Alpha Chi Omega Convention Day 1.

We (collegians Isla and Kate and Chapter Advisor Britain) arrived in St. Louis for Alpha Chi Omega Women's Fraternity's national Convention. We are staying at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch, and  it right next to the Arch. Kate was able to snap the below photo from our bus, as we were arriving at our hotel.

We were able to register and stop by the Alpha Chi Omega Convention Star booth, and shop a bit in the Alpha Chi Omega Carnation boutique. 

 

We went for a walk Thursday evening, and a block from our hotel is the cardinals stadium. 

 

We also snapped the below photos at the Arch (on the right are BH collegians Isla an Kate)

We went to 360 for dinner, and had an amazing roof top view of both the Cardinals stadium, and the Arch. If you look closely you can see the arch in the grass of the field. We (Isla, Kate and I) enjoyed tapa with BH alumna, Barb C. Also joining us were Amy Z (ETE president) and Alpha Chi Omega sisters, Penny, Leslie and Elyse. It was a great time had by all.

 

The collegians ventured out to millennium Hotel  to check out the revolving top floor, and were able to snag dessert, and a stunning view of the city. 

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to unpacking, checking in, etc and of course the delegates meeting and welcome dinner!

be sure to check back, as the collegians will be blogging about convention each day!

todays post: By CA, Britain!

Beta Eta interning with March Communications!

This post is by Beta Eta Brooke Swilley, who is interning with March Communications, one of the leading tech PR agencies in Boston, MA. She was presented with this opportunity through the Tallahassee Student Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association at FSU.

“It’s wicked gross out and I can’t remember where I pahked the cah.” This was the first phrase I heard a man nearly screaming into his cell phone as I waited outside the terminal on May 10. I knew I was no longer down south and it was goodbye Florida, hello Boston!

After taking the weekend to settle into my new home in Cambridge, MA for the next two and a half months, I began my first day as a summer intern with March Communications in downtown Boston. The weeks seem to fly by in a whirlwind of media scans, briefing books, pitch write-ups and steep technological learning curves. The content intimidation factor was high initially, but with an incredible staff and some intern comradery, my experience at March so far has been an utter success and I can officially say I’m a huge fan of the March team and so excited to be a part of it! 

Not only am I working, but I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel around New England to places like NYC and Vermont on the weekends as well as explore the beautiful city of Boston. Each day is definitely a new adventure whether it's someone I meet on the T subway or rooting for the Miami Heat against the Boston Celtics at a local pub. Life is good and I am so thankful for this amazing summer! 

LITB,

Brooke

Beta Eta's Abroad

SO proud of the Beta Eta sisters who decided to study abroad this summer! Living life to the fullest :)

Beta Eta in Jamaica!

This post is by Beta Eta Isabelle Wilkins, who is the 2011 recipient of the chapter Beta Eta Love and Loyalty Grant, from the chapter endowed fund through Alpha Chi Omega Foundation.


Out of the thousands of sisters we share and out of all the applicants that applied, I was one of 12 to be selected to represent Alpha Chi on the inaugural Global Service Initiatives trip to Negril, Jamaica.  The goal is to renovate a building so it can be used to teach single-mothers skills, like typing, to help them become employed. Here is a link that will direct you to a page with the project overview.

Way back in December when I started my application for this trip I was simply applying for the fun of it, thinking that it would be an absolutely incredible experience but the chance of me getting selected would be so close to zero.  I thought to myself, "why not?!" and applied anyway.  When the email popped into my inbox in the middle of March that I was selected to go on this trip, I literally screamed and jumped around.  I felt (and feel!) so incredibly honored to represent Alpha Chi, but especially Beta Eta, on this inaugural service trip to Jamaica.

The support that my chapter, and especially my incredible advisors Britain and Jen, has been incredible.  I want to thank all of my sisters who made the Love and Loyalty Grant from Beta Eta possible.  Receiving this grant has helped me cover some of my trip costs and helped acquire donations such as t-shirts, socks, body sprays, and many other things that families in Jamaica have asked for.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  I do not think I could have done this without you.  Again, thank you:).

My journey to Jamaica commences this Friday (the 18th) when I fly to Chicago.  On my flight from Chicago to Negril on Saturday, I am not alone; there are two other sisters on that flight so none of us will be clueless when we get to the Negril airport.  Hey, if we get lost, at least we'll be with our sisters!  On Sunday, we are going to a church service near the location of our work site.  I'm really excited to see how their services are as similar, or different, than ours.  And finally, Monday is when the hard work starts!

I am hoping there will be wireless or some sort of internet access where we are staying so I can give an update mid-trip, but regardless I will definitely be posting LOTS of pictures and stories when I get back!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this trip.  I can't express how much your support means to me.  LITB :)

 FAMOUS ALPHA CHIS

Just as a fun summer topic, I wanted to update current members and alumnae on some of the more well-known lifetime members of Alpha Chi Omega. If you know of any I might have left out, feel free to comment! Happy Summer :)

 

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone on making it through the semester! 

This year has been full of amazing memories and great times at Alpha Chi's Beta Eta Chapter and we thank each and every single sister for all that you do. Have a fun and safe summer and be sure to take LOTS of pictures ;)

Seniors, we are so proud of all that you have accomplished here at FSU as a Beta Eta. Whether you are headed to medical school, law school, grad school, or into the real world, you WILL be successful in all that you do, all the while staying true to your core values. You will be deeply missed, but remember you will ALWAYS have a home here at Alpha Chi Omega.

LITB

CONGRATULATIONS Jen Butler, Jaclyn Moore, & the rest of the Beta Eta chapter for doing so amazingly at Greek Awards night!!!! Jen won Advisor of the Year, Jaclyn won President of the year, & Alpha Chi won Most Campus Involvement & Best Greek Relations chapter :) We have never been so proud.

LITB

We Love You Seniors!

Last Friday was Senior Night! We hosted a nice appetizer night & the seniors went to a group dinner to celebrate an amazing four years as a Beta Eta woman. YOU WILL BE MISSED!!!!!

LITB Always

RELAY FOR LIFE 2012

So proud of Alpha Chi for taking part in this year's Relay for Life in the fight against cancer. From 5pm April 13 to 10am April 14 our girls among many different organizations at FSU took part in fun activities, heard survivor stories, & took part in fun competitions at the new IM fields. Alpha Chi raised money by selling color changing cups at the event to add to our donation. We are especially proud of our very own Lauren Berlue for doing a great job helping to host the event with the rest of the Relay for Life exec board!

GREEK WEEK 2012

Just last week all of the FSU Greek Community took part in Greek Week! Alpha Chi participated in the field day, bone marrow drive, & dance off to support a positive look at Greek Life on campus!

Last Alpha Chi Date Function of Spring 2012!

We were able to host a fourth date function this semester, and what a success it was! "AXO goes Disco" was our theme and everyone really enjoyed dressing the part. The graduating seniors were decked in Senior Citizen attire to celebrate their last date function ever. What a great time!

Linedance 2012

Congratulations to all of the beautiful Alpha Chi women who took part in Linedance 2012 last night! We are so proud :)

Our philanthropic weekend

This weekend we hosted our annual philanthropy, the Carnation Classic, a golf tournament to benefit the local Women's Refuge House in support of domestic violence awareness. We had a great time and we want to thank everyone who participated! Special shout out to the FSU Baseball team who donated an autographed baseball for our silent auction and quarterback EJ Manuel who donated a signed baseball for the cause as well.

We also participated in several philanthropies this weekend aside from our own! We participated in Pike's Dodgeball Tournament, ADPi's annual ADPIathalon, Chi Omega's Sand Slam and several others- all benefiting different worthwhile charities! Here are a few pictures of our very busy & successful weekend.

Alpha Chi Semiformal!

We had an amazing time at our Spring Semi-formal that took place last Wednesday, March 21st! It was held at Florida State's Stadium University Center, so we had a beautiful view of the entire city. It was a circus-themed event decked with a popcorn machine, photo-booth, cotton candy & balloon decorations.

Here are some pictures of our wonderful night =)
 

Parents Weekend 2012

Save the Date for the 2012 Alpha Chi Omegas Parent’s Weekend! The sisters of Alpha Chi Omega are pleased to announce the event will take place October 26^th-28^th.

Please note our Alpha Chi weekend is a different date from FSU Parents' Weekend. The FSU event is the same weekend as FAMU Homecoming; hence, Tallahassee will be extremely busy, and it will be much harder for our parents to find hotel rooms and get around town. We chose our weekend to make it easier and less stressful for our parents and family to enjoy campus and Tallahassee when they visit!

We suggest you go ahead and book a hotel if you are planning on attending, due to the popularity of FSU football! GO NOLES! Keep checking the blog for more updates!

Sisterhood Retreat 2012

We all had an amazing weekend white water rafting in Tennessee! So much love :)

First Annual Post Initiation Sleepover!!!

After initiating three new beautiful ladies (Hilary Wedden, Katie Grout, & Savannah Burdette) into the Beta Eta chapter, we began our first annual post initiation sleepover! Thanks to all the ladies that made it out :) We're having such a fun night!
LITB & congrats!

National Ritual Celebration Week!

This week, we the collegians will join the thousands of Alpha Chi Omega alumnae scattered across the US, and beyond as we leave Tallahassee for Spring break..

But we'd like to encourage you to celebrate

National Ritual Celebration Week!

Alpha Chi Omega is very pleased to announce that we will be participating in the second annual National Ritual Celebration Week, March 4-10. Collegians and alumnae are encouraged to take time each day that week—either by participating in collegiate or alumnae chapter activities or personally—to reflect on the meaning of our Ritual and how living our Ritual improves your life and your chapter.

To get you excited for the week and in honor of our seven founders, here are seven suggestions for celebrating our Ritual to get you and your chapter started planning:

1. Organize a Service Day activity. This can be with your chapter, a group of sisters, your family or friends. If you don’t have time to volunteer this week, reflect on the opportunities you have to give in the upcoming year.
2. Reflect on the meaning of the The Symphony of Alpha Chi Omega. Re-read The Symphony at least once during the week. How does it relate to where you are in life right now? What is your favorite part of it? Why? Also, put a framed photo on your desk at work or home and share The Symphony with others.
3. Connect with a sister you haven’t spoken to for awhile. Go to lunch. Have a phone date. Send a card. Write a text. Make time one day this week to reach out to and tell her why you’re glad she’s your sister. If there is a sister that you have lost touch with over the past couple of years, please feel free to contact headquarters to see how we can help the two of you reconnect.
4. Participate in National Panhellenic Conference’s International Badge Day on March 5. Wearing your badge to work, on campus, to your community gatherings not only honors Alpha Chi Omega, but gives you a chance to connect with other sorority women in your area and celebrate the history of women’s fraternities. The VP Ritual and Fraternity Appreciation handbook has great tips for appropriate badge attire.
5. Change your Facebook profile picture, timeline cover photo or recent photos to the Ritual Celebration Week logo. Also, post your Ritual reflections and other Alpha Chi Omega stories and thoughts as your status updates and on the Alpha Chi Omega Facebook page. In addition, tweet your Ritual reflections during the week. Use #AXORitualWeek at the end of your tweet and follow that hashtag throughout the week to see what sisters are saying on Twitter.
6. Reflect on how you personify Alpha Chi Omega’s values of Wisdom, Devotion and Achievement. Consider a conversation about one of these ideals with a non-Alpha Chi and tell him or her why you value your Alpha Chi Omega experience so much. Also, the Ritual Best Practices (available in the resource section) has Ritual discussion questions on Wisdom, Devotion and Achievement. Talk about your answers with your chapter and sisters.
7. Perform the Rededication of the Bond Ceremony (in the green Ceremonies binder) at your chapter meeting. Collegians: Invite area alumnae to your chapter meeting that week and perform the ceremony for both collegians and alumnae. Alumnae: If you don’t live near a collegiate chapter or don’t have an alumnae club, take time one day to reflect on your Initiation ceremony. Are you living the life you pledged to live that day? If so, how else could you show that every day? If not, there is no time like the present to start!

This year Alpha Chi Omega will be hosting guest bloggers each day to share their Ritual stories with our members. Please visit our website (alphachiomega.org) each day during the week to learn about and celebrate our Ritual, sisters and history. Alpha Chi Omega will also share daily Ritual thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, Alpha Chi Omega Headquarters, for these great thoughts, excerpted from the February Flyre, the monthly collegiate officer newsletter.