Group projects are difficult. Depending on and expecting other people to be reliable for your own success can be challenging, especially when your partners decided they have better things to do than shoot for an A. But what happens when your grade is not the only thing on the line? What if it is not only your personal reputation but also the success of an organization 115 years in the making? It is wearisome when you have thousands of eyes on what you do and over 30 men to guide by example. All of it may sound hyperbolic, but this is what it feels like to be the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the oldest fraternity on campus.
Being a Greek leader comes with perks and downfalls, but it always depends on perspective. Some people would love to be the center of attention and have the last say on decisions that affect a chapter, but it can be taxing when your phone never stops ringing and your inbox floods faster than Harding Highway in April. Perhaps the biggest issue that comes with any leadership positions, and I think we can all agree on this is the paperwork. So much paperwork. Between Google forms and solicitation permits, sometimes it seems like you do more office work than leading, yet we cannot deny that there is nothing more satisfying than attending an event that has been flawlessly documented. This may be the most boring sentence ever uttered at Ohio Northern University, but I’m sure many people know the exact feeling.
Despite the administrative hoops we need to jump through and constant contact with members and other organizations, we, as a community of leaders, believe in what we stand for. I think I can speak for every Greek life president on campus when saying we all have common interests in our fraternal relations with our brothers and sisters as well as a belief in the wider Greek community. We strive to make our fraternities and sororities the leaders of campus by achieving high educational standards, supporting our philanthropies, and forming deeper bonds with our Greek families. This objective for excellence in ourselves and our members proves our dedication to distinction and leadership amongst ourselves and the campus. This is also a major draw during recruitment season.
Group projects are difficult. Depending on and expecting other people to be reliable for your own success can be challenging, especially when your partners decided they have better things to do than shoot for an A. But what happens when your grade is not the only thing on the line? What if it is not only your personal reputation but also the success of an organization 115 years in the making? It is wearisome when you have thousands of eyes on what you do and over 30 men to guide by example. All of it may sound hyperbolic, but this is what it feels like to be the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the oldest fraternity on campus.
Being a Greek leader comes with perks and downfalls, but it always depends on perspective. Some people would love to be the center of attention and have the last say on decisions that affect a chapter, but it can be taxing when your phone never stops ringing and your inbox floods faster than Harding Highway in April. Perhaps the biggest issue that comes with any leadership positions, and I think we can all agree on this is the paperwork. So much paperwork. Between Google forms and solicitation permits, sometimes it seems like you do more office work than leading, yet we cannot deny that there is nothing more satisfying than attending an event that has been flawlessly documented. This may be the most boring sentence ever uttered at Ohio Northern University, but I’m sure many people know the exact feeling.
Despite the administrative hoops we need to jump through and constant contact with members and other organizations, we, as a community of leaders, believe in what we stand for. I think I can speak for every Greek life president on campus when saying we all have common interests in our fraternal relations with our brothers and sisters as well as a belief in the wider Greek community. We strive to make our fraternities and sororities the leaders of campus by achieving high educational standards, supporting our philanthropies, and forming deeper bonds with our Greek families. This objective for excellence in ourselves and our members proves our dedication to distinction and leadership amongst ourselves and the campus. This is also a major draw during recruitment season.
At the end of the day, SigEp is my home away from home. When I’m in Ada there are few people I would rather be with than my brothers, and I know this is a bond every Greek member shares with his or her own organization. This bond will last far beyond our college years, and I think this is the biggest reason Greek members desire to lead their respective organizations. We all want the best for our friends and families, and our brothers and sisters are no different. Despite the time consumption and stress that comes with the job, I love my brothers, and I will always do what I can to ensure their individual success as well as our collective achievement.