Being the Change Agent: The Culmination of the C's

It's both a relief and a bit shocking that this quarter is already over.  With exactly one week left before I am done with my courses, I have already begun to pack up my clothes and belongings in preparation for my move back to Nebraska for the summer months.  But as I finished the rest of my reading this weekend while laying out on Oval Beach, I had a somber moment reading through the last few pages, knowing an end was coming to my Sophomore year.  It wasn't a year in which I took the hardest classes or did the most amazing things ever, but it definitely has been a year in which I have grown enormously in all aspects of my life.

The C's have always been a part of my life without much notice to them, but one that I've seen grow ingrained into my life and my persona has been Commitment.  My commitments to other student orgs, to Lambda Chi and the presidency, and to myself and my needs had been strained and tested throughout these past months.  But it has shown me my potential to assert myself in what I have passion for and to turn that passion into productivity.

When I first took over as High Alpha of Gamma-Tau Zeta, I felt like I had been flown out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean and told nothing more than 'good luck surviving.'  With sloshing waves cracking over-head, I had three options: drown in the overwhelming waters, tread water for dear life, or persistently strive to swim.  At times, I definitely felt like I was drowning: a rusty anchor, a dead hope, being thrown overboard.  But in remember my commitment to my Big and to the Former President, I earnestly tried to tread.  I grew stronger, and I began to get by more easily than I had previously thought was impossible for me: treading water was second nature.  And then I remembered why I became High Alpha: my love for my brothers, my love for Lambda Chi Alpha, and my advent belief in the good of Fraternalism and what it can do for humanity.  I began to swim.

Commitment as been something that I've always valued, but this value of mine has grown even more ever since being 'thrown out into the sea.'   I took an oath upon becoming an Associate Member of Lambda Chi Alpha.  I took an oath upon initiating as a Brother of Lambda Chi Alpha.  I took an other upon becoming the President of Gamma-Tau Zeta.  These oaths are all commitments that I hold true to my heart, and in failing to progress and make the change that is needed for my chapter to survive and prosper, I was ultimately letting not only everyone around me down, but myself.

I fervently believe that any body can create change, regardless of being a leader or not.  As I wrote in my chapter address to the Brothers, Alumni, Family and Friends, "Anyone can create change.  It requires not someone who is destined by the stars and God, a hero designed for our salvation; it requires not someone who will rule with steadfast wit and an iron fist, a tyrant with hoarse control; it requires a simple Man with hope, bravery, perseverance, and heart."  With the faith, hope, and love, anything is possible.  Using the C's as my guide, I have begun swimming to a new shore, a shore of innovation, productivity, and positive change for Lambda Chi.

You build.

Pep Talk: You’re a good, kind, helpful person. You intend for your actions and words to be positive and to improve conditions. You’re always building up, never tearing down. You know what? You’re fucking great.

Today remind yourself: I build.

( http://dailypeptalkfromabestfriend.com )

Personal Vision Statement

I am not exactly sure how to being this blog.  All the rest, I could easily sit down and start writing away for a couple of paragraphs, but with this one, it's a lot deeper than the other ones.  I could easily write right about my chapter and how we function, how I function as a leader within the Fraternity, but when it comes down to focusing solely on myself outside of the Fraternity, it's much more difficult.  And maybe that's a problem in itself: my life is so engrossed within the Fraternity right now that I cannot even separate the two.

Just this past quarter, I have seen myself grow so much.  Becoming president of Lambda Chi Alpha was a huge undertaking for me.  I had only been initiated into the chapter almost exactly one year earlier, and deep down inside, I didn't feel as though I could do it.  It was after talking with my parents, my Big, and the former President that I truly felt like I could accomplish and fulfill the duties of the position.  Their inspiration and their motivation ultimately allowed me to take over with the confidence that I still have.

Coming from Omaha, I didn't have any friends here at OSU for those first few weeks.  I had a solid core group of friends back home, but even then, it was much more out of convenience than out of true friendship.  I came to Columbus and I ended up becoming best friends with the guys in Lambda Chi.  My brothers truly did become my family, and I care for them to the same caliber of my own blood family.



I feel like since leaving home, I have a better understanding as to who I am.  I may not know what I want, but I know what I don't want.  Being able to say 'no thanks' is probably one of the best things I've learned in these past two years.

I am fun.  I am compassionate.  I am loving.  I am lovable.  I am organized.  I am assertive.  I am confident.  I am happy.  I am able.  In the years that follow, I know that I can do anything I set, not my mind, but my heart to.  If I love and care as much as I do for Lambda Chi and my brothers, I know that I can persist through any pain and struggle in order to achieve my goal.  So what is my vision statement?


In everything you do in life, find the passion, find the love for what you do.  Always keep faith, and hope for the best in all things, because ultimately, you deserve it.  Keep true to yourself, to the ones you love, and when you do that: every decision will come without regret.  Stay focused and clear, keep your head high, and your eyes fixed on the horizon beyond.

Collaboration = Co-creation

Collaborate: : to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.  That is what the dictionary said when I looked up this week's reflection topic.  But for me, it doesn't fit at all.  It is much more than simply 'working together.'  Collaboration is a mutual investment, a combined effort from start to finish, an apex of teamwork and symmetry.  Collaboration takes a lot of work to truly achieve.  As a leader, to co-create, you must put aside your grand designs and pre-assummed visions in order to allow others to paint the overall group picture.  Collaboration starts with a blank canvas: no sketches allowed; no assistant artists or directors; every has a paintbrush, and everyone must invest into the overall work in order to make the masterpiece.  Out of everything that could possibly deter this from happening, it takes a great amount of communication and trust.  

The hardest part for me as a leader is not to have my hands in everything.  I like to check up on my officers' events, give them a 'suggestion' that I expect to be done, and follow up to make sure that the suggestion and the overall event will be fulfilled.  I know I talk about my OCD a lot, but I would say I am somewhat of a perfectionist.  You can bet that I never colored outside of the lines nor used anything less than a ruler to draw my straight lines in primary school.  This has transferred into my life in the aspect of how I run events.  Things are to be perfect, and when they're not, I make it a point to make sure that they get that way....regardless of a team effort or not.  I know that I cannot do everything, and that is something that I have had to learn this past quarter...to just let things go.  But there comes an intricate balance as to saving the day or letting things fail.  Failure is something learned, in my opinion.  Allowing failure is growing comfortable with failure.  Why even allow that in?  If good is good, but better is achievable, then why not go for the extra effort?


The diversity within my chapter is something that I am so thankful for.  All of us come from diverse backgrounds with different issues and different experiences, but together we unite through our love for Lambda Chi Alpha.  At times, it is difficult to control conversations and ultimately decide on one solution or answer, as many people have many different opinions, but this is a blessing in disguise.  I would rather spend time debating what SOE to attend versus people being complacent with the events and thinking as one soul-less autonomous body.  Our diversity is our life, and it is this that ultimately allows us to succeed.  I would say we are competitive, but not in a negative aspect.  We love to compete for highest GPA and have awards and recognition for those.  But I don't have problems with competition in places of coming to meetings and other work in terms of doing activities or duties.  Possible that it is seen as an expectation, but I feel as though people do what they are asked because they understand the intricacies of group work.  I rely upon my officers just as much as they rely upon me to do my job.  Without them, I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything: we all work together.  Together, we invest our time and passion into improving our lives together and the lives of our community, through the passion we have for Lambda Chi Alpha.  We've got collaboration...do you?

Founder's Day Speech: Growing Up to Be...

    "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be,” a quote by J.K. Rowling from her ‘wizarding’ bestsellers series, Harry Potter.  It seems odd that out of my infinite lists of quotes scribed across my notebooks and saved upon my desktop by Truman, Roosevelt, Thoreau, and others, that I would finally decide upon this one at close to 4:00am.  But regardless of my haggard state of mind, the truth is that the masterpiece of Harry Potter transcends both time and age, race and color, fantasy and reality.  The story of the Boy Who Lived touches all whom read his tale due to its foundation of courage, loyalty, sacrifice, community, duty, and love.  These same ideals and principles are what guide us today in our endeavor towards growth, set forth by our Founder, Warren A. Cole.  And as both Harry and Warren show, in prevailing foes and doubters, it is clear to see that the betterment of man lies in what he becomes of himself, not what he is born to be.
    I proudly stand before you all today to give this speech, as a Brother of Lambda Chi Alpha, as the President of Gamma-Tau Zeta, but more importantly, as a person who has changed for the better because of Fraternalism.  When I was seven, I moved to a suburban neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska: a city of about 400,000 people total, and the largest city in the state of Nebraska.  (No, we don’t ride covered wagons there; No, I don’t eat corn with every meal; Yes, I have gone cow tipping before....it’s completely all that it is talked up to be).  I wouldn’t say I was a recluse while in primary and secondary school, but I definitely focused my life completely into only two different venues: the stage and the classroom.  I spent time with my show choir friends and spent time with my lab partners, but these bonds of friendship were more so out of convenience than truth.  Life was stale: enjoyable at the surface at first taste, but deeper inside, it was unfulfilling, bland, and tedious.  It was not until moving 800 miles away from my family and friends, and all I’ve ever known, to The Ohio State University in September of 2009, that I truly began to live. 
    If you were to have told me upon graduation of high school that I was to join a ‘Frat,’ I would have laughed at your face and replied, “You’re delusional.”  I never found myself to be a subscriber of the ‘bro-mentality,’ lacked all coordination skills to play lacrosse, and had no Sperry’s to speak of: Clearly, I was not going to be a future Frat-Star.  But following my first Ohio State game as a student against USC, I met a group of men in a filthy shoe-box of a house on East 15th whom would truly change my life.  After hanging out with the Brothers, seeing the reality of Fraternalism, and seeing their values in congruence to mine, I had a change of heart on the issue.  My conception of ‘Frat’ was replaced by Fraternity: a true Brotherhood built upon lasting ideals; a bond for the eternity of Man; a commitment to your higher-self.  Over the next two years, I would develop bonds of brotherhood with each brother within Gamma-Tau, and it is not the fictitious iniquities of the past, but a love based on truth.  True love is the most powerful force in the Universe.  True love is what the Brothers all have for each other; true love is what we have for Lambda Chi Alpha.
    Gamma-Tau Zeta, our beloved Chapter, has experienced much in it’s 88 year history.  With membership almost suspended during World War II as Brothers gave their lives to protect America from the tyrants abroad, to the celebrations of success and achievements of receiving National Awards in 1966, 1967, and 2000, and the 1158 inductions of Men into our Brotherhood: Gamma-Tau has seen much.  And now, it is yet again time for us to rise up and rally around her in her vulnerable state of uncertainty.  Change, the token word for 2008, has now trickled its way down to our campus.  Sorry, Johnny Cash, but Time does not change everything: people change everything.  It is human nature to grow complacent, thus it is human nature to inspire and procure change.  Already, we have seen changes in Gamma-Tau Zeta: moving out of our original existence on East 15th (Lambda Chi’s home since our founding in 1923), new requirements set forth by our International Headquarters and by the University, and the ever-cycling of Brothers through our doors as they arrive and graduate from The Ohio State University.  But no longer will change affect us internally, but from the external as well.  As the Inter-Fraternity Council puts in place its new Constitution in the coming weeks, policy and practices will change for us as Fraternity Men.  As the University changes from the beloved Quarter system to the Semester system, puts in place requirements for second years to live in campus facilities, and raise the expectations of Fraternity and Sorority Life, these changes will affect our Chapter.  We as a Chapter can come together, as our Zeta has done countless times before, in order to ensure a clean transition through these following years.  It requires trust within one another to fulfill our duties, but more importantly, it requires a mutual desire of achievement towards our common goal.  When I look around in this room, I see high achievement yet even higher attainability.  We, as a Chapter, attained over a 3.0 GPA this past Quarter, but there is still potential to grow.  In philanthropic and community service, we have done over three hundred hours and raised thousands of dollars for the North American Food Drive and the Susan K. Bowman Breast Cancer Research Fund, yet we can still do more.  Excelsior, a Latin word meaning, “ever higher.”  This will be our motto for this coming year; Ever higher, never complacent, change for the betterment of the future.
    All Change starts with a change of thought.  No where is it contingent upon birth-right, creed, nor origin.  We, as human beings, change throughout our lives.  In my own life in these past three years, I have changed from the country rent-head, who disliked and rebuked the thought of joining a Frat, to the Chapter President, in one of the largest most prestigious Fraternal Organizations to ever exist.  What we experience in life ultimately construct who we are as a person.  Harry Potter and Warren A. Cole taught me lessons of this, in seeing the way they lived their lives, the actions they took, and the people they inspired.  Sure, you may find it odd that I regard the fictional escapades of Harry to be valuable, but 'Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.' - (G.K. Chesterton).  Anyone can create change.  It requires not someone who is destined by the stars and God, a hero designed for our salvation; it requires not someone who will rule with steadfast wit and an iron fist, a tyrant with hoarse control; it requires a simple Man with hope, bravery, perseverance, and heart. 

Citizenship: The Web of Dependence

Everyone goes through life always wanting to belong, but when you sit down and look around: you've belonged all along.  The life we live is the community around us --the people, places, and things all interacting together.  We don't always see this nor do we always apply it to the actions we do or the plans we anticipate to implement.  'You' are not solitary, but instead, part of 'we': your actions affect me, and my actions affect you.

I always somewhat grasped the concept, but never fully committed to it until recently.  Until I became President, I never saw the intricate web in which the chapter relies upon in order to operate successfully.  Each officer and member has an overlapping reliance upon another officer or member: when this bridge is disconnected and that duty falls through, the job is not accomplished.  Usually it falls back to me in order to follow through and complete something, and maybe that's something that my chapter needs to work on: being the person to step up and fill the void.

But even to a large scope, the actions that my chapter committes or a chapter within our Greek Community commits transcends into other communities in the University and Student Community.  If Lambda Chi were to haze its members, it would not only look bad from a personal/international chapter stand point from our International Headquarters, but also look bad for all of the other Fraternity and Sorority chapters at Ohio State: if one chapter hazes, wouldn't they all (an outsider may ask)? 

Community is everywhere.  It is as essential as the air we breath.  Without community, we wouldn't be 'we,' but just idle people without a cause or a purpose.  Community gives us this purpose, something to work towards, to accomplish, to improve upon.  Our interlocking faiths, passions, identities provide a web of support in order to progress towards the future, and to make that future a better place.




Quote of the Week:

We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are.

- Thomas Merton

'You Have to Change Them Yourself'

Call it headstrong or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but if I want to get something accomplished, I rarely rely upon others to get me there.  Sure, I'll accept a helping hand, but when it comes to the matriculation of details and the compilation of the big picture, I cannot stand to not be in control of it's full development.

This tends to make people perceive me as an elitist or an @$$hole, but it is quite the opposite.  It is me descending into the ring.  It is me, putting forth my blood, sweat, and tears to ultimately bring change that I feel is for the better.  I am not Voldemort or Tom Riddle, or any other super villain of literature with the ultimate goal of conquering and enslaving the world: I simply do what I do because it is for good.  Similar to Andy Warhol quote, I prescribe to Gandhi's quote: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."  Lead by example.  Lead valiantly with just and promise.  Lead with integrity and passion.

 One person can make all the difference.  The founders of each chapter across the Nation/World were endowed with a brilliant gift: courage.  Lambda Chi Alpha was started by one man with the support of his three friends at Boston University in 1909.  Because of his socio-economic status in society, Cole was unable to join another organization, so he set out to create his own.  Instead of allowing society to shun him from his pursuits, he had the courage to defy status and society and create his own Fraternity.  Lambda Chi Alpha, an International Fraternity, today stands at a membership of over 270,000 men across the world.  Chapters have expanded to every state in the United States and have crossed international borders with chapters in Canada. 

Warren A. Cole changed my life.  I was "never-ever" go Greek kid in high school.  When thinking about college, Fraternity life never even crossed my mind.  It was an absolute: I saw no reason for their existence nor their benefits.  But yet here I am today, the High Alpha of Gamma-Tau Zeta --only two years later.  Fraternity changed my life for the better.  It gave me or strengthened my traits of courage, leadership, loyalty, respect, and countless others. 

Organizations aside, I went through a second-order change.  My mentality on frat-stars and their groupy-esque sorority girl friends completely changed.  I wasn't the popular kid in high school, nor a jock, nor the kid that could shotgun two beers into a keg stand finale'd by a backflip: I was a show choir guy that got the leads in the musicals, the guy that teachers talked to in order to reach troubled students, and the student that deep-down hated high school so much that I moved 800 miles away. 

Fraternity gave me a home, a family to fall-back on when mine couldn't be there.  I didn't transform over night into some bro-monster, but I did change.  Change doesn't mean that I disregard my values or lost sight of who I am and where I came from, but the opposite in fact.  I know myself better than I ever thought I did.  I am one person out of 270,000; Warren A. Cole was one person.  His legacy of Lambda Chi Alpha lives on for over a hundred years past its founding, and now it is our duty to carry the legacy forward.  "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." --Andy Warhol





"Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."
-President Harry S. Truman, Lambda Chi Alpha