Observation 8

This weekend a group of over 30 men were intiated as brothers in the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Florida Gulf Coast University. The installation of the Rho Zeta chapter at FGCU was an all day event. The initiation process was helped along by the Kappa Sigma chapters from NSU, Johnson and Wales University, and University of South Florida. The day began early with everyone meeting at 7:30am and not finishing till after 3pm. The whole day was the exact reason that all members joined Kappa Sigma, it was filled with ecxitment and brotherhood. Brothers gathered to help out people that they have never met before fufill their desire to become a member and brother of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
For me it was a memorable experience. It gave me the chance to look back to the day that I was initiated on and allowed me to remeber and relive all those emotions that I had. Then seeing those same emotions on the faces of newly made brothers was really enjoyable. Everyone that participated had that same general positive feeling of accomplishment and brotherhood. I feel that it was truly the reason that many young men and women join a fraternity or sorority when they enter college. It puts you in connection with so many others that have had the same experiences as you and it gives you a family of friends to always be able to fall back on.
FGCU is just starting their journey as a chapter. Yet they have the same motivation and desire to wear their letters with pride and do great things. I walked away from this weekend with such pride in my letters and was able to have a renewed understanding of why I joined a fraternity.

Observation 7

Sunday night at 7:30pm the whole NSU Greek community got together for a night to socialize and celebrate. The gathering was for the end of the year Greek formal and awards banquet and to put a close on the 2010 Greek week. The week consisted of events that were designed to challenge the different organizations but also promote unity between them. Some of the evnets included a banner decorating contest, a brain bowl, and a Greek Olympics.
The banquet began with at 7:30 and everyone entered the second floor of the U.C for dinner and a brief period to socialize before the awards were handed out. Once everyone got their serving of food and took their seats the ceremony began. The Delta Phi Epsilon sorority girls were the big winners at the banquet. They took home multiple awards for achievemnts in philanthropy and recruitment just to name a few. For the men the Beta Theta Pi fraternity won awards like president of the year and come back chapter of the year.
The largest award of the night was the Greek lifetime acheivemnet award. The award is given to the Greek that has shown dedication, leadership, and has been a model Greek to look up to. Delta Phi Epsilon's senior sister Victoria Lafferty won the award. It was the ending to night that allowed all the Greeks to come together to show their spirit and support towards one another for the different events and accomplishments that were accomplished during the school year.

Observation 6

I spoke with Kevin Newborg, a sophmore Kappa Sigma about how they congratualte the graduating seniors. He said that graduation time "is kind of bitter sweet, its great to see them move forward in their lives and profession but still sad to see them go." To honor the work and commitment that the seniors have put into the fraternity they receive a special senior send off dinner. It is actually more than a dinner its really an all day event begins in the early afternoon. The send off begins at a brotherhood lunch were the seniors have a chance to participate in their last brotherhood event will being an active member. Once lunch has finished they proceed ahead to the ritual aspect of the sendoff. I am not allowed to give details concerning the ritual because of the secrecy that all members are held to regarding the ritual. Once the ritual aspect of the send off is completed the seniors are served their send off dinner from the chapter. During dinner a slideshow is presented that details through pictures and videos their time in the fraternity. Once dinner is complete and the slideshow is over they have completed their last event as an active member of the fraternity. It is really their last hoorah with their brothers before they go onstage to receive their degree and then move onto grad school or the working world. I feel that its a great thing to do for them though, it might be small but it truly is a heartfelt way to say thank you for all the work that they have done and the positives that they have brought to the fraternity.

Observation 5

Since graduation is only 2 months away I thought I would use this post to discuss what I found when out about graduation. Undergraduate graduation is planned for May 16, 2010 at 4:00 pm at the Bank Atlantic Center. Soon students will be receiving information packets that they will have to complete if they wish to participate in the ceremony. The mailed packet includes an official invitation to the graduation ceremony and a Commencement Participation Form (CPF) that has to be returened to the university. Once the CPF has been returned then the student will receive a final packet that explains all the finer details of the gradutaion day. But before any of these forms can be completed an Application for a Degree must be filled out. This application is entirley different from the CPF and just because someone fills out a degree application it doesnt mean they will automatically receive a degree.
Students also have to purchase their regalia, or cap and gown. The fees for the cap and gown differ depending on the degree that you are obtaining. Starting with an Associates degree and going all the way up to a Masters the prices escalate with the degree level.
It is apparent that graduation is a ceremony that involves a high degree of planning and preparation. It is not an event that you just show up to and leave with a piece of paper that claims your academic achievement. Thousands of students will graduate all over this nation and it is truly a prestigous event and it is obvious why so much planning goes into it.

http://www.nova.edu/cwis/registrar/commencement.html

In my interview I spoke with Kevin Alegret, a Kappa Sigma senior. I spoke with him on the impacts that he feels Greek life has had on his life. He said that he feels that being in a fraternity is a great thing and he believes he would not be the same had he not joined. He says that being a member of Kappa Sigma has given him the chance to build his social skills, his leadership qualities, and his ability to multi task. He says that going Greek is something that he would recommend to anyone in college. I also spoke to him on how he feels the media doesn't show the positives of being involoved in a Greek organization. He says that it is a little disappointing that they dont mention any of the community service projects or the giving back that takes place. I asked him if he felt that any of the sterotypes that people assimilate with Greek life are true and he says that believes it goes on an individual basis. Overall I believe the interview went well he touched on a few of the ways that he felt going greek has helped mold him and prepare him for the real world which is something that I expected to hear. I was a little surprised though that he didnt feel Kappa Sigma is a rseume' booster but as a chance to build himself and do good things on campus, in the community, and make life long friends. The beginning of that answer was a little surprising but the end was not at all. Because isnt that what going Greek is about, making friends that you'll have forever and sharing college experinces with them.
http://www.nova.edu/ioc/
http://www.toadville.org/todd/famous.html

Observation 4

For this obseravtion I'm going to do things a little unconventional again. I have been putting in a good amount of thought as to who the subject of my interview and profile is going to be and I think I have made my choice. No I am not going to reveal the person I have selected just yet I am going to leave that my little secret till the assignment is due. What I will say is that he is a very active senior in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity here on campus who demonstrates a great work ethic and is a good role model for younger members like myself. Someone else that agrees with me is the soon to be named person's little. (In a frat new members are assigned a big brother to help guide them and be like a mentor to them throughout their pledge process and even after)
For simplicity I will refer to the person's little as John. John is a sophomore who is a psychology major. I was able to sit down with John this evening in the U.C while we both were having our dinners. We made our way through small talk and the usual jokes of various sorts about each other and then I asked him to be serious for a few moments so I could ask him a few questions. I asked him what some of the advantages of having a big thats a senior were. He said that his big knows the ins and outs of the school and has many connections that help whenever we (Kappa Sigma) go to put on an event. He says that his big also taught him how to be an active member and showed him numerous ways to engage in activities that will benefit the fraternity as well as his standing in the fraternity. The next question I asked John was what is the best peice of advice your big has ever given you. His answer was very inspiring to hear especially because it is a phrase that I myself have heard many times. He said "Dilligence and commitment should be your watchword. Whatever you do, do well and may success attend your efforts." It is a saying that all Kappa Sigmas know and one that can be applied to any task that you have taken up in your life. The weight of this answer surprised me and it was another one of the moments when you realize the level of maturity that this subculture has reached and how at times they appear to be wise beyond their years.
The interview began to trail off from their some of our other friends joined us at the table and the conversation soon drifted to a different topic. The brief amount of information I received was enough to get me thinking though because it showed that members of this subculture have such a power to effect the lives of the people around them in such a positive way. Now that I have a little background on my hopeful research subject I plan to look for a little more information and plan to start drafting my questions.

Observation 3

For this post I'm going to do things a little different. Instead of talking to a senior or describing a soley senior event I'm going to describe a fraternity event. The purpose of this post is to point out that frats are not just about parties and booze. They actually do serious work on campus and host some amazing events.
The event that I am talking about is a Kappa Sigma philanthropy weight lifting event called Strong Man that will be in April and will benefit the MS society. I know the event has not happened yet but that doesnt mean that there is not a ton of work and effort being put into the event to make it a huge success. Last year the event raised over $4,ooo for the MS society and this year Kappa Sigma plans to rasie even more.
The meeting that I was at was Wedensday night and everyone was already a little tired from having a long day and an intramural basketball game that night. The meeting began at 9pm and lasted roughly and hour and a half. Many different tasks and goals were disscussed during the meeting and everyone was given a task to complete before the next meeting. (In order to not divulge to much about the Kappa Sigma event I am not going to go into detail about the things that were discussed during the meeting.)
The point that I am getting at here is that an event like this is not what the media sees when the cover a fraternity. The only news from Greek life that makes the papers is another hazing incident or party that got out of hand. It is time Greek life got attention for the good they do like raising money for the MS society or bringing awareness towards rape victims like Delta Phi Epsilon sorority did recently with the Take Back the Night event. This are things that help benefit our society through sevice and education. These are the things that break the sterotypes and SHOULD be making the headlines.

Reaction to Observation 2

In doing my second observation what really surprised me was the quality of the answers that I got. I commented on this at the end of observation 2. The answers were not given in a joking manner or in a noncaring way. They were serious and well thought out and showed alot of maturity in the way they were given. Thats what really interested me. Because yes we are all college students on this campus but how many of us are thinking and applying ideas like that to life? I know for me this college experience is so brand new and I often find myself overwhelmed with the amount of work or other things that I have on my plate. But to hear from someone that knows exactly what those feelings are like and is dealing with the same pressure but at a much higher level is comforting. When I spoke to Stephany I learned so much about the type of schedule that she has and how unpredictable and stressful it can often be, but its like she said you just have to look at what you need to accomplish for that day and take it one thing at a time.
I really didnt find anything in this observation boring. Everything was in a sense a little bit enlightening and eye opening. I know that I'm going to come across a few accounts that give me this same feeling because the culture that I am viewing and observing are doing something truly amazing. They are showing that an education was a priority of theirs and they are finshing a task that they set out on years ago so that they could become leaders and inspirations for others in the world.
This observation was different than my first observaton because in observation 1 I didnt get into much detail with the people I talked to. All the brief conversations that I had were just very casual with very nonshalant answers. In observtion 2 I was able to see a more serious side and gain insight into someone that is preparing for such a life changing event views her situation.

Observation 2

I was able to sit down and talk with Stephany Lopez, an elementary education major. She told me about some of the struggles that come with being a senior, especially being one that is a very involved commuter. She told me that the hardest thing about being a senior is getting all of your work done and credits in on time so that you dont have to add on another semester. She continued on to say that if she could have done anything different it would be to have been more organization in the beginning and trying to focucs earlier on grades and time managment. I asked her if she ever had any 2nd guesses as to what she wants to do or if she believes that she may not want the career that she is going into. She said that last semester she did but now shes a little more reassured that this is whats right for her. And if things dont work out she can alwys come back t school and there is nothing wrong with that.
The thing that stuck out the most to me is how she answered the next question. I asked her how she is able to manage being a commuter, doing school work, being a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon Soroirty, work, and all the other aspects of her life. The answer that I got was one that was full of wisdom and confidence. She said that "its just taking it one thing at a time, and a day at a time and realize what is more important that day." Its like the saying that you have to crawl before you walk, you can only do one thing at a time. It is something that I think we all need to keep in mind from time to time.
The answers that I got tonight were a mixed bag of what I expected to get. I expected to hear that theres going to be hesitation and second guessing at times. But the answer to the last question has really stuck with me because it is so easy to apply to any situation.

Observation 1

I have decided that the sub culture I am going to study is going to the senior sub culture. Being a senior is something that all of us plan to become one day but probably dont full grasp what it entails. Dealing with the pressures of approacing the working community and leaving behind the pencil and paper for a desk and responsibility. The transition seems daunting especially when you add in the fact that you still have to juggle all the school work, a social life, work, and any other exra ciricular activity that is on your agenda.

When just briefly talking with a few of the seniors that I know they comment that their feelings are kind of mixed. They are ecxited to finally be done with school and no longer have the burden of homework and exams, but yet the thought of being on their own and beginning to work to support themselve is one that is met with some worry. I was told that it is hard to know if you are fully ready for the obstacles that you will face when graduation is over and the diplomas have all been handed out. Some note that they are still maybe uncertain that the carrer path that they have chosen may not be the absolute best one for them.

Graduation is only a few months away and I plan to use my observations as a way to monitor the changes of opinion and emotion as graduation approaches. I want to see how if their attitudes begin to shift in how they view school work and if "senioritis" begins to set in. Also to see if they decide that maybe graduation isnt the best option at the moment and maybe decide to return next year as a super senior. I believe that this blog is going to be a journey that will show what the pressures and real stories of a senior in college present. And my goal is to make this something that I and others can learn from so when we become seniors we will know what is right and wrong.

Post 1

This is my first post. Here I will be displaying research for my college writing class throughout the semester.