Offering a Unique Perspective

The timing just seemed to perfect to pass up the opportunity to have some conversations with my sorority sister, Kristin Henkenius. Mom of two and mentor to many, Kristin has continued her alumna involvement with Theta Phi Alpha since she graduated from Wayne State College in Nebraska. She spent some time with me discussing why she has continued to live out her lifetime commitment, ways for others to remain engaged and involved, the differences between collegian and alumnae life, and all of the positive things she has been given throughout her sorority experience! Listen to Kristin's story and get ready to challenge yourself in living your own commitment to your organization!

As a follow up to Dr. Callais' guest blog, "Ritual - Why Then? Why Now?, I spend some time chatting with Mari Ann on the importance of living our Ritual today more than ever before. Some may say that parts of our conversation are controversial and we are both ok with that. I hope it allows some deeper thinking about the promises we made when we first became members of our organizations and how we can challenge one another, years later, to still live up to those promises. We put out a call to action for our fraternity and sorority leadership to step outside of their comfort zone. Spend time with us as we share our thoughts, feelings and questions on how our Rituals impact our daily lives.

I have been intrigued by the Piazza Center at Penn State since its inception several years ago. The work the Center has done captured my interest originally when I began my own dissertation research on fraternity and sorority life. Reaching out to Dr. Veldkamp finally gave me the opportunity to gather new and exciting information about the Center, what plans they have coming up, and how to become more involved with their work. This podcast is informative and educational in nature, specifically regarding the current and upcoming research the Center is working though - it is an exciting time for sure! Take a few minutes to listen and hear about the research plans on educational outcomes of fraternity/sorority membership and how they may compare to outcomes of our institutions of higher education. Dr. Veldkamp also shared how institutions and headquarters can get involved in the Center's current research methods. Happy listening, friends!

Feel free to check out all of the amazing things the Center has going on, how to get involved, or how to donate at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/piazzacenter/about

I had the opportunity to spend some time at Penn State for the past few days. I was able to meet and spend some class time with students that are in the Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA) here at Penn State. Melissa Doberstein is the Director of the PLA and has worked at Penn State since 2002. Melissa and I met originally when we worked together in Residence Life. Melissa provides information on how PLA originally got started, what the goals of the program are, how it has grown, and some of the things that the program plans to offer in the future. 

We are seeing more and more mental health issues on our campuses and within our organizations. In this podcast we speak with a current college student and a Fraternity/Sorority Advisor. Both share their experiences with mental health, whether it is assisting students when they need it most or how to take the best care of yourself throughout some challenging mental health experiences. Take a journey through their eyes on how to uncover signs and symptoms and ways to appropriately manage mental health situations.