Delta Zeta – To the World

When a woman joins Delta Zeta, most typically during her undergraduate days, she is looking for a group of friends, a home away from home, to learn leadership skills and a place to have fun. Many of us don’t anticipate anything beyond what we find on our campus where we are enrolled in school. And even after our new member period, where we learn everything from the Founders to details about the philanthropy and service events we support, the lifetime commitment we have just made might seem somewhat foggy.

Membership in Delta Zeta begins during college, but has the opportunity to extend well beyond. If you look at the different sections of our Creed, it starts with a commitment “To The World.” Your world might be the chapter you currently belong to, but after graduation that world rapidly expands. You may move to a new city, start a new job, meet the love of your life, and start a family. Each life event changes what your “world” looks like. Every member of Delta Zeta is a member of very different worlds at different points in her life. But, we share one thing in common, our belief in our sisterhood which can provide comfort and support for not only our members, but those in our communities; the “worlds” of which we are a part.

At this time, in light of the events this past week in Connecticut, you may feel scared, nervous, sad or just looking for answers on how to meet the challenges of the world, reflect upon the Delta Zeta Creed and know that your sisters are there with you through it all.

Planning a Great Chapter Retreat

One of the things that convinced me to join Delta Zeta was a chapter retreat. A few of my friends who lived down the hall from me my freshman year in college went away for a weekend with the new sorority they had joined and came back full of energy and having had so much fun. I didn’t join until a year later, but always thought back to their smiling faces upon their return from that weekend and couldn’t wait until I, too, got to be a part of that experience.

Obviously my chapter must have had a good plan in place for their retreat if it made such an impression on a non-member, likely joiner. There are a few things to consider when planning a great retreat for your chapter.

1. Location – even though it might be easier to host a retreat in the chapter room or at the chapter house, not every chapter has a facility and it’s more fun to “get away” from it all and the distractions which could interrupt your sisterhood time. Make sure to plan accordingly and in line with Delta Zeta’s Risk Management policies (found in Metro’s Chapter Officer Resources Container). Even if you cannot physically leave campus, try to have members disconnect and truly have a sister’s only weekend. Consider having a cell phone basket, asking all members to leave their phones and be present during the retreat. 
2. Fun – though you might be tempted to work through your chapter’s goal setting plans for the next year, and that is important to do, plan for some fun! You can do some really cool sisterhood activities, which also help set you up for that goal setting plan, but engage your members while you are at it. For some new ideas, visit the Collegiate Chapter Officer Training Toolkit.
3. Food – For many of us, this is the first thing you like to plan! But, did you know that some food choices are better than others? Check out this link for 10 High Energy Food Choices.

What other things do you remember from a chapter retreat that you’d like to share with your sisters? We’d love to hear them here by leaving a comment or by emailing us at webmaster@dzshq.com.

Five Quick (and free) Technology Tools

Chapter officers and volunteers are always looking for new ways to make their jobs easier. Here are Five Quick (and free) Technology Tools to help you in your officer or advisor role this coming year. Do you have a favorite tool or app that you use? Share it with us by leaving a comment below or emailing webmaster@dzshq.com. 
Tungle Me
A scheduling tool, somewhat like Doodle but with more options, allows you to share your calendar in real time, so if you add new date to your calendar it updates, and adjusts for timezone. 

Remember The Milk
This to-do list manager helps you record tasks from your phone, e-mail, iPad, and more. It helps you prioritize, allocate time, and remember important details.

Better Buzzer
Have you ever slept through your alarm clock? Or missed an important reminder? Set a reminder with better buzzer and they will call you and won't stop calling you until you pick up.

Join.me
Join.me is a screen sharing site, but you can set up a meeting on the fly for up to 250 participants. If you upgrade to pro you have a few more of the bells and whistles that other pay sites offer. The pro version does offer a 14 day free trial.

Dropbox
Dropbox is a free service that lets people bring their documents, photos and videos everywhere and share them easily. We all use multiple computers and devices, so why not access your files from them all? Install Dropbox on all your machines and never worry about forgetting a USB or other device again.

Member Gratefulness Responses

Did you know the national day of Thanksgiving was set by President Abraham Lincoln in a Proclamation dated October 3, 1863? In the middle of the Civil War he asked all citizens to come together. A part of that Proclamation states:

“…I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise…”

This year, Delta Zetas have shared that they are grateful for the following blessings in Delta Zeta:

Happy Thanksgiving from Delta Zeta!

President Lincoln's entire Proclamation can be read here: http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm 

Grateful for Delta Zeta

Ten years. A decade. Longer than two presidential terms. I was initiated into Delta Zeta ten years ago. When I think about the past ten years, it’s funny how much my life and my understanding of Delta Zeta has changed. When I was first initiated, although I had heard that membership was for a lifetime, I don’t think I truly understood what that meant. I thought of Delta Zeta as an extracurricular activity, a social outlet, a place to meet friends, a place to get involved and try out leadership positions. And it was all of that. But now it is so much more and for that I am grateful.

I am grateful for the friendships I have developed for they are more than friendships. I am grateful for the leadership opportunities and the skills that I have been able to develop through my various officer positions; skills that I use each day at work. I appreciate the women who have encouraged me in both personal and professional pursuits, but especially for the women who have challenged me and taught me to listen to differing perspectives.  I am grateful for the opportunity to give back, through both volunteer positions and involvement with the Delta Zeta Foundation. I am thankful for all the dinners, football games, spontaneous movie nights and conversations over late night snacks that I have shared with my sisters. I am grateful every day for the network of outstanding women of which I am a part. I am grateful for Delta Zeta.

As our sisters in the United States prepare in the coming week for Thanksgiving, please share with us what you are thankful for in Delta Zeta. A sister? An advisor? A favorite memory? An opportunity? Please share with us via Facebook, Twitter or email at webmaster@dzshq.com. If you have a photo to accompany your thought, please share as well.

Delta Zeta Risk Management Reports

Delta Zeta collegiate chapters have two very important reports due November 10th. The chapter risk management chairman shall present and report, via Chapter Inc. under the Program and Event tab>Actions>Notify Campus Program or Event, the following risk management programs by selecting it in the form’s drop-down menu. For assistance with Chapter Inc., please contact the support team at ChapterInc@dzshq.com.



Emergency (Crisis) Management Plan Education
Delta Zeta has an established procedure for how our chapters will handle emergency situations when they arise. That procedure is the Delta Zeta Emergency (Crisis) Management Plan, which is found in your Risk Management Manual. As Risk Management Chairman for your chapter, it is your responsibility to make sure that all members of your chapter understand that there is a specific procedure to follow when an emergency or tragedy arises and to educate them on what that procedure is. Each fall, you should copy the Crisis Management Plan from your Risk Management Manual, fill in all of the correct names and telephone numbers, make copies for everyone in the chapter and go over the plan with the entire chapter during a chapter meeting.

Personal Website Policy Program
Delta Zeta's Personal Website Policy was implemented in 2007. This policy, in the National Policy Statements, must be read to your chapter by November 10. Your Personal Website Policy program requires a presentation to the chapter (by a non-Delta Zeta) addressing one of the following areas related to personal websites and why it is important to monitor the material that chapter members include on their personal websites: safety issues, potential employment and/or campus/Greek life. Suggested speakers for your presentation are a potential employer of campus undergraduate students or Career Services employee, your Greek Advisor or a law enforcement official. You should choose a different speaker for your personal website presentation from last year.

For more information on risk management programming and reporting, please visit Delta Zeta Metro and click on the DZ Digest link in the Chapter Officer Resources container.

General Use of Chapter Inc. for Collegiate Chapters

As many of our chapters begin changing officers, this is a great time to review Chapter Inc. and how it works.

Chapter Inc. is the business tool for Delta Zeta chapters. Members have access to Chapter Inc. via the pink container on their Delta Zeta Metro page. Access is tied directly to your chapter’s officer roster. So, if an officer or advisor changes, and an update is not made, that officer will not have access to Chapter Inc. To access your chapter’s task center, click on the “Go to Chapter Task Center” link at the bottom of the container. You will only see your chapter’s information when you log into Chapter Inc. While an NDD or RCD, who has multiple chapters in her district or region, will be able to view the Chapter Inc. information for each chapter.

Chapter Inc. is activity-driven. Chapters enter their information as it happens – a shift in thinking about the way information is submitted.

Task Center

Your chapter’s task center consists of the navigation bar, the announcement window, the chapter snapshot window, and the six module area snapshots. All officers and volunteers can view this quick information on the different areas of Chapter Inc. so you all know how many members you have, if money is owed, or the last time membership updates were made.

There are three types of drop downs – Snapshots, Actions (forms that a chapter has to complete = input), and Reports (give data back to you from the action forms chapters complete = output). Only those officers designated to fill out an action have access to that menu item (i.e., the VP of Membership fills out the recruitment results form). CCDs, RCDs, and National Chairmen can view the chapter reports. For some actions, more than one officer can perform them, such as adding new members (the VP of Membership, the Treasurer, the VP of New Member Educcation, the President and the Secretary can all add members). See the Permissions Grid which shows who can do what if you are asked about specific responsibilities which is available under Chapter Inc Tools link.

Snapshots

The snapshot icons, below on the module areas, and in the navigation menus of each area, will give you quick information about your chapter. The Membership Snapshot will give real time membership information about your chapter for instance. As more information is collected via Chapter Inc, the reports and types of information we are able to present will be more robust. Therefore, it is important for your chapters to report information real time – as it happens – so we have the most up to date information possible on Delta Zeta.

Completing an action 

All Chapter Inc. actions are a five step process. We have created training videos to walk you through completing actions and all videos can be found in the Chapter Inc. Tools link on the Chapter Officer Resources Container on the Metro main page. Some actions you can come back to complete and make updates to throughout the school year, such as the chapter calendar in the Operations Actions or the formal/structured recruitment report in the Recruitment Actions. Others, once submitted, require changes or updates to be sent to ChapterInc@dzshq.com, such as an academic actions or philanthropy actions.

Viewing a report

The reports sections of each module allow officers and volunteers to view information about Delta Zeta chapters. Each area has a reports section. For example, the Operations Reports show us information on chapter officers and advisors, the chapter calendar and the detailed chapter calendar. All reports are “excel type” and by clicking on the columns you can sort those columns. Reports in Chapter Inc. that have the heading select a format are able to be exported as either PDFs or excel documents. You can keep an electronic copy of the file by exporting the report.

Technical support

Chapter Inc. support is available by emailing ChapterInc@dzshq.com. Please view the training videos and review the Chapter Inc. guides on the Chapter Inc. Tools link in Metro's Chapter Officer Resources Container.

DZs Promote i Have a Choice

Delta Zeta’s initiative to support National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW) is the i Have a Choice campaign. Collegiate chapters undertake campaigns in their local communities and on campus to educate about the dangers of alcohol abuse. The i Have a Choice campaign helps reinforce the idea that everyone has a choice when it comes to alcohol use. Each year approximately 1700 college aged students die as a result of an alcohol-related injury. It is just as important now, as it was six years ago when Delta Zeta started this campaign, to educate our members and communities about the healthy choices we can make regarding alcohol.

This week, Delta Zeta’s chapters are taking to social network feeds to chronicle their efforts in their communities with the i Have a Choice Campaign. Using the hashtag #iHaveAChoice on Twitter, in the past 24 hours alone there have been 254 tweets which generated 164,728 impressions, reaching an audience of 56,587 followers (stats courtesy of hashtracking.com).

Make sure to follow along or participate in a local chapter’s events near you. We are following our chapters' efforts with Storify and will post the impact of this year’s campaign after our chapters submit their program reports on their events on Chapter Inc.

Thank you to all of our members who are taking the time to talk about the dangers of alcohol, not only this week, but throughout the year.

For more information about the initiative, please contact us at DZMetro@dzshq.com .

Nomination and election season

Each year about this time Delta Zeta collegiate chapters begin the nomination and election process. It is an exciting time - the potential of new leaders, new responsibilities and new plans and goals. Last fall, we published the following blog on November 4th - but it is just as relevant today. Look for some exciting updates to Delta Zeta officer resources in the weeks to come and best of luck with your chapter's officer elections!

November is election time. Not just for local, state and national political races, but this is the time of year that Delta Zeta chapters should be preparing for, or in the midst of, officer nominations and elections. According to the Delta Zeta Constitution, Article XII, Section 5, all chapter officers and chairmen are to be elected no later than March 1 each year unless there is a campus or chapter situation which would require approval by the College Chapter Director (CCD) or Regional Collegiate Director (RCD). A great resource for you when you start planning is the Nomination and Election Manual which you can find on Metro in the Chapter Officer Resources – Collegiate Resources – Manuals section.

The nomination and election procedure is often the most misunderstood aspect of chapter operations. Unlike those political races you are watching across the country, Delta Zeta uses a Nominating Committee which creates a slate of officers based on input from each academic class in the chapter. It is important before the process even begins to educate the entire chapter on the process so that every member knows what to expect. The Nomination and Election Manual states that “Dates should be scheduled early on the calendar for the selection of a Nominating Chairman and Committee, officer interviews, election of officers and their installation. Two chapter meetings need to be held in order to effectively conduct officer elections.” The entire process is also explained in the Nominations and Elections webinar which is on Metro – Chapter Officer Resources – Collegiate Resources – Webinars.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects to the entire process is to carefully review the qualifications for office and look for candidates within the chapter who exhibit the characteristics needed for each position. Officer qualifications are found in Section II of the Nominations and Elections Manual, and you should also reference your chapter’s Bylaws for more specific information. All candidates should be in good standing as defined by the Delta Zeta Constitution or the chapters’s Bylaws and have a cumulative GPA over a 2.5 for the preceding term. Candidates for Chapter President should have been an initiated member for at least a year.

All of our chapters should use this important time to choose the best leadership for the upcoming year. If you have additional questions, direct them to your CCD or RCD.

Tips for a Successful COB

Guest Blogger Shelley Beaumont, National Recruitment Committee Member

Many of you have already completed a successful recruitment and you are enjoying your wonderful new members. That is definitely reason for celebration, but a good recruiter’s work is never done! Now is the perfect time to evaluate your membership and plan for your chapter’s future. Once your chapter’s recruitment leadership team has answered the following questions, the planning can begin.

• Is your chapter at campus total currently?
• How many people will your chapter lose at the end of the current term/semester?
• How many women will your chapter need to COB (continuous open bid) in order to reach or remain at campus total next term/semester?

Now that you know where you stand, you need to get organized. How will you keep track of the Potential New Members (PNMs) that you and your chapter members meet? Will you use the tracking chart provided on DZ Metro or will you create your own system. The most important thing is to have a system so that your team can keep track of all of your PNMs so that no one gets lost in the shuffle. Keeping an accurate list with contact information and notes about each woman will help your team be more effective.

The next step is to think of what kind of events will be most effective for the number of women that you need to recruit. If your chapter only needs three women, then you would not need to plan a big chapter wide theme party in order to achieve your goal. If your chapter needs to COB 15 women, then you may want to host a big kick off event to develop interest in recruitment. Some of the most effective COB happens through normal sisterly activities. If several of your sisters eat lunch on campus, then invite PNMs to join you. Maybe there is a coffee shop on campus that would provide an excellent place to meet in a small group setting for coffee. Assess the needs of your chapter and decide how many events you should plan for in order to meet your goals.

The most important thing to remember is that every member matters. If you are not at total, you are missing out on new members who will bring their time, talents and treasures to your chapter. Work hard, plan ahead, and do your best to keep your chapter at or above total every term.