Academics and the New Members

I know most of you have just received this wonderful group of New Members! The last thing you want to do is throw them into Pi Phi and college life without any help. Academics is one of those areas that the chapter can help New Members ease into college life. This is also a group of chapter members that you can look at to either raise or lower your chapter GPA! Let's give them the tools to ensure that raise that chapter GPA.
One important thing to remember is that NMs should not be required to complete any more study hours than your initiated members-there is no exception to this! I think it is important to have your NMs under a structured academic program but we can not ask any more of them than we are the other members of the chapter.
Consider holding study hours during a night when new members are already coming to the house for meals, etc. What about having themed hours? Maybe a pajama party one night or a study hall with new members matched with older members of the same major.
Encourage new members to study at your Pi Phi houses/suites, etc. Many of you offer wireless internet and what a great way to get them hanging out and comfortable at the house! I know many of you offer incentives like Skippy Jar and A Box during chapter meetings. Consider attending NM meetings and offering the same incentives!
Now is the time to show the New Members that the chapter is serious about academics. You are helping set a precedent that will leave a lasting impression on your chapter.

GreekLifeEdu

Week 2 of the NM Program brings the introduction of GreekLifeEdu. This should be done by the VPMD as she is the officer that is responsible for monitoring the program. All NMs must complete Part 1 of GreekLifeEdu in order to be initiated...no questions on this and I do check!
There are a few documents that help with the introduction of this program on the Pi Phi website. VPMDs should look under their section for the GreekLifeEdu Program Guide-this will give you step by step instructions for telling the NMs about the program and also for monitoring the program. You will also need to print out the GreekLifeEdu New Member Instructions and give them these instructions at their WEEK 2 meeting.
Some important reminders for the program:
-I will be emailing you a log in and password for the program. This is for you to monitor the status of your NMs. Don't give this to the New Members
-Please remind the NMs when they first log in to make sure and pick their University! Schools are in alphabetically order so they will need to find their school. Remind them there are multiple schools in many states so pay attention. This will help with many of the problems we deal with.
-If you have a NM who comes to you and tells you that she has finished the program but you can't see her when you log in, please email me with her first and last name and email address that she used to register. Chances are she picked the wrong school and we will have to have her changed. I can search for her and tell where she is registered.

Leading With Values and the Chapter Evaluation

I know that school is just getting started but before you know it exams will be here and you will be passing your officer materials off to someone new. An important part of being an officer is making sure you are completing the requirements for your office. Since Leading With Values was restructured this year I wanted to give you some insight that would hopefully help you when trying to complete your LWV requirements.

-First, I think that as an Exec you should sit down and set a goal of where you want your chapter to be ranked. This will help you in knowing how many seminars you need to plan on the calendar.

-Here is the number of seminars that must be completed for each ranking:
-Pi Level (every chapter should be trying to reach Pi)-6 seminars-one from each value PLUS the Values Refresher
-Beta Level-all of Pi Level PLUS three additional seminars.
-Phi Level-all of Pi and Beta Level PLUS three additional seminars.

-An important factor to remember is that Seminars WILL NOT count unless online feedback is submitted. I had a lot of you say in monthly reports that seminars were done in the Spring but feedback has not been submitted. Your CE seminars will come to me from Headquarters so it is very important that feedback is submitted! If you have a question about how many seminars were counted from the Spring please contact me.

-As VPMD you are responsible for scheduling all seminars but you do not have to present them all. Let the chapter vote for a presenter they would like to listen to or ask a group of respected seniors to present. Think outside the box and make it fun for the chapter to hear these speakers.

-Are you having trouble getting the online feedback submitted? Here are a few tips
-think about offering a small thank you for taking the time-what about bringing cookies to the girls that volunteered
-form a LWV Committee made up of a few volunteers from each class, these are the women that will always submit feedback-then you won't have to ask for new girls each time
-bring two laptops to the seminar and have the feedback submitted afterwards-then there will be no chasing members down!

New LWV Seminars

Pi Phi Announces 10 New Leading with Values® Seminars

As promised, the list of seminars is growing! Pi Phi is excited to offer 10 brand-new seminars for the 2010-2011 school year.

Integrity: "Response Ability" and "Hollywood Values"
Honor and Respect: "Bigger Picture," "I am Pi Phi," "She's Got the Look! Protecting the Visual Identity of Pi Beta Phi" and "Understanding the Legacy"
Personal and Intellectual Growth: "Social Implications of Social Networking"
Philanthropic Service to Others: "Ethics for Positive Change"
Sincere Friendship: "Reflections of Sincere Friendship" and "Framing my Window"

Check out the Leading With Values Website for all of these new seminars

VPMD Ideas

Wow! I got a great ideas for VPMD from every chapter. Way to go girls! I am going to post everyone's ideas

On September 24th AR Alpha had a “Sit with your majors” no-TV dinner, which allowed members of all ages to meet and talk with girls who are working on the same major or area of study.

LA Alpha continues to implement the “Smarty Panties” program at every chapter meeting as an incentive for member to, one, achieve scholastic excellence, and two, share their successes with the chapter. Recent winners have included two seniors – one received an A in both Organic Chemistry I and II, the other just earned acceptance to medical school.-it is great that LA Alpha is recognizing members on achievements other than just grades on test!

LA Beta has made the Pi Phi scholarship applications accessible to everyone by having copies in the house. I feel it is best for them to get a head start on it now since it is such a long application

MS Alpha watched the Sam Spady video together in the chapter room, and we distributed the Sam Spady wallet cards to the new members

This semester MS Beta joined the Adopt-A-Cop program. The goal of this program is to improve relationships between local law enforcement and Greek life. Each chapter “adopts” a law enforcement member who we can contact in case of emergencies or to inform us on current campus crimes and other issues

In order to promote Intellectual Development, OK Alpha is overseeing the campus program of “Adopt-a-Prof”. We have recently received our professor, also a Pi Beta Phi Alumni, and I am in the works to plan programming with this Professor

OK Beta contacted the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon about the TAKE Defense seminar on September 23rd. Members helped to pass our flyers to advertise the event, and also helped collect donations from other participants before the event started. Many members said it was their favorite seminar they ever attended. Members were required to attend.-would you like more info on take-contact your Programming Specialist!

TN Delta introduced the “Academic Olympics” to the chapter. Girls will receive 2 Points for making dean’s list, 2 Points for A’s, 2 Points for completing all study hours, 1 Point for B’s, 1 Point Pi Society, 1 Point for going to tutoring/attending an academic program, and1 Point for putting your name in the no skippy jar (not skipping any classes one week).

TX Alpha is having competition between classes to see who can earn the most A’s. The winning class will receive a party at the end of the semester

TX Beta members who achieved semester GPAs of 3.7 or better were invited to the Panhellenic Scholarship Reception, held at the Meadows Museum on October 7. Faculty and university administrators attended the reception and were present to see Pi Phi win one of three Panhellenic academic awards (Most Improved).-what a wonderful way to award members and give them recognition in front of the Greek community and their professors.

Texas Gamma is putting together a cookbook called “Angel Food”, where members can email me recipes.

TX Delta has a Pi Party after meeting. Pi Party is where members, who received a 3.14 or better Spring ’08 GPA, are able to enjoy pizza and pie for their academic success

TX Eta put a wellness and safety program together that turned out really well. We made a presentation of general tips and unknown facts about different health topics. The overall idea was to talk about taking care of yourself daily through sleeping well, exercising, eating well, and preventing stress. A funny power point presentation was made a presented to demonstrate these health facts. In addition, the whole chapter dressed up in “80’s aerobic” gear and we all did jazzercise. It was a fun way to get everyone involved.

TX Epsilon is planning a new member game as an incentive to get good grades. There is a point system and the teams get points based on study hours and other school related activities. The team with the most points at the end of the semester gets a prize

As an incentive to motivate more girls to come to study sessions, TX Zeta is going to provide "food for thought" in hopes that more girls will attend.

Way to go Region 6 VPMDs!

VPMD Ideas from August

-LA Beta has a great idea on how to give their members encouragement for making their grades. "The members who were on probation last semester but not this semester received a congratulatory email reminding them of the resources we have to offer here at Pi Phi and at LSU to better their scholastic progress"

-I am currently planning a cultural program for the chapter. One of our alums is coming on September 25th to teach the chapter how to make sushi. I really think the chapter will enjoy this since most of the members like sushi and it will also be an opportunity for them to learn about the Japanese culture and food.

-OK Alpha's study hours are verified through a time clock. We also offer tutor lists and tutor reimbursements to AP members in an effort to help them improve grades where necessary. We also have our test files currently posted on our local Pi Phi website to assist the members.

-TX Beta has planned for the TAKE program to come to SMU again this semester. Pi Phis, Sigma Epsilon Pis, alums and the local community will be invited to take part in this important safety program on September 24. We will also focus on the theme of leadership and personal development throughout the election season. We will also be hosting a professor’s dinner and a professor’s brown bag lunch day. ***Please look at past post for more information on the TAKE program-it might be a good program for your campus***

- Throughout the month of August I have been planning our chapter’s Scholarship Banquet. All of the fraternity and sorority staff members have been invited along with five teachers, chosen by the chapter, who have positively influenced the lives of our members

-“PHIT” Club, which is a program I created to motivate members to maintain healthy habits in college and stay fit and in shape. I was certified as a personal trainer this summer, so on Sunday nights, we get together at the lodge and have a bootcamp workout. Members made teams of 6 and can gain points through participation in a Rec Class, intramural game, Tech game, personal workout time, and bootcamp class. Each week, month, and semester we will choose a winner.

-To promote unity and sisterhood, we are hosting “Pi Phi Potluck” each month. This allows girls to bring their favorite dish and share with the rest of the chapter and promote good fellowship and bonding amongst chapter members. Because we don’t get to live in the lodge, this allows us to share a meal together

Olympic Spirit

This weeks post highlights a great Olympic themed idea "Pi Phi Olympics". This wonderful academic programming comes from the VPMD at CT Alpha.

"The activity I have begun is called "Pi Phi Olympics". This splits the chapter into four (or however many your chapter needs) equal groups with each group having approximately the same average GPA. Sisters can earn points for their team in the Gold, Silver and Bronze categories. Gold points (3 points) are rewarded for earning a major A, making dean's list and making Pi Society. Silver (2 points) are rewarded for completion of weekly study hours, earning a major B, studying at the library with a sister and visiting an academic help center on campus. Bronze (1 point) are rewarded for obtaining minor A's and B's, going to career services events and attending all classes."

What a great idea if you are looking for a new academic program for the fall! Maybe you could even name your groups after countries and have group members teach the chapter about their country. They could do this by having a themed dinner, teaching a dance from that country, or even bringing that countries music to chapter or dinner one night. Just an added bonus for some cultural programming!

Does your chapter have a great idea for some academic programming that has worked well. Please either leave a comment in the comments section or you can email it to me and I will post it. I am also still taking introductions so send them on!