Sorority Life: What Sorority Life Truly Is…

Sorority life is about living up to higher standards & expectations.

Sorority life is about adhering to those higher standards & expectations in all that you do.

Sorority life is about living the values, ideals & principles on which your organizations were established (& also on what your Sororities/Fraternities were designed around).

Sorority life is about providing an authentic/genuine/meaningful/insightful environment in which true sisterhood & friendship can flourish/thrive/grow ever stronger.

Sorority life is about living your Rituals, Creeds, Symphonies, etc.

Sorority life is about fulfilling the commitments of your organizations, both inside & outside of the classroom.

Sorority life is about giving back selflessly & graciously to your colleges/universities & local communities.

Sorority life is about maintaining integrity & strong character.

Sorority life is also about building integrity & character as well.

Sorority life is about showing & maintaining respect & trust.

Sorority life is about taking a stand for what you believe in.

Sorority life is about pointing out – & showing – the good that your Sororities/Fraternities do on campus & in the local community.

Sorority life is about transcending & shattering the stereotypes which non-Greeks have always held against Greek organizations.

Sorority life isn’t about competition.  It’s not about how many amazing new members your organizations received at Bid Day.  It’s not about whose organizations’ pledge classes are better.  It’s not about how popular your organizations are.  Sorority life is so much more than this…

Sorority life is about being a part of something much greater than yourself.

It’s about being more, doing more, achieving more, aiming higher, caring more.

Sorority life truly is about being the best that you can possibly be.

Sorority Life: Living That Instagram Life

When yours truly isn’t blogging during his downtime, he always turns to another outlet to express himself in a beautiful (& positive) way:  photography.

I’ve been taking sorority/fraternity-related pictures for as far back as I can remember; the earliest pics I can remember taking date back almost a decade.  But I never really made any headway into my newest occupation until the spring of 2010; since then, I haven’t really looked back.  Sure, I experienced growing pains as I continued to improve on my photographic skills.  Sure, I also took some pics which were hit or miss as far as quality is concerned.  But the more time that I took to develop my craft, the better that I would become at capturing photography pertaining to Greek life.

Now I’ve come full circle, doing something that I truly love.  For the first time in my life, I’m doing something that confirms my sincere love & appreciation for sororities/women’s fraternities (& for that matter, Greek life in general).  And what better way to share that love & appreciation than through my Instagram site!!  (Look up cmkelham for further details.)

I’ve only been on Instagram since April but I’ve had the time of my life posting pics from the very first moment I registered for IG.  To be honest, life on Instagram has been eventful in more ways than one – sometimes I post pics like crazy, but that’s my creative firepower at work (yours truly gives 110% in anything that he does).  When I’ve been on hiatus from of love & roses, I’ve turned to Instagram for inspiration & some more creative sparks to keep my love for Greek life burning bright/strong/boldly.  And has it ever kept my love for all things Greek ever steadfast!!

If there is one thing yours truly enjoys about living that Instagram life, it would be the following:  IG gives me a place to do something that I love with my whole heart – celebrating Greek life through photography!!

Greek love all day every day,

Chad

More Lessons I’m Learning From #40Answers

Here’s yet another post of new lessons (some of them old) which I’ve been learning from the #40Answers campaign:

Hazing isn’t just a Greek thing.  It can also happen on athletic teams/clubs as well as various non-Greek organizations.  (To make a long story short, hazing is a societal issue which isn’t exclusively limited to sororities/fraternities.)

If you see something, say/do something.  It’s on you to take a stand for what’s right – even if it means standing alone.  So step up, be proactive & make your voice heard when it comes to stopping hazing!!

The last time I checked, hazing never made anyone stronger/better.  To be honest, true strength is about standing up for your organizations’ values/ideals/principles & personal integrity.

New member education programming should focus on shared/insightful/rewarding, values-based & values-oriented learning experiences & activities.  At the same time, our NME programming should foster character, growth & enrichment across the board.  Hazing totally defeats the purpose of achieving these aims/goals.

Hazing doesn’t just demoralize/devalue the people being hazed.  It also demoralizes/devalues the hazers as well.  (If that’s not enough disheartening news to report, hazing also encourages & perpetuates stereotypes about Greek life which we’re constantly making every effort to shatter.)

Hazing is always at cross purposes with the missions of our colleges/universities along with those of our organizations:  to create meaningful, positive & conducive learning experiences & to foster an environment which promotes well-being.  Seriously, hazing is counterproductive.

How can you stop hazing?  Lead by example.  Lead by your actions.  Set the proper standards & expectations.  Above all, live your organizations’ values day in & day out.

Real traditions are built on integrity, history & the core values of our organizations.  They never were built on inferiority & humiliation.

Stupid stuff – hazing included – leads to negative consequences & lasting repercussions later.  You could have a criminal record, you could get kicked out of school, you could ruin other people’s lives, you could even get sued…Is hazing really worth it?  No, it’s not.  So don’t haze.

Be a positive example for others to emulate.  Don’t be a carbon copy of everyone else.  It’s on you to do better, be better & uphold your organization’s values!!