This summer, I experienced ELI, the Alpha Phi Foundation's Emerging Leaders Institute, where I found a new motivation and outlook on the meaning and importance of Alpha Phi, and Greek organizations as a whole.

While being at home for the summer, there’s a shift in priorities. School, classes and Greek life transition to work, family and friends. These priorities at school seem to be forgotten about when reality gets in the way. As bad as this is to say, it’s easy to think that Greek life doesn’t matter while we’re away from campus. In reality, it doesn’t. Our jobs and family do not necessarily care what letters we wear on our sweatshirts or what fraternities we hang out with. While being at home, working and making money, as well as spending time with our family, seem to be more important. It’s not exactly that I like having time to forget about Alpha Phi, but it’s definitely good to have that break while I’m home, and it’s interesting to see the reality of what’s important when being away from campus.

I experienced something this summer that made me realize the importance of not forgetting about Greek life while I’m home. I learned the importance of my organization; it showed me the meaning of Alpha Phi, why I even joined, and why it’s such a priority to me while I’m at school. There’s more to our Greek organizations than our letters on our shirts, the fraternities we hang out with, and what tier we belong in. I believe it’s important to remind ourselves of this sometimes. We get so caught up with life at school, that we forget the importance of reality. Alpha Phi, as well as all of our organizations, is bigger than Purdue University’s campus. 

Sponsored by the Alpha Phi Foundation, the Emerging Leaders Institute, ELI, is held every summer at Butler University. This is an institution for character and leadership development, where women from universities all over the country stay at the Butler Alpha Phi house for five days. I was told that I would enjoy going and that I should apply. Next thing I know, it’s July 16th, and I’m driving just 30 minutes away to Indianapolis, not realizing I would be one of the only ones actually using my car. With arrival, I found very quickly that girls were taking two planes just to get to Indiana. There were 48 of us, from all over the country, each representing our chapter of Alpha Phi. In all honesty I wasn’t sure about going to begin with. As said before, I had other priorities this summer. I wasn’t thinking about Alpha Phi and wasn’t sure if I was ready to have it on my mind. I drove to Butler that morning not necessarily understanding what I was getting into. 

Throughout the five days, we learned to know 48 other girls from everywhere. It honestly felt like two weeks. Every day, from 7 a.m.-9 p.m., we were doing all sorts of sessions, doing activities such as icebreakers, to sharpening our details of ritual. It was amazing to learn the differences of all the chapters. From size, structure, and living arrangements, every one was different, yet we were all there for the same reason- to better our individual chapters. What I enjoyed most about ELI, was the fact that it wasn’t an “Alpha Phi camp”, it was a leadership camp. I thought I’d have to go and talk about Alpha Phi for five days straight. Of course I had my fair share of talking about Alpha Phi, but the purpose of this camp was to develop us as women, and to prepare ourselves to make a difference in our chapters. This was an experience not everyone gets to have as a member of a Greek organization. For one, I feel fortunate that Alpha Phi has an opportunity such as this one, and even more, that I was one of the girls who could experience this opportunity. 

Within those five days, I made life-long friends, I learned assets about myself, how to organize my values and what I find important in my life, and I achieved skills that will benefit not only my chapter of Alpha Phi at Purdue, but my future and career to come. All of this is thanks to ELI. Although it felt long and although it was summertime, this was an experience that I am extremely thankful to have had. The opportunity reminded me that Alpha Phi is larger than campus. I can’t just forget about Alpha Phi, I can’t just put it aside when reality becomes in the way. Alpha Phi is me, your Greek organization is you, and makes up who we are at this point in our lives. This is an organization I, and many others, decided to join to make friends. 

With the many friends that I’ve made, I’m going on to my junior year now and the friends-part has already been implemented. So, now what? Why is it important to us? Alpha Phi and Greek life is slowly becoming less important as I’m getting older and finding new priorities. The reason for this is because many students forget about their organization and why they joined to begin with, and some may think it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s upsetting to know that many students do not know how to appreciate their organization for what it is. Greek life isn’t about the parties, which fraternities you hang out with, what drama is going on, or what friends you have. Joining an organization like this has more value and meaning than most even put on their individual lives.

 I believe it’s important to decide at this point in our college careers what meaning we put in our organization. Is it something we only like to think about nine months of the year? Is this something we will forget about completely coming upon graduation? Do we care about the values of our organization? Do we care about upholding the truth of who we are with Alpha Phi as our label? It’s time to decide. And being at home this summer and being away from campus, I’ve really figured out that Greek life isn’t something to forget. If this is a priority we have for a majority of the year, then we should not put it aside when we’re not at school. Alpha Phi, as well as your Greek organization, is much bigger than Purdue’s campus.