We are the ones we have been waiting for.

Looking back:

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
-- Barack Obama

I think I have writers block due to the (kind of looming?) events of Greek Week so here is my best blog attempt for you all :) WAHOOOO

This quote by the President of the United States should be painted all over my house in big red and green. I am a firm believer in the fact that there are solutions to the problems that many people generate for leaders to deal with; these solutions should come out of the mouth of the person who has the problem in the first place but they usually don't. So commonly as presidents, exec members, leaders in our communities etc., we are served up issues daily, be it large or small. However, I have found that many times people want YOU to solve the problem so that they are once again content (hence the "waiting for some other person" part of this quote). In order for an individual to truly be able to create the change that he or she wants to see, it is vital that this "dumping and running" behavior that creates a quick fix change is ceased. This shift in thinking about solutions in addition to problems  is an example of second order change that must be upheld by single order changes that allow for new behaviors to occur while old behaviors are squashed. The leadership theory that our country is trying to uphold indicates that our organizations must function as cohesive groups where WE are the change, as Obama says, not where Kristyn Sturms and her exec board is the change. Voices must be heard in settings that are comfortable- where people can be honest yet hold a certain level of respect during heated dialogue.

I am still working out how I want to implement my single order change that will facilitate a more discussion based and collaborative organization that will create the desired second order change that is necessary for true growth as individuals. As each of our individual members find their own voices within the greater voice of the chapter, community second order change can occur from the unity that the development of solution-centered problem identification has brought about.

Thinking ahead: Ramblings of the Community and Me

• I am involved in the community by:
• Direct service, Socially Responsible Personal/Professonal Behavior, and Philanthropic Giving
• What is Citizenship? What is Community?
• Citizenship, to me, is being actively engaged in the society at large for the betterment of both myself and society through volunteer work, social functions, philanthropic events etc.
• Community includes a group of people that are linked together in some way (demographically, socially, economically) that share a part of their identity with others while maintaining their own individuality that upholds the greater good
• What communities am I a part of?
• I am a Columbus resident. I am a Buckeye. I am interested in health care. I am a Psychology minor and am active in the research community. I am a Greek woman. All of these aspects of myself describe the larger community that I am a part of as well.

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!

Social Change

The motivation for social change, for me, has been a shift in priorities. I have quite a lot of attention to detail and in terms of fraternity, when I was a member with no title, I used to think that being more open to change as an individual would help to foster social change in myself which would ultimately benefit the organization; if everyone else happened to think the way that I did, then we individually could build up the organization from the ground up, so to speak. However, I believe now that the organization in its entirety must first be able to provide individuals with a sense of importance before significant individual growth can occur. This generates a sense of community and thus becomes "a deeply important aspect of how they see themselves" (Wagner 19). If you want to create a lasting impression on members, the cultivation of a loving and trusting community environment must first be provided. Membership must feel like they are valued before they are able to fully value themselves as an integral part of fraternity.

I also used to view the things that I did for Alpha Chi Omega as self sacrificing in the sense that it was at my expense; I couldn't study as much for OChem because I was holding myself to the commitment that I made to fraternity when I first got my bid card. However, the sense of self that I have developed over the last two years has not been because of "selflessness" for the good of my organization. The word selfless, in fact, is the exact opposite of what fraternity stands for. I am never "without the self", in literal terms, because "love and compassion are essential to the self" (Wagner 19). The purpose of fraternity that is sometimes masked behind philanthropy, community involvement, socials, etc. is to inspire in each member the desire to pursue the individual that they ALREADY were destined to be. Alpha Chi Omega has made me into the woman that I knew I could become if I were given the right tools; this sense of true self is one of the most valuable things that one can take away from his or her fraternity experience and is the greatest gift that the acceptance of social change can and will give to our organizations.