17 Jan Orientation 2021
From January 16-17, 2021, Lambda Phi Epsilon chapter leaders gathered virtually on Zoom over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend to refine the skills necessary to lead their chapters. “Threads of LiFE” became a central theme for weaving conversations centered around the growth and resilience of the organization.
On the first day of Orientation, District Governors facilitated virtual breakout rooms for attendees to make new ties and better connect the social fabric of the fraternity. The Executive Cabinet of the International Board presented skill shares on a variety of chapter operations, ranging from virtual recruitment to crisis communications to developing leadership pipelines. To move the needle of collective development forward, the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals also presented a workshop and discussion on how rising leaders may navigate privilege in their personal and professional pursuits.
“Orientation gave me the opportunity to think about how I can improve the state of my organization on campus,” said Matthew Su of the University of Minnesota Associate Chapter. “I learned about how I can improve myself as a person and how it will help out my organization in the long run.”
“I learned about how many resources the fraternity has,” says Miller Kahihu of North Carolina State University Associate Chapter. “It’s great to see where our dues are going and to know how accessible [leadership] can be if you ask.”
“I believe that Orientation was a fantastic way to gather brothers who may not have had the chance to connect with each other and put them in situations that would allow them to interact with each other,” said Nicholas Dang from Ohio State University Associate Chapter. “I felt as though I learned a lot about the inner workings of the Fraternity and I value this as a charter member of my chapter as it allowed me to better connect myself with the fraternity.”
New Member Educators received their own specialized training on the second day of Orientation, as the Fraternity continued to make updates to the Noble Brother Program. The accessibility of this year’s virtual format allowed for more brothers and alumni to engage with live dialogue beyond the annual attendance of chapter presidents. Over 224 registered fraternity leaders attended the 16 hours of live-streamed programming split across two days.
“There were bros from all around the world that tuned in, and in fact, in one of the breakout rooms I found out there was a bro attending from Korea where it was 2 am at his time. This event covered a wide number of topics with lots of focus on accountability and self-growth moving forward,” said Ryan Kim of Rochester Institute of Technology Associate Chapter. “The lessons learned today were very valuable not just to my fraternity Lambda Phi Epsilon but for all members who aspire to become a better version of themselves in an ever-changing society.”
“I learned ways to incorporate experiences from other brothers that I could apply not only to my own chapter but to my life as well,” said Jacob Lanzar of Michigan State University Associate Chapter. “An important learning I took away from Orientation was that failures are a success. We can use each other’s failures to succeed.”
“Besides talking about general recruitment and process ideas, we discussed an important aspect of our NME program: vulnerability and Asian American advocacy,” said Hojin Kim of George Mason University Associate Chapter. “Both are crucial topics to inform the new members in order to strengthen the bond between the new members and actives and learn how to raise Asian American awareness as an organization.”
Just as threads are interwoven and interconnected, members comprise the individual threads of Lambda Phi Epsilon—leaders across different cultures, expertise, professions, and interests—that weave together one collective tapestry of authentic expression. When brothers wear the embroidered letters “Lambda Phi Epsilon” on their chest, they add to a deeply threaded legacy that is 40 years in the making.
###
Contact
Zac Antonius
Executive Director
Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc.
zac.antonius@lphie.org
No Comments