Social Change- Sturms Style

You would be surprised how generating a mission statement can focus a person.

At my very first executive board retreat at the end of winter quarter, I asked that we come up with a statement for the year that encompasses who we are, what we do, and WHY we are unique as Alpha Chi Omega. Each board member sat silently writing, scribbling out words and inserting phrases into sentences that they could call their own, ultimately defining what Alpha Chi is to them. We spent hours reading our phrases to the group, picking out language that we liked and didn't, and trying to fit the pieces together into a cohesive statement that we could present to the chapter. In this moment- we were able to define ourselves as a cohesive board. The mission statement that we generated did, in fact, help us narrow our lofty goals to three achievable ones for our term in office- chapter efficiency, membership involvement (regardless of if you have a position or not), and development of community relationships. However, there was still a component missing in our plan. Our general membership. To truly be the collaborative and transparent board that we longed to be, we asked the chapter to read the mission statement and come up with two small goals, individual or chapter-wide, that will promote continuous "seeking of the heights" while still being able to have some sense of achievement over the course of the year. When I presented this idea in chapter, there were many confused faces- What should I write? Why are we doing this? I sat down and read each notecard, of about 100, and unparalleled honesty jumped off of the paper. They understood. I felt relief and excitement, renewed love for my sisters, and a sense of where my chapter wanted to go without my influence. We all, even the seemingly apathetic and unengaged, long for the same sense of sisterhood and community that the greek system was designed to provide.

This is where I began and this is where I will end next March- in the society of my sisters that will transform me as we work together to transform our chapter.


On the topic of change as a general concept, I consider myself a progressive individual that remains grounded by a love for the tradition that infects my being.

Let me explain in terms of our fine university. I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio- I practically came out of the womb in scarlet and gray and was dressed in head to toe Ohio State before I could even walk. Freshman year, I consistently walked around campus with the most ridiculous smile on my face and tears welled up in my eyes (seriously, I did this) because I was FINALLY a buckeye. Carmen, Ohio gets me EVERY time and I have jumped in mirror lake to wake up old Woody Hayes 3 out of 3 years. When I stand in the horse shoe, there is a love that we share defined by community and tradition that is easily sensed anywhere in the stadium. This is a feeling that my Grandfather felt 50 years ago when he was a student here, and I pray that never changes.

I compare buckeye nation to the beginnings of fraternity because there are many parallels when it comes to a relationship that is difficult to explain. Our rituals express our founders values; our present membership is living the legacy that those before us outlined. We are buckeyes because of those before us that developed this (insane) sense of belonging to something that is bigger than ourselves- yes, our football team is included in that statement. My point here is, there are some things that I don't WANT to change- the feelings of love and community that make our individual selves better simply by association. I can be very stubborn when it comes to people trying to change what I feel connected to. However, if I can see that change is necessary for  the cultivation of an encouraging environment, I can throw the phrase "this is the way it has always been" out the window. Change is most effective, in my opinion, if orchestrated in waves. I am an "Analyzer" in the CAPS assessment test, and I like to sit and think about all my options before making any big desision. Small, managable changes can be made over the course of a few weeks through a trial and error process as opposed to making one big change all at once. However, I do recognize that sometimes change must come on my terms and I am still growing comfortable with the concept that I can act on what I believe alone- it is hard sometimes when there are 120 women that you are deciding for that are not exactly like you!