Auburn!

Sorry its been so long since my last update but November was a verrrry busy month! I had three great visits AND my Thanksgiving break! Here is a little about Auburn!

One of my favorite parts of my visit to the Gamma Rho chapter was getting to go to a football game (they were ranked #2 at the time)! Auburn has a lot of really cool traditions and TONS of school spirit. Two of the best things were "War Eagle" and how they toilet paper Toomer's Corner after any Auburn victory. Here's the story on each:



War Eagle is the battle cry of fans of the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University, and fans of other Auburn teams and sometimes Auburn University in general. It is also the title of the university fight song.. It is a common phrase in the city of Auburn in general, along with the variation "War Damn Eagle". Since 1930, and continuously since 1960, Auburn University has also kept an actual eagle as a second mascot for Auburn athletics. However, the official mascot is Aubie the tiger, and Auburn does not have teams called "eagles" or "war eagles".

The mythical War Eagle I has the most colorful story of all of the "War Eagles". War Eagle I's story begins in the Civil War. According to the legend, a soldier from Alabama was the sole Confederate survivor of a bloody battle. Stumbling across the battlefield, he came across a wounded young eagle. The bird was named Anvre, and was cared for and nursed back to health by the soldier. Several years later the soldier, a former Auburn student, returned to college as a faculty member, bringing the bird with him. For years both were a familiar sight on campus and at events. On the day of Auburn's first football game in 1892 against the University of Georgia, the aged eagle broke away from his master during the game and began to circle the field, exciting the fans. But at the end of the game, with Auburn victorious, the eagle fell to the ground and died.
This legend was originally published in 1960 in the Auburn Plainsman and was conceived by then-editor Jim Phillips. Though apocryphal, this tale is most often told as the beginning of the association of "War Eagle" with Auburn.
(from Wikipedia)

Now, a golden eagle flies around the stadium during the opening of every home football game!



Toomer's Corner:

The intersection of Magnolia and College streets in Auburn, which marks the transition from downtown Auburn to the university campus, is known as Toomer's Corner. It is named after Toomer's Drugs, a small store on the corner that has been an Auburn landmark for over 150 years. Hanging over the corner are two massive old-growth oak trees, and anytime anything good happens concerning Auburn, toilet paper can usually be found hanging from the trees. Also known as "rolling the corner," this tradition is thought to have originated in the 1950s and until the mid 1990s was relegated to only to celebrating athletic wins. However, in recent years it has become a way to celebrate anything good that happens concerning Auburn.
(From Wikipedia)

This was such a cool sight to see!! I did not get to take a picture- I found this one online :)

Next Stops!!!

Auburn!! They are currently ranked #1 in football and have a home game while I'm there! SO exciting!!





K-State!! This is one of our newest chapters- just colonized this semester! I will be there for their Initiation and Installation where the chapter will be officially reactivated!



Mizzou!! My Aunt and Uncle on my Mom's side went there so I can't wait to see the campus!



MTSU!! Another newer chapter that I have heard so many great things about! This visit will fill in the week and a half or so between my Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks!!

On the road again

So, after a week off for Fall Break, I find myself back on the great Zeta road. I will be visiting Kutztown University in PA until November 2nd but I am not sure yet where I go after that. Kutztown is only about 2 1/2 hours from Thurmont so I got to drive up here yesterday. Though I am very lucky to fly as much as I do, it was a nice change to not have to worry about my bag being under 50lbs (I feel like I can estimate it to the 1/2 pound by now) and if my liquids are all in the right bag. Even though I don't plan on really using it, just knowing that my car is here and accessible to me is a nice feeling- it gives me that sense of true independence that TLCs rarely feel because we rely on the chapter members for so much.

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A quick story from my last visit before Fall Break (Mansfield University in PA)-

The girls at the Eta Epsilon chapter are very much into astrology so while I was there we talked a lot about birthdays. When I said I am a Scorpio, they asked what date my birthday was, knowing that it had to be coming up soon. I said it was November 6th and we had a conversation about how weird it is that I will be on the road, away from family and friends and everything familiar, on my birthday. We talked, wondering what I will do- Do I risk sounding like a brat and tell the girls that it is my birthday? Or do I not say anything and then just accept the fact that I will not be celebrating it until I am home for Thanksgiving? It is a unique situation to say the least. After the conversation I didn't think too much more about it because the day is still weeks away. Then, the last night I was there, the girls surprised me with a cupcake and candle and birthday card. They sang to me and said they "just wanted to make sure it got celebrated." I was so touched by this and feel like it really shows the true meaning of sisterhood. I am so lucky to be in a job where I get to work with people like this everyday.

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Some good news-

Zeta Tau Alpha has been invited to colonize at two new campuses in the Spring:




and



It is very exciting that we are continuing to rapidly grow as an organization...these are the 3rd and 4th new chapters for the 2010-2011 school year!

Happy October! Think Pink!

It has been quite awhile since my last post, due to a very quick but fun stop at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI and a great two week stay at Thiel College in Greenville, PA where I did not have internet access. Thiel gives each of their students a laptop with special security software and does not allow guest computers on the network. My baby MacBook had its feelings very hurt.

Anyway-

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

In case you haven't noticed, since it is October, everything is now pink! Zeta Tau Alpha's official philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness and Education and we are partnered with many great organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Yoplait Yogurt (and their Save Lids to Save Lives campaign), the NFL, SELF Magazine and Lifetime Movie Network. These partnerships have allowed me to have some really great opportunities as both a collegian and now as a TLC in regards to participating in the fight against Breast Cancer. While at Ferris State I got to go to the Grand Rapids, MI Race for the Cure as a volunteer. While in Greenville, their chapter president and I drove an hour and a half to Pittsburgh to join ZTA alumnae and collegians from all over PA to pass out ribbons at the Steelers/Ravens game. These were awesome experiences that Zetas all over the country can share.

If your curious- and don't mind me bragging a little bit- here is some info about our partnerships that help us have one of the strongest national philanthropies in the Greek world-

Susan G. Komen for the Cure®– ZTA began an association with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in 1992 when it became the first national sponsor of the Race for the Cure’s National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition Program. Ever since, ZTA has provided the signature pink T-shirts and caps for participants to wear during the race. As part of the Survivor Program, ZTA also provides pink “In Memory Of” and “In Celebration Of” back signs for participants to wear during the Race for the Cure events so they may race in honor of a friend or loved one. The ZTA Foundation also provides an educational item for each Race participant, such as the ZTA Breast-Self Examination (BSE) Calendar Reminder Stickers. ZTA is a member of the Komen Million Dollar Council donating over $3 million dollars to Susan G Komen for the Cure.


Yoplait® – ZTA will soon begin its sixth year of a partnership with Yoplait and its Save Lids to Save Lives® program. The partnership began in 2004, when Yoplait asked ZTA to help collect lids on 10 college campuses as part of a pilot project. Now, Yoplait and ZTA have expanded the effort to all of our collegiate and alumnae chapters. For every lid collected by ZTA, Yoplait donates 5 cents to the ZTA Foundation and 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. By placing Yoplait lid collection boxes all over campuses and hosting special events, Zetas collected over 311,000 lids in 2008!


National Football League – Since 1999, Zeta Tau Alpha alumnae and collegiate members have worked with 23 of the 32 NFL teams to increase awareness of breast cancer at professional football games. ZTA also recently secured a partnership with the National Football League itself. Beginning with the Washington Redskins, over the past 10 seasons, Zetas have helped spread the message of breast cancer awareness to over a million football fans across the country.

SELF – To help further promote healthy lifestyles among its members, ZTA partners with SELF magazine’s annual SELF Challenge. All ZTA members are encouraged to join the program which promotes healthy eating and physical activity. Each year, SELF donates up to $3,000 in the name of the ZTA chapter with the most Challenge participants. As an added benefit membership, each collegiate Zeta receives a complimentary subscription to SELF, including its annual Women’s Breast Cancer Handbook.

Lifetime – Zeta Tau Alpha is one of 11 organizations that has partnered with Lifetime Television to spread the message about breast cancer awareness. When Lifetime premiered its movie “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy,” starring Sarah Chalke, ZTA was its official partner asked its chapters to host Courage Nights—movie viewing parties with informational resources on breast cancer. Lifetime also honored Zeta Tau Alpha as a Lifetime Breast Cancer Hero. “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy” is based on a book of the same title written by ZTA alumna initiate and former Lifetime executive, Geralyn Lucas. ZTA's involvement was mentioned on the “Today Show” during a guest appearance with Sarah Chalke.

(information from www.zetataualpha.org)

Our work with Breast Cancer Education and Awareness is one of my favorite thing about being a ZTA!

Texas and more

Flying into El Paso on Sunday afternoon was an interesting experience. I spent most of the plane ride reading a book (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- highly recommend) and didn't look out the window too much. When the pilot announced that we were starting our descent, I opened my window covering and took a look. I froze. Quite possibly due to the amount of LOST I had been watching the day before (and that my flight had been abnormally bumpy and loud), I started to have crazy crazy science fiction inspired thoughts, caused by the fact that it literally looked like we were flying over Mars. We were over what in actuality must be the west Texas desert and then started to see mountains and I had never ever seen anything like it before. Here is a picture of what I saw (this was not taken by me, but I found it on Google Images :)



Needless to say I faced a bit of culture shock when I got here, but in a good way I think. Part of the reason why I was so excited about this job was because I have not seen too much of our great nation and I wanted to broaden my horizons. Remember what I said about everything looking like Maryland? I'm eating my words right now. That being said, I have really enjoyed my time in El Paso and have a lot more of an interest in what is going on in Mexico because you can see it right across the street. Literally it is right there. Juarez, currently Mexico's most dangerous city, borders El Paso and a lot of El Paso's citizens and UTEP students have family there. It is very sad that they no longer feel safe visiting their relatives that live only a few minutes away.

In other news, as I approach the two month mark of being on the road, I have noticed something starting to happen. Though I don't feel homesick in the traditional sense of the word, I have started to dramatically cling to anything that connects me to home. For example, the first night I was here the Cowboys played the Redskins. I have never ever been a NFL fan and though my Dad has always like the Skins I never really took interest. However, the family that I am staying with had the game on (they were cheering on the Redskins too, by the way) and I suddenly felt a very vested interest in the outcome of the game. My passion for sports is typically reserved for Terps Men's basketball and any American team in the Olympics (I love when they chant U-S-A!) but I big time felt it Sunday, only because it gave me some sense of familiarity. It was interesting to me how much I suddenly cared about the game and the team and it made me realize how much I am looking forward to being home for a week next month.

Hope all is well with everyone!

PS- Looking back on this post, it makes me seem a little like someone who is slowly becoming delusional. Let's cross our fingers that its not a side effect of the job. Fellow TLCs, ya with me?

Quick update

I have a lot to say about my time so far in El Paso, TX but officer meetings and recruitment parties aren't allowing me much time. Here is a picture to tide you over- this is the backyard of the house I am staying at (the home of the Secretary and her Mom and Dad) Expect a longer post soon!





Those mountains are part of the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains!

More Iowa

My time in Iowa is (unfortunately) about to come to an end. On Sunday morning I will leave these lovely ladies and head to my next stop at UTEP. Recruitment here ended yesterday with Bid Day, where we celebrated all of Alpha Omicron's newest members. Here are some pictures from the event-


The bus they dropped the new members back to their dorms in


The inflatable obstacle course they rented for the day! So fun!


Huge ZTA letters and a strawberry- one of our symbols.

One of my favorite parts of this visit was handing out pink ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness and Education at the first football game on Saturday. It was really fun to be in the college football atmosphere again, though it made me sad that I won't be in College Park for any Terps games this season. So many of the fans were super receptive- some even shared with us that they are survivors- and even donated money for the cause. We raised over $600 in just an hour and a half and handed out 5,000+ pink ribbons! One if my favorite things about ZTA is how members all over the country are so dedicated to our philanthropy. Here is a picture from that day-



Though it will be sad to leave Iowa, I am very excited to go to UTEP. This will be my third trip to the state of Texas and I loved both Austin and South Padre when I went there on trips. This recruitment will be a lot different than the other two chapter visits I have done so far, as there are only three sororities on the campus with pretty small membership totals. Also, the ZTA at UTEP does not have a chapter house so I will be staying with a member of the Executive Council in her apartment. Definitely will be a different experience but I am excited to see another new part of the country, as I have never been to El Paso.