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.