The Local Greek Leadership Conference took place on Saturday, November 22. All Greek organizations from the tri-state area were invited to attend the event in the University Center [UC] and listen to speakers who were alumni members of fraternities and sororities. The primary purpose of the conference was to help the brothers and sisters of the Kean University community become leaders both on and off campus, and within their respective organizations. In addition, the speakers at the event aimed to promote community service work, develop interpersonal skills, and enrich outstanding academic excellence.
The conference began with speaker Kenneth Jones, coordinator for fraternity and sorority life at the University of Pennsylvania. Jones informed the students about the fortunate opportunity of being a member of Greek life. As he shared his personal accounts on Greek life, Jones told those in attendance about his role as a coordinator and how he manages to shape the identity of student interests and involvement through greek life.
Shawn Dowiak, executive director of Tau Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. gave presentations to the students, explaining how they can strengthen their character to become leaders. He included the famous quote from John Lennon, “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” in his presentation and explained ways in which members can strategically create plans for their chapter and implement tasks that reflect their work ethic, team mentality, and management skills. Dowiak made it clear in his presentations that membership education - or the act of teaching other active members in a fraternity or sorority - is what builds foundations for the success of the organization and helps members to strive to encourage strong activity.
Sigma Beta Tau brother Carlos Herrera, junior psychology major, believes the conference taught him about the importance of networking and how to develop strong relationships with people. “It’s important to have a functioning organization because if you don’t, you will not be able to function with other aspects in a group,” Herrera said. Ashley Buchanan , sorority sister of Omega Sigma Psi and sophomore psychology major, also believes in the same philosophy. “The conference taught me that as a sister, we should increase our morale within our sisterhood. If a sister is not happy about something, we can’t make things succeed the way we would want it to,” stated Buchanan. Networking and building bonds with prospective members are core values that many Greeks learned from the conference.
Ashley Dunai, sorority sister of Sigma Beta Chi, also shared the idea that being a brother or sister of a Greek organization requires effort and commitment. “Fraternities and sororities run as a business, and we should incorporate all that we have learned into our actual work life,” Dunai declared. As a senior history major, Dunai said that when it is time for her to graduate and apply for jobs, she will certainly make sure the time she dedicated to her sorority is mentioned on her resume. Dunai learned from the conference that resume building through fraternity and sorority involvement is undeniably important.
Jaclyn Halm, administrative assistant of athletics at Caldwell University, spoke about obtaining emotional, operational, and financial support from alumni. She provided resources to the students so that they would be able to improve upon their work ethic as they continue their studies. Halm believes that people look up to older people for help and assistance. As a result, she wanted the members of the fraternities and sororities to benefit from opportunities that would strengthen their leadership skills and behavior.
Closing remarks were given by speakers as they wished the students the best of luck in their future. The speakers helped prepare the students for business goals and operational tasks. With the tremendous help given by the speakers, the conference taught the Greeks valuable concerns to which many became inspired and motivated.
If there are any questions pertaining to Greek life, please contact Alex Louis at 908-737-5176, or email ALouis@kean.edu.
