is another tool we've found that might be something else to help supplement the advice we get from them and help make life decisions a little easier. Unstuck started as a book by Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro, Ph.D. A little volume with lots of info, Unstuck helps you move forward and create a plan to get '"unstuck" from the current difficult situation you may find yourself in. Maybe you are job hunting, but don't know exactly what decisions to make about which position is the best fit. Or perhaps you are thinking of moving to a new city and have reservations. Unstuck walks you through three simple steps - 1. admitting you are stuck, 2. diagnosing why you are stuck and 3. getting unstuck. With simple questions, brilliant graphics and an eye-opening look at why we do what we do, this little book is very powerful. The authors now have developed an iPad app which is up for a Webby for best of the internet.

Take a look at the video below and try getting unstuck yourself.

Celebrate the Panhellenic Spirit

Guest Blogger: Phyllis Davis, National Director and Delta Zeta National Panhellenic Conference First Alternate Delegate

Your semester/quarter may not yet be over, but now is the time to begin thinking about your return to school in the fall. Formal recruitment plans are being polished, and practice will be happening all through the summer and early fall. Delta Zeta wants you to think about your return to campus in a different light! Think about putting a new and improved Panhellenic spirit in place this fall. All of the 26 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) organizations are founded on similar principles of scholarship, sisterhood, high moral values and lasting friendships. We all have rituals, ceremonies, traditions and songs to celebrate our sisterhoods. We have so much in common and so much good to promote. The benefits of NPC sisterhood and friendship will serve all of us well. We can do more when we bind together to promote our cause as one unified group on campus. Yes, we have different flowers, crests and mascots, but deep down, we all stand for much more than these symbols represent. We stand for the largest group of women in a national organization in the United States and Canada. We are over 4 million strong and still growing. 

What can you do on a local level to support and strengthen your College Panhellenic (CPH)? There are several things we recommend your Delta Zeta chapter do to carry the torch of Panhellenic spirit on your local campus:

·         Follow CPH Recruitment Rules. Your alumnae are held responsible for following the rules as well.

·         When found wrong in an infraction, do the right thing and go into mediation with honest intentions to make the wrong right.

• Expect all members to exhibit high ethical standards during formal recruitment.
• Remember that talking despairingly about other organizations is not appropriate and does not reflect positively on Delta Zeta. Consider each motion brought back to your chapter for CPH vote with regard to the best interest of your chapter and the well-being of the Panhellenic.
• Consider the positive effects of Panhellenic friendships among all your groups and the enriching element this can bring to those involved.
• Support each other’s philanthropies and special events.
• Support struggling groups on your campus. It is the responsibility of each CPH member group to do what they can to help those with membership issues.
• Promote NPC sisterhood all year long and not just during formal recruitment. The university, community, parents and potential new members are always watching!
• Most of all, enjoy and be proud of your membership in Delta Zeta and the National Panhellenic Conference.

Celebrating People in Action

This week is National Volunteer Week, a time for “inspiring, recognizing, and encouraging people” to engage in their communities. Hosted by the Points of Light Institute, this year’s theme is “Celebrating People in Action”. During this week, Delta Zeta would like to celebrate its members who dedicate countless hours to the Sorority as well as causes within their communities and around the world.

Every year approximately 62.7 million Americans volunteer, providing 8.1 billion hours of service. In 2010 alone, 3.1 million college students provided 312 million hours of service in American communities (Volunteering in America, 2011). Delta Zeta members, both collegiate and alumnae, are a part of this great movement. Nearly 1100 alumnae currently serve Delta Zeta in local and national volunteer roles across the United States and Canada. And in 2011, Delta Zeta collegiate members provided 572,245 hours of service.

In addition to the tremendous benefits felt by the communities served, volunteering also benefits the individual serving. Volunteers often report that volunteering has helped them learn new skills, gain work experience, meet new people and build self-esteem. Additionally, volunteering has been tied to health benefits such as greater life satisfaction, lower levels of depression and longer life-spans (Corporation for National & Community Service, 2007).

So this week, we salute all Delta Zeta women who are enriching their communities and our Sorority through their service. Click here to see a special message from our President, Michelle Smith. Thank you for your talent and time.


References:
http://www.pointsoflight.org/sites/default/files/nvw_resourceguide_2012.pdf
http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/
http://www.unitedway.org/take-action/benefits-of-volunteerin
http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr_brief.pdf

Posts, Pins, Tweets and More…

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, as of February 2012, 66% of online adults use social networking sites. Even more amazing is this next number – 86% of women aged 18-29 report using social networks. Wow. This number should tell us something about our collegiate members. Most of you are using social media. And most likely your chapters are using social media. And if so, are you using it effectively to tell the Delta Zeta story?

We’ve found that many times chapters will create a Facebook event for an upcoming philanthropy project, post it to the chapter’s profile page, and consider their PR done. Social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ and the like, are more than just your megaphone. They allow you the chance to communicate with others who have like interests and to start a conversation.

Delta Zeta even has its own social networking site for members only, Metro. Some might say that creating a Metro group is attempting to recreate the Facebook experience. There are over 15,000 members on Metro, some of whom are looking for a private place to exchange ideas with sisters. But even our own social network can benefit from the tips we are about to give you on effectively starting the Delta Zeta conversation online.

1. Communicate with people where they are. Delta Zeta has a presence on multiple social networks because our members communicate on multiple channels. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, refer someone via LinkedIn, re-pin a pin from Pinterest or watch a video on YouTube, there are so many ways to communicate online. Perhaps maintaining multiple social network accounts might not work for your chapter, so find out where your audience is spending their time, and then you should spend your time there too.

2. Build a following. It doesn’t matter if your tweets are the best thing since sliced bread if no one is following you. Do the leg work first of building your audience. Make sure your new members join your Facebook group if that is where important chapter information is posted. Invite your alumnae to your LinkedIn group during homecoming to be able to connect with them later for that mentoring program you have. Have a chapter website? Make sure to put links to your social network accounts there for visitors to find you easily.

3. Contribute regularly. If your accounts and groups are stagnant, then no one will want to follow them. Provide your audience fresh content to consume and comment on. Give them a way to get involved with your online presence. Too many Metro groups have slowly withered because of a lack of content. Remember that the audiences on some sites expect multiple posts (like Twitter) while others may block your content if you overstay your welcome on their newsfeed (Facebook).

4. Build excitement. People will want to hear your story if it sounds engaging and they see people talking about it online. Doing a campus-wide educational program on bystander behavior? Create a hashtag on Twitter (find out more on how to use hashtags in this article), post information about your event and invite your members to use it too and start the discussion. The online conversation doesn’t need to end when the event ends. If you’ve encouraged posts during an event you can create an online story of the posts using sites like Storify.com. Check out the Storify on #DZLearn2Listen week for how we built excitement, engaged in conversations and have saved the important ideas for future reference.

5. Use fewer words. Tell your story in pictures. Or video. Or have others tell the story for you with their comments and likes. Less is more. Keep it to under 140 characters if you can.

6. Stay true to who you are. We never know who is learning about Delta Zeta from our posts. Don’t you want them to surf away from their stay in our web-space thinking that we are enriching our members and communities like we say we do? It is up to each of us to make sure that the messages we communicate keep in mind the purpose of Delta Zeta.

We welcome feedback on our blog posts and social networking efforts. Send your thoughts and ideas to webmaster@dzshq.com or leave a message below.

3 Steps to Submitting an Annual Report

Delta Zeta collegiate chapter officers submit an Annual Report due May 1st each year. This year the Annual Report submissions will take place in a new tool on DZ Metro called the Filing Cabinet. There are three steps to completing your report -

1. Log into Metro. 
2. Download the blank word document Annual Report for your position from the link in the Chapter Officer Resources container. Complete your report and save it to your computer.
3. Upload your report using the Filing Cabinet link found in your pink Chapter Inc. container.

A few reminders - the date submitted to Delta Zeta will automatically populate when you upload your report. To make the May 1st deadline make sure to upload reports by midnight Eastern time. Volunteers who work with your chapter can see a report in your filing cabinet, download a copy and make comments. A chapter's Annual Report is not considered complete until all sections are submitted. Please direct any questions on the Annual Report submission process to DZMetro@dzshq.com.

National Convention Registration Information

For those of you who love everything pink and green and turtles the emails announcing that Convention registration was open, which hit your inboxes on Thursday, must have made your day! Delta Zeta’s 50th National Convention will be held July 3-6 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. Whether you are an official Convention Delegate, or a member who is coming for the Convention experience, you will find all the information you need to register on our website.

Delta Zetas attending the 50th National Convention can look forward to connecting with sisters from across the United States and Canada. Highlights of the event include our guest speakers, Pete Smithhisler, the CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, the Carolyn Barnes Gullatt Symposium speaker, and Ginny Carroll, CEO of inGiNuity, the Delta Zeta Rose Garden and the Silent Auction, both of which support the Foundation, and of course Fun Night on the Fourth of July which is bound to be exciting!

The deadline to register is May 31, 2012. If you have additional questions, please feel free to email us at DZConvention@dzshq.com. We look forward to seeing you in Texas this summer!

Delta Zeta's Learn to Listen Week

Guest Bloggers Tina Penman, Audiologist and National Philanthropy Committee Coordinator, and Tycene Fritcher, National Philanthropy Chairman

Delta Zeta is sponsoring Learn to Listen week April 1-7. Why? Because hearing loss is on the rise in teenagers and college age students. As an organization where most members join during their college years, Delta Zeta is compelled to raise awareness of this new epidemic and support our National philanthropy for the speech and hearing.

One in five American teenagers now suffers from some type of hearing loss, with an alarming increase of 31% in the last decade alone. Instead of having noticeable hearing loss in their 50s or 60s, today’s college student will face these difficulties in their 30s and 40’s. And most of this is preventable simply by learning to listen!

Picture a fresh patch of grass. Each blade of grass stands straight and perky. The inner hair cells in the cochlea are like blades of grass. They stand straight and perky and send signals about sounds to the brain.  

Now picture a group having lunch sitting on the grass. Each blade of grass might be crooked or flat when the group is sitting down. The force down on the grass is like the force down on the inner hair cells caused by loud noise. Each blade of grass may pop back up and stand straight and perky after the group leaves, but sometimes it may not. The damage could be permanent, just like a permanent hearing loss from loud noise referred to as Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).  

Unlike grass, permanent damage to the inner hair cells from loud noise cannot be seen. For this reason, be kind to your inner hair cells and avoid risk of permanent hearing loss. Protect them by wearing earplugs at loud concerts and listening to music at softer levels no more than 60% of the volume.

To learn more about hearing loss prevention, visit our National philanthropy partners: House Research Institute’s It’s How You Listen That Counts at www.earbud.org and the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Listen Carefully and Sound Matters initiatives at www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.

Additional information for chapters planning events can be found on Delta Zeta Metro’s Chapter Officer Resources container. Follow Delta Zeta on Twitter with the hashtag #DZLearn2Listen.  And watch our Facebook page for frequent updates and ways you can get involved in Learn to Listen Week.