NIC Blog
MOVEMBER!
Tags: movember, philanthropy, men's health
This November the NIC challenges each of you to help spread the word for prostate and testicular cancer awareness by growing a MOUSTACHE (or supporting a man that’s growing one, for you ladies)! Why?? It’s the Movember Movement!
What is Movember?
Movember is an annual, month-long awareness campaign for men's health issues - specifically prostate and testicular cancer. The tool for this campaign is none other than the moustache. Movember challenges men to grow out their moustaches during the month of November, all the while raising money and awareness for men's health issues.
Is it silly? Absolutely. But what isn't silly is the 47 million dollars that Movember has raised globally (funds benefiting The Prostate Cancer Foundation and The Lance Armstrong Foundation)-- making it the world's largest charity event for men. Not to mention the awareness and education that has been done regarding prostate and testicular cancer!!
Why does the NIC support Movember?
Movember is an organization that raises awareness and funds for men's health issues, something many of our individual organizations already support. In fact, a few NIC organizations are already participating in Movember! If done right, Movember can show undergraduates how simple it is to raise awareness for a cause- which can be a great structure to use for their chapter philanthropy.
If your organization wants to get involved as well check out the detailed marketing plan attached with a clear message of how to get involved and what to do once you do get involved. There are ideas for raising awareness on their website, not to mention videos and facts to use as well. For more information visit: http://us.movember.com/about/ or contact Katie Thiele: katie@movember.com.au
Deferred Madness
Tags: recruitment, deferred recruitment
Thoughts regarding Deferred Recruitment by a former NIC staff member, John Shertzer.
Deferred Madness
Clearly, some colleges/universities just get it, and others don't. The enlightened institutions among us have realized that the choice to join a fraternity is so profound, so complicated (and possibly so hazardous), that young and impressionable freshmen students should not be rushed into that decision. In fact, the smartest colleges/universities also realize that freshmen students are incapable of critical thinking and decision making, and thus need to be told when they can join a fraternity or sorority. I'm sure these institutions have conducted studies that confirm that a young man or woman's decision-making skills are only effective and useful starting in the second semester. However, there must be some debate to this question - since some institutions do not allow this decision to be made until the sophomore year. The students they enroll must struggle to even know what kind of cereal to have in the morning!
The smartest of the enlightened institutions of higher education often realize that not only should freshmen wait to join a fraternity or sorority, they should be prevented from even having contact with a fraternity or sorority member until told otherwise. This is obviously because their students have the thinking skills of a gnat who allows itself to be drawn into the scorching death of a bug zapper.
It is most noble of these colleges/universities to look after their young neophytes with care and compassion. They've obviously discovered a truth that has been elusive for so many of us - first-semester college freshmen are pretty dumb. They need to be protected from their own stupidity. They cannot make a wise decision, especially when allowed to move at their own pace. So instead, let's help them by adding structure. Yes - help them - that sounds nice! Let's give them two weeks of quick meetings, funny slide shows, and fancy brochures. That will clearly allow for more controlled - er - I mean better decision-making.
By the way, this doesn't apply to other student organizations. Students are free to join them at any time, since they are the kinds of decisions students can make quickly and without any thought.
I'm sure that there is research that proves that deferred recruitment results in greater recruitment numbers, fewer incidents of alcohol and hazing, greater alumni engagement, better academics for the members, and a greater commitment to founding values and principles. Just because I couldn't find this research anywhere doesn't mean it's not there.
I want to thank these enlightened institutions for challenging all of our intuitive ideas and notions of common sense by proving that deferred recruitment is the way to go. Because of the inspiration of their example, I want to challenge them in kind. Since these colleges and universities have the best interests of students in mind, I'm sure they wouldn't care if we prevented them from making contact with or actively recruiting high school students until the second semester of their senior years. In fact, we'll just give them two weeks in August to make their case. After all, it's such a big decision.
This post was pulled from a great blog called: Fraternal Thoughts: Thoughtful conversation on the future of collegiate Greek-letter organizations, written by John Shertzer a former NIC staff member. To read more please visit: http://fraternalthoughts.blogspot.com
The Key to Community Change?
Tags: IMPACT
Community Change is Impossible without Individual Action...
Too often when we think of change, we think too big. Not too big in the sense of our hopes and dreams, but too big in regards to process. We need to think big when it comes to our hopes and dreams, and then allow that vision to pull us forward. Our challenges arise when we think too big in regards to reaching our vision. We neglect the small wins; the strength of a small, yet mighty coalition; the power of progress; and what we truly can control.
When it is all said and done, we only have control over one thing. Ourselves. At first glance, this may appear negative and disheartening. However, we believe it is quite the opposite. It provides hope, because each and every day, we have choices about how to go about our lives as members of the fraternity and sorority community. Not only do we have choices, but our brothers and sisters have choices. When enough of us make the right choices, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
In regards to our opening thought about change being impossible without individual action; we must choose to act, and we must choose to enlist others in our efforts. We can no longer wait for others to take the lead. If we want to implement positive change in our communities, it must start with our own action. Action is not hosting an all-Greek picnic or barbeque. While that may bring us together as fraternity men and sorority women, it does not forward the values of our organizations. We need to take action that is rooted in the values that we hold dear, as well as our commitment to our fraternal values and Ritual.
When we take control of our choices, and act in a manner that is congruent with our values and Ritual, we reclaim the power to inspire our brothers and sisters to do the same. Beyond that, we are empowered to expect the same of others. Change is certainly not that easy. This is why there are entire graduate level courses on nothing but change theory. It is quite true that changing our communities will require additional work and effort beyond acting in congruence with our values, and expecting the same of others. However, without such action, lasting community change is impossible.
This is one of the central tenets of a revamped IMPACT institute that is now being offered by the NIC. IMPACT is a campus-based leadership institute that will provide participants with the skills, relationships, and self confidence necessary to jump start positive change within a community. It is intended to be a spark towards creating lasting community elevation through increased leadership skills and action that is rooted in our shared fraternal values.
To learn more about IMPACT and how it may help develop some lasting elevation in your community, go here.
