The Delta Zeta Creed and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

To the world,
I promise temperance and insight and courage,
To crusade for justice,
To seek the truth and defend it always;

To those whom my life may touch in slight measure,
May I give graciously
Of what is mine;

To my friends,
Understanding and appreciation;

To those closer ones,
Love that is ever steadfast;

To my mind,
Growth;

To myself,
Faith
That I may walk truly
In the light of the Flame.

-- Dorothy Mumford Williams, Alpha Zeta (Adelphi University), 1939

 

The Delta Zeta Creed is beautiful…the words and phrasing floating so effortlessly off the tongue. But it also sneaks up on you unexpectedly, providing insight and guidance at the exact moments you need it. Even for those who say it every day, reciting the Creed in different situations brings new understanding and unique emotions. Or maybe the new understanding came as your life has evolved, whether that be college graduation, an impactful volunteer role, or helping a friend through a difficult situation. How did you, or do you think you will feel, when you say the Creed with women from a different chapter, when you share with non-Delta Zetas, and when you recite the Creed at National Convention?

 

As educators, the Creed has also afforded Delta Zeta the opportunity to frame and apply leadership concepts to the Delta Zeta experience. At the Norma Minch Andrisek Leadership Conference (NMALC), Delta Zeta introduced the concept of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership to the nearly 400 emerging leaders in attendance. Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, theorized by Marcy Levy Shankman and Scott Allen, asserts that everyone has the capacity to be a leader whether or not they have a formal officer role. Emotionally Intelligent Leadership (EIL) can be broken down into three overall areas, each of which is further divided into capacities:

 

• Consciousness of Context – intentional study or awareness of the environment and how that interacts with one’s success as a leader
• Consciousness of Others – understanding that leadership is about relationships and one’s ability to work with others
• Consciousness of Self – awareness of one’s own goals, values, priorities, strengths, etc. increases one’s effectiveness as a leader

 

These three consciousnesses can be explored further through what we as Delta Zetas pledge to do in our daily lives. As we look at context, we can draw analogies between group saavy and insight, truth, and courage. Those who our lives touch in slight measure, friends and closer ones all speak to the importance of others. To our minds we promise growth and to ourselves faith, all of which align with an awareness of self.

 

Check back on this blog in a few weeks for more information on how the principles of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership were included at NMALC and how they can be implemented into your daily life.

 

For more information on Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, visit http://www.eileadership.net/.

Reporting Your i Have a Choice Event on Chapter Inc.

Congratulations on completing a successful i Have a Choice event! Events organized by Delta Zeta’s across the country help educate sisters and fellow college students on the dangers of alcohol abuse and help empower them to make informed decisions. As National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is coming to a close, it is time to report to Delta Zeta Headquarters about the event(s) you held through Chapter Inc, our online reporting system. 

 

To accurately report on your event in Chapter Inc. you will need the following information:

• Event Name
• Event Type (i Have a Choice)
• Event Date
• Event Description
• Event Attendance
• Event Notes

 

To begin your report, while logged into Chapter Inc., click Programs and Events > Actions > Notify Campus or Chapter Program or Event (click picture to enlarge).

 

 

This form created on demand, so on the Selection step (the second step), click to create a new form and continue (click picture to enlarge).

 

 

On the Enter Information step (third step), you will input your specific event information (click picture to enlarge).

 

 

After you have validated the information you submitted in the fourth step, you will receive a receipt. We suggest you print your receipt for your chapter records.

 

If you need any assistance in reporting your event, please contact the Chapter Inc. Support Team at chapterinc@dzshq.com.

 

 

Delta Zeta supports National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week through i Have a Choice Program

This week Delta Zeta joins thousands of students, faculty, and staff of colleges and universities in observance of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW). Delta Zeta’s i Have a Choice Program and NCAAW seek to educate college-age students about the dangers of alcohol abuse, inspiring them to examine their lifestyles and make informed decisions regarding these substances. High-risk drinking and its consequences affect hundreds of thousands of students every year. College Drinking: Changing the Culture shared the following facts:

• Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Assault: 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Sexual Abuse: 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002).
• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002).
• Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002), and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998).
• Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate" or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage (Wechsler et al., 1995).
• Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, according to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking (Knight et al., 2002).

(Text from http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/StatsSummaries/snapshot.aspx)

 

 

Join Delta Zeta this week in our observance of i Have a Choice and National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week and educate yourself, your family and your friends on the dangers of alcohol abuse. Share how you are participating in Delta Zeta’s i Have a Choice Program and National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week through Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtags #DeltaZeta and #NCAAW.

Chapter Inc. Procedures for Initiation

It’s the middle of October and many of our chapters are planning for Homecoming, alumnae weekends, midterms…and initiation. Initiation is a special time for all Delta Zetas – current collegiate members, alumnae, and especially those new members choosing to formally join our sisterhood. While this time is typically filled with excitement, for some chapter officers it can also cause nervousness to make sure that everything is done correctly. To make sure that everything runs smoothly, there are two processes in Chapter Inc. to keep in mind: request to initiate and changing new members’ membership type to initiate.

 

 

Request to Initiate

 

At least two weeks prior to Initiation, you must complete the Request to Initiate new members via Chapter Inc. To do this, please follow the below steps. If you are completing a change on multiple members, we require processing groups of 10 or less members at a time. It is important to note that member numbers will automatically be assigned by the system when you complete the Request to Initiate action. Therefore, please select your groups of Request to Initiate in alphabetical order.

 

• In Metro, click Membership > Actions > Manage Members
• Select the new members you wish to initiate via the checkbox next to their name and click continue
• On the Additional Info Step, select the action “New Member Requests to Initiate” (see picture below)
• Confirm all your changes on the Validation Step
• Save and print a copy of the receipt for your records

 

If all requirements for a new member’s initiation have been met, initiation permits will be granted.

 

 

Changing New Members to Initiates

 

Within 48 hours following initiation, chapters must complete the Initiate Step in Chapter Inc. This will change the new initiates’ status from NEW MEMBER to INITIATE and will allow the Vice President to order badges. You will follow the process outlined above for Request to Initiate. In the Additional Info Step, now an option to initiate a member is visible (see picture below).

 

 

 

For more information on Lamplighting, initiation, and required procedures, we encourage you to review the memos available on Metro in the September and October editions of DZ Digest. And always remember that Delta Zeta volunteers and staff are here to help! Please email ChapterInc@dzshq.com with any questions about the request to initiate process and initiation membership changes.

 

 

Continuous Open Bidding (COB) and What Does it Really Mean???

Guest Blogger - Ashley Anderson, National Recruitment Chairman


The goal of every Delta Zeta chapter is to maintain maximum membership by recruiting new members into your chapter until you reach campus total. Each year Delta Zeta chapters across the country participate in formal structured recruitment events. But did you know there is another process of recruiting members into your chapter? It is called Continuous Open Bidding (COB).

The COB process is different than Panhellenic structured recruitment styles in that a chapter continues to recruit until it reaches campus total. COB depends primarily on woman-to-woman contacts. This one-on-one contact reduces the need for parties, activities, and/or other events related to usual formal structured recruitment activities. The contact with potential new members is often more casual, and invitations to membership usually occur in a short period of time. Unlike the structured recruitment styles, COB means each chapter manages its own schedule, invitations and issuing of bids rather than Panhellenic. The first step in the COB process is to assess your membership. Know at all times how many new members you need to reach maximum membership.

COB typically occurs at the end of Panhellenic structured recruitment until the beginning of another. Chapters recruit and pledge new members to fill open spaces. Open spaces may be the result of not having met total, or having quota places to fill or recent increase in the current total on your campus.

Recruitment is about building relationships. The potential members that you seek will come from many different sources. Not all women may have known about structured recruitment or were able to participate in the process or were even sure that the sorority life was for them. These potential new members won’t just attend an event because they received an unsolicited invitation – many of them are not even aware of a sorority as an option. The mindset of all Delta Zeta chapters should be to maintain positive public relations on campus and a strong marketing plan so that in the event your chapter has membership vacancies to fill you can quickly reach out to potential new members and let them know about this opportunity to join our sisterhood.

If your chapter has the opportunity to COB, work as a team to fill those available membership vacancies in your chapter.

Remember…COB can happen anytime and anywhere! Be creative and get excited! Some of the best members are as a result of joining through COB.

For more ideas and to read further about Continuous Open Bidding, please log on to DZ Metro and read the newly published COB manual.

Reporting Philanthropy and Service through Chapter Inc.

For many Delta Zetas, the line in our creed which states “To those whom my life may touch in slight measure, May I give graciously of what is mine,” holds special meaning. Through philanthropy and community service, Delta Zetas learn a sense of responsibility for self and others and have long demonstrated this sense of community purpose by volunteering their time within their local campus and communities and participating in philanthropic endeavors. Every year each college chapter conducts a philanthropic event benefitting a nationally sponsored Delta Zeta philanthropy in addition to the individual service hours each member completes. After the chapter and individual members complete these activities, they should be reported through Chapter Inc.

 

  

Chapter Philanthropic Event

 

To report a chapter Philanthropy event, you will need, at minimum, the following information:

• Type of Event
• Date of Event
• Service Hours
• Total Dollars Raised
• Total Dollars Given
• Dollar Value of Gifts in Kind

 

When you are ready to begin your report, you can create one on demand in Chapter Inc by clicking Philanthropy > Actions > Notify of Philanthropic event (see picture below).

 

 

On step three, you will be asked to provide as much information as possible about your philanthropy event. Although you can save and return to your form at any time before validation, it is very helpful to prepare this information ahead of time. A screenshot of the information included in your philanthropy report is pictured below.

 

  

 

Individual Service Hours

 

Individual service hours should only be reported for hours that are done by members outside of organized chapter philanthropy events.

 

There are four steps to the process.

1. Select the members you are adding service hours for by selecting the “service hours” radio button next to their name.
2. Enter the date the service took place and the number of hours per member.
3. Confirm your changes. If you have made any mistakes use the "previous" option at the bottom of the screen to return to the prior page.
4. View and print your receipt that shows your requested changes have been submitted.

  

As always, if you need any help with Chapter Inc., contact them at chapterinc@dzshq.com.

 

 

Engaging Alumnae With Your Collegiate Chapter

Guest Blogger Heather Anderson, Iota Psi (University of Texas/Arlington), National Vice President of Alumnae

 

  

Delta Zeta enriches members’ lives beyond the college years. So often, we hear that Delta Zeta sisterhood took on a different meaning for our members long after graduation. Yet, our collegiate officers struggle with how to build alumnae support and involvement with our collegiate chapters. So how can you, as a collegiate chapter officer, build a relationship with your chapter and local alumnae?

 

Engaging members and building affinity while they are undergraduates are keys to the long term success of any alumnae program. The alumnae experience starts with the experience our Delta Zeta members have while in your chapter. If junior and senior members feel engaged, valued and respected as they prepare to graduate, they will be more likely to be active and participatory alumnae members. 

 

Your Alumnae-Collegiate Relations Chairman is an important part of the equation in building long-term relations with local alumnae. She can coordinate with a member of the local alumnae chapter to host joint events such as Founders Day, football tailgating, chapter anniversaries or even recruitment workshops. When getting to know alumnae, it is important to remember that planning well in advance is vital to alumnae attendance as they may have work and family obligations. Various means of communication such as email, phone calls and newsletters or even Evite and Facebook are all great options to get the information out to everyone. Don’t forget that some generations of alumnae aren’t connected to technology, so be sure to use snail mail or other conventional means of communication with alumnae for whom you don’t have email addresses. The main reason to hold these events is to create the bond of sisterhood across all generations and build relationships that continue long past graduation.

 

As your members prepare to move from one phase of life, as college students, to the real world of a career, job, apartment, etc., you can make the transition to Delta Zeta alumnae status as easy as possible. Provide them with information on how to connect with a local alumnae chapter (you can find our full list of chapters on our website here), make sure to update their information with Delta Zeta using the Manage Members Action on Chapter Inc. when they graduate, and make sure that your chapter has an officer elected or appointed to manage your alumnae relations programming.

 

Ways for Delta Zeta alumnae to become involved:

• Chapter Associations are designed to unite collegiate and alumnae members of a college chapter for the purpose of establishing close communication and advancing the best interests of the chapter and Delta Zeta. Each member initiated into the sorority automatically becomes a member of her own chapter association. Find a current list on our website here.
• Delta Zeta alumnae are served by ten different alumnae areas, listed here. Each alumnae area is led by a volunteer called an Area Alumnae Director (AAD). She supports the work of the alumnae chapters in her area and the volunteers who serve as State Alumnae Chairman (SAC).
• Delta Zeta has over 165 alumnae chapters. There is even a virtual alumnae group, Surfing Sisters, which has members all over the globe. Alumnae members find that their Delta Zeta experience is just as rich and satisfying in the years after graduation as the time they spent on campus.
• Serving as advisors to the local collegiate chapter can be very rewarding. Many chapters look to alumnae for the leadership and knowledge they can provide to various positions. If you have a question of how to get involved, just contact the College Chapter Director (CCD) of the nearest college/university. If the chapter does not have a CCD, please contact the Regional Collegiate Director (RCD).