Summer Work Weekend

[This post was contributed by Conor Shaffer.]

This past weekend was the annual work weekend at the Sig Ep house. There was a pretty strong turnout, with about 20 guys coming to help on various projects around the house to get it ready for the upcoming year.

Some of these projects included painting the hallway downstairs, parts of the landing, and some individual rooms, as well as some repairs. Seth Ranz helped to build three new lofts for rooms seven and eight. Mike mentioned in a previous article some of the renovations this summer to the house, including the exterior paint, the carpeting, and painting of the living room and proctor room. In addition, the living room received some much needed upgrades, including furniture donated by Wudi and others, as well as a brand new 50 inch TV.

Everyone at work weekend was extremely impressed with how the house looked, especially with the living room and the exterior. I would like to thank everyone who came to help over the weekend, and Hash for his efforts and time put into helping with the renovations over the summer.

Of course, these renovations would not have been possible if we had not filled the house, so good job to everyone who worked hard to get that done. Hopefully continued improvements like these will make it easier to fill the house in the future and make our fraternity better overall.

Here are a few pictures:

Version 2.0 of Alumni Relations

There are some things that set certain fraternity chapters apart from others. We see it at OU all the time. Certain chapters have high alumni support, making them capable to many different things, while younger chapters, such as oursleves, sometimes struggle to build an alumni support base. Well I think here is an opporunity for that to change.

We all know our beloved Adam Wilson, he of course served as VP Alumni Relations for two terms and he did a lot of great things. I think the one thing he was missing was a way for all of the chapter to converse with alumni on a more frequent basis. One of the things Adam created, and now Jarod Thomas has taken over is creating a newsletter sent out theoretically once per quarter. I helped Adam one quarter, and believe me, the newsletter is no small task, but there is very small ROI (return on investment). Perhaps a more viable tool would be using this blog.

OK so let's talk about exactly how it works. Well first of all a newsletter is now obsolete, that cuts down on time and also fishing for information that isnt important. Secondly, a blog allows us to publish information as soon as we have it, therefore putting pertinent information in a space that is easy for alumni to check it out. Lastly, and probably most importantly, a blog creates a forum for alumni to converse with the chapter, not just one person who is sending out the newsletter. To me it is extremely important that more than the VP Alumni Relations deals with these alumni. By using this blog where everyone can converse we create a community atmostphere, not just a personal dialogue among a few individuals. I'm sure this whole idea works for a variety of other reasons, but I'll leave the door open because I'd really like feedback from everyone else on this.

Goals As An Organization Through This Blog

It's funny sometimes that when you try to sell a person in joining a fraternity you can often tell them that once they are out there finding SigEps will help you secure a job. While that is definitely true, it has been my experience, and I'm sure the experience of many others who have already graduated, that when looking for a job it is difficult sometimes to find people who have the same background that you do.

One piece of advice I have been given is that you have to be marketable. What this means in actuality is that you need to possess skills and experiences that others have not. That is how you can get your foot in the door to any organization. And once that happens you will find people who you can develop relationships with that will help in along the way. So how can you be marketable?

Well for the sake of this post I think I will focus on how to be marketable when you are just starting out. When you are established in your field it might be a little easier as you have opportunities to go to conventions and other things where you are meeting other professionals left and right. So here are a few things that I think a person just starting out in their career can do, and this organization can help with:

• I want to mention this blog right away. Digital media, such as blogs, wikis and webinars are something my research has shown is being used more and more across the business world. To see some stats check out my personal blog. By writing real pieces that require research and foresight you can set yourself apart from others who simply have experience working for an organization. Once you have those skills too, writing a blog can set you apart because it shows you understand that new media is something businesses are harnessing

• Like I said above, to make yourself marketable you have to have experiences that competitors for a job do not have. No matter what your field is one thing you can do is a little extra research across the blogosphere to check out the newest trends in your industry. Having knowledge that other people do not possess is just as important as having experience because you are learning what is happening outside the world of college, and therefore you understand and have the headstart on individuals who have no knowledge of what is really going on

• Lastly I recommend being willing to have your ideas out there. Being marketable takes more than just putting your ideas out there, you have to start building relationships with others who are in your field. One thing I have learned is that people are willing to help you learn as long as you have an interest in what you are saying. So here's what you can do. Do extra research, come up with your own ideas, but also start commenting on what other people are saying, therefore you develop relationships that you can potentially use in the future.
  

This is obviously a very short list. There are so many more things that can be done as well I just dont have time right now to write them all down. The bottom line from the things posted above is to have an open mind as far as new media and how no matter what field you are in you can be an innovator in your industry. Continuing to use the things I mention above once you have a job continues to make you marketable and valuable to a company, and it can help you move up within that organization quickly.

Establishing the Ohio Xi SigEp Brand

While in school, and part of an organization, it's easy to get wrapped up in the politics and party attitude that most fraternities have. I spent this summer in NYC, an internship with MS&L, a top 10 PR firm, and along the way I have learned a lot about myself and agency life, but also about establishing a successful business.

Mark Haas, the CEO of MS&L, gave some advice about brand establishment, and in many ways I feel it is pertinent to how we at SigEp can begin to brand ourselves. We are a diverse group of individuals. We dont really fall into any stereotyped category, we have athletes and musicians, brainiacs, emo kids and preppies. That is how we can truly market ourselves to those we wish to bring in to our community. To me, we are an approachable brand, not the one that wants to turn you away, but the brand that has a place for you.

Here are some comments on brand estalishment from Mark Haas:
"Evolving a brand is a delicate procedure, not exactly brain surgery, but you don't want to plunge in without careful consideration and a skilled practitioner leading the way... (I) would say that the brand should also evolve from what we ARE, our core values and how we view ourselves."

Over my past three years as part of this organization I have seen it blossom from an uncontrolled blob, to a strong unit with successful leadership. From the comments above you can see that it's not just what we do, but what we are that sets us apart from any other organization. Yes we try to get involved with community service and yes we have successful weekend events, but what we are is a solid group of friends who have come to respect eachother for the differences we have and all the things we have done together.

Again from Mark Haas, "We all need to feel that we belong to an organization, to a community, that comes from something and is headed somewhere. Professionally, we should all long for a place where we can fulfill our personal ambitions and find the joy and camaraderie of being part of a proud legacy and compelling future. I know I do."

I believe that last quote really sums up our time with SigEp. As a SigEp you always belong to an organization and community, and we can help eachother through professional endeavors throughout our lives.

Camaraderie and legacy are the two words that stick out most for me, and that's how I'd like to brand Ohio Xi SigEp.