Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Earth Day Clean Up!



For Earth Day, we wanted to demonstrate our appreciation for nature and what is given to us. As a KROM (Keep Recruiting Our Members) event, a group of us picked up trash after dinner around the Alpha Chi Omega house outside. Although picking up trash doesn't seem like the most fun thing to do, with our sisters beside us we had a great time! In doing this activity, I believe we became more aware of our future actions to litter and to gain more respect for our home. Summer is soon approaching and as we all go our separate ways for the next few months, we know we will be coming back to a beautiful home inside and out. We hope to keep our home as clean as it can be from now on!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Dance Marathon 2013!

By Catalina Quintana

After a year of hard work, volunteering and fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Hospital for Children and Florida State University’s College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Program, we are happy to announce that Alpha Chi Omega and our partners, the gentlemen of Chi Phi Fraternity, raised over $50,000 and placed second at Dance Marathon this year.

Dance Marathon at FSU is the largest DM in the Southeast, and raised over $701,000 this year, a 20% increase from last year’s total. The event was held on March 22-24 at the Leon County Civic Center where students pledged to stand for one of two 20 hour shifts “for the kids.” This event was the culmination of year-long efforts to raise money and fundraise.

We are so proud of all of the women in our chapter who participated to make this happen.

Dancer Representatives Janet Parry and Sydney Botkin organized and informed the chapter of Dance Marathon events all year long and rallied for active participation. When Sydney had to step down in Fall due to being elected to the executive board, Janet stepped up to the plate and led the AXO dancers to success with leadership and determination, working with Chi Phi to set up creative fundraisers and to participate actively in all events.

Chelsea Swan and Catalina Quintana were elected to be on the Overall Committee for Dance Marathon as the Finance Chair and Marketing Chair, respectively. These women helped plan the entire event, invested countless hours throughout the year, and remained at the event for over 40 hours. They were even invited to the Dance Marathon Leadership Convention in 2012!

Kelly Palmer and Libby Pace were elected as Assistants to the Overall Committee for the Community Events Chair and Marketing Chair, respectively. These women were a huge aid in planning the event and stayed at the event for over 40 hours as well!

We also had an outstanding group of committee members from the chapter who volunteered their time at the event to assist with any and every task that was needed of them. These philanthropic women are: Alyssa Farrell, Simone Torres, Jane Guemmer, Tia Balthrop, and Lauren Wood Lindsey Davidson, Keely Finnegan, and more.

The spirit of Dance Marathon is embodied by the Morale Captains who are responsible for maintaining the energy of the dancers who tire after so many hours on their feet. Their captivating energy and outstanding personalities is what distinguished them over hundreds of applicants. Thanks to our morale captains Chelsea Moyle, Brooke Swilley, Corine Samaras, Kendall Scarlett, and Julia Welling.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Recruitment info for Alumnae...

a message from HQ..

Alpha Chi Omega alumnae:

As formal recruitment for fall 2013 approaches, here is a brief review of Alpha Chi Omega's legacy policy. We wish to provide you this information so that you are able to assist potential legacies as they enter into formal recruitment, as well as better understand the policies regarding legacies of Alpha Chi Omega.

Questions? Contact Jen Patterson, Associate Director-Recruitment, or Gina Fox, Assistant Director-Lifetime Engagement.

Our Policies

As outlined in the Polices of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity, the legacy policy states:

R7 Legacy
A legacy to Alpha Chi Omega is a sister, daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a member. The Alpha Chi Omega member and her family member define their legacy relationship, i.e. step relations, blended families, etc. Alpha Chi Omega values the relationship between a legacy and an alumna member. Chapters are regularly educated regarding the national legacy policy. Additionally, alumnae members are encouraged to prepare legacies to meet the standards of membership set forth by the national organization and local chapter.

R7.1 Preferred Candidate for Membership
An undergraduate legacy who meets membership standards and eligibility requirements is considered a preferred candidate and:

[a] Is invited to the first invitational round of events during the formal recruitment process.
[b] Is invited to at least one recruitment event in an informal or continuous recruitment process.

R7.2 Placement on Final Bid List
A legacy who attends a formal recruitment preference event is placed on the first bid list by the collegiate chapter.


Membership Selection

While legacies are not guaranteed membership in an Alpha Chi Omega collegiate chapter, all collegiate chapters welcome the opportunity to meet Alpha Chi Omega legacies. It is our intent to educate both alumnae and collegians about the importance of inviting legacies to membership.

It is always difficult when a legacy gets released during recruitment, but as long as the chapter follows the national policy, the final decision of membership selection is the informed responsibility of the collegiate chapter. Recruitment can be a difficult and stressful process, particularly on large campuses—there are often as many legacies going through recruitment as the chapter will have spots in quota. While our legacy policies and our recruitment procedures are national level policies, membership selection is a chapter-level decision, which is truly made by the collegiate members at that time.

Long before it is time to submit any recommendations to a collegiate chapter, alumnae have the privilege and responsibility of helping to grow Alpha Chi Omega’s membership in the following ways:

Promoting Alpha Chi Omega as an active part of her life. Doing so will increase the name recognition and familiarity of Alpha Chi Omega to legacies and other potential new members prior to recruitment.
Increasing the strong reputation of Alpha Chi Omega by identifying and connecting with young women who would make valuable additions to our membership.
Educating legacies and other potential new members regarding Alpha Chi Omega’s standards and values, as well as privileges of membership.

Legacy Webinar

For more information on legacies going through formal recruitment, please join Jen Patterson, Associate Director-Recruitment, and Gina Fox, Assistant Director-Lifetime Engagement, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 9:00 p.m. (EST) for the legacy webinar. This webinar will provide alumnae with information regarding legacies participating in the formal recruitment process. We will review Alpha Chi Omega policies, give attendees a deeper understanding of the recruitment process, and help prepare members who may have legacies going through recruitment this year or in the future. Register here for this webinar.

Membership Recommendation

When the time comes, it is the responsibility of alumnae to utilize the Membership Recommendation Form to make the chapter aware that a legacy or other potential member will be participating in recruitment. All alumnae are encouraged to complete this form for any relative or friend who will be participating in recruitment. To send a recommendation (the preferred way to notify a chapter of a legacy or friend), you will need to register and log into alphachiomega.org. Then, simply click on "Recommend a Member" located on the homepage. This will take you to the Membership Recommendation Form and recruitment directory, which contains the recruitment contact information for all collegiate chapters.


Please be aware that Alpha Chi Omega has updated the Membership Recommendation Form for 2013. Be sure to use the updated form when writing recommendations for potential new members.  If you are writing one for Beta Eta chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.. be sure to mail to 518 West park Avenue Tallahassee FL 32301 Attention CRIC

We encourage you to share this message with other Alpha Chi Omega alumnae whose email addresses may not be in our database.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Alpha Chis and Florida Public Relations Association

By Alex Whitaker
Last month, the FSU student chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association traveled to New York City for our spring professional development trip. Several Beta Eta sisters are members of this organization, which sister, Brooke Swilley, leads as President. On our trip, we visited four high profile PR agencies; Weber Shandwick, Ruder Finn, Ketchum, and Hunter. Through our interactions at these agencies, we learned more about the PR agency as well as had the opportunity to make personal connections.



In addition to the professional aspects of the trip, we also had a lot of free time to explore the city. Famous landmarks, world class dining, and even a little bit of exploration that was off the beaten path were all on the agenda. All in all, we had a wonderful trip that not only helped us to grow professionally but brought us closer together as sisters.