President's Challenge

Megan Samuels
Alpha Gamma Delta

Nearly a week ago all new presidents of IFC, PHA, NPHC and MCGC were brought together for the annual president’s retreat, also known as the Greek Leadership Academy 2012. This year was the first ever that all Greek councils were invited to attend, breaking new ground in Greek life. 

Almost all attendees were newly elected and had been in office for a month at the most. The trip gave officers the opportunity to learn about what it means to be in such a leadership position. The weekend took place overnight at Bradford Woods, where all councils had a chance to listen to relevant speakers, work through important issues, and most importantly to bond with other leaders in the community.

“I think one of the coolest parts was listening to Dean Goldsmith,” says Alpha Gamma Delta president Kristen Walker. 

Walker says Goldsmith was extremely open and honest, which was something she says most people would not expect of the Dean. 

“All of the Deans are really advocates of the Greek system,” explains Walker. 

Dean Goldsmith explained to the group that Greeks are held to higher standards because of the standards we set for ourselves in our own chapters’ values. 

Aside from that, one of the most popular activities of the weekend was creating a fake Greek chapter. Groups were broken up to collaborate with at least one leader from each council. Each team came up with letters to their new chapter and a set of values to go along with it. 

Another team activity was the Great Greek Debate held to discuss important issues in the Greek community. The debate was spearheaded by advisors who made ultimate decisions on each topic at the end of the exercise.

“We talked a lot about why Greek life is essential,” says Walker, who says it was interesting to see that all councils had similar ideas on both the good and bad things that make up the Greek system as a whole.

The weekend was rounded out with a number of useful reflection exercises that helped all presidents get to know one another and get a better understanding on where they want to be as a new chapter leader.  Speaking for herself, Walker says the weekend was a big help.

“I’ve found multiple resources in people that know the same problems, and at the same time we can all celebrate our successes because we’re working toward the same goals,” says Walker. 

Megan is a senior studying journalism and communication & culture. You may contact her at megsamue@indiana.edu.