Reflections on Adelphean Compass!

By Tracy Carson, Adelphean Compass Facilitator



Adelphean Compass Facilitators



I start all of my therapy sessions by asking my clients what I call the “simplest yet hardest” question to answer: “How do you feel today?”  The responses could range from the effortless: fine, tired, or happy, to the intricate, which are more often than not filled with starting points for talking through whatever may be going on in a particular clients mind that day.  The point though is that the question has the potential to carry with it a lot of weight even in its elementary formation. 

I don’t know about you, but I am feeling like I could answer that question and talk for hours when I reflect back on my time as a Facilitator with Adelphean Compass.  (I suppose I am already doing that with my hubby... he could probably recount the entire experience moment by moment just having listened to me reflect for the last 48 hours!) I certainly do feel tired but I also feel inspired, humbled and incredible thankful.  Speaking this past weekend was literally a dream come true in my professional and personal goals and I can only hope and trust that it is the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship serving Alpha Delta Pi and its members.  I can’t wait for the next opportunity. 

Me with Dawn Victor-Herring!

I spent some time journaling my thoughts to help me try and articulate how amazing the opportunity was to be a part of leading the future leaders of our sorority.  As a facilitator I recognized the great privilege it was to offer leadership and inspiration.  Leadership for all of us is a weighty task and I do not take it for granted for one second.  I will carry with me forever the look of your faces as you grasped a concept for the first time or constructed an idea to take back to your chapter, thank you for being “all in” this weekend!  I told you on Sunday that YOU have inspired ME and I repeat it again because you have. 

If you are missing the Leadership Seminar, the relationships you formed, and the opportunity to be fed mentally and emotionally than I encourage you to take some time to journal answering the open ended question, “How do you feel today?” as well.  It provides the emotional closure needed to move forward in strength as opposed to feeling empty and lonely.  Journaling without structure allows you to just write from the heart without any direction and you often find the answers you were looking for upon completion of that day’s entry.

I hope you continue to look through your participant guides before school starts this fall.  It’s so exciting to think about the potential for what you may do and I can’t wait to hear how you will apply what you have learned.  Remember what you bring to the table as a leader (Leading with SELF).  Create a VISION for the future and embrace the passions and values of others to gain sponsorship for that vision before you can cast the vision net wide.  Utilize the RELATIONSHIPS that support you and brainstorm how to encourage others that may be on the fringes.  And finally, Do What You Say You Are Going to DO!  Take ACTION and your chapter will never be the same!

I know I just met you and this is crazy but here’s my (twitter handle @tkcarson) and (tweet) me maybe!

Some Pictures from Macon

Chapter presidents spent the day in Macon, Ga visiting all the amazing sites and seeing ADPi history. Here are some pictures from the day. Be on the lookout for a blog post in the future.

Chapter presidents at the Cannonball House

Stained glass that hangs in our parlor room

some Adelphean Society badges

The Cannonball House porch.

Some incoming LCs visiting Eugenia's grave.

The Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at Wesleyan College.

Chapter presidents jumping in!

Adelphean Compass- Leading with Vision

Pi Pi ADPi, Like it Love It ADPi

Chanted in unison by every chapter president who was attending the Leading with Vision session of Adelphean Compass.

The session, facilitated by Dawn Victor-Herring and Tracy Carson, explored the creation of a vision that chapter presidents will create not only for themselves as leaders but also for their respective chapters.

Before the facilitators talked about creating a vision, they touched back on some of the lessons learned in the previous sessions. Chapter presidents introduced themselves among their table mates and discussed what it meant to lead with vision.

Maureen Orth, Alpha Eta-Kansas State University, said that executive committee is not the only members who should be on board with their visionary goal but rather the whole chapter.

"At the end of the day, the whole chapter needs to be in motion," she said.

Members were challenged to reflect about their chapters and pinpoint chapter goals with some sisters discussing their own personal goals to the group. Sisters spontaneously participated saying poignant phrases like "take pride in your chapter and others will take pride in your chapter too" and "developing and inspiring leaders."

Chapter presidents then worked on constructing their goals and shared some of their ideas with the group. Victor-Herring and Carson were encouraging the collegians to be themselves and don't hold back their feelings.

"We want you to feel comfortable," Victor-Herring said.

The sessions in this program build on one-another, as well as, the pre-work the members completed before Leadership Seminar.

Be sure to be on the lookout for more updates including one on their trip to Macon.

Are you participating in Adelphean Compass? Tell us below in the comments!

From IMPACT 2010 to Adelphean Compass 2012

By: Kathleen So, Chapter President of Psi-University of California, Berkley



Kathleen So, Megan Horst, Grace Handley and Jessica Cinardo pose
for a Diamond pic outside of Memorial Headquarters.


In the summer of 2010, my experience with Alpha Delta Pi was just beginning, but my love for this sorority was already well under way. I picked ADPi from the first day of recruitment. And as they say: when you know, you just know. (And I am so happy that I knew!)

Right away, I benefited greatly from the community within my Alpha class and I started my leadership in the chapter by becoming the co-gift mart chair. Once the end of my freshman year came around, I wanted more! I applied to represent Psi chapter at IMPACT 2010.

Megan and Kathleen at Executive Office.

That was probably one of the best decisions I've made since joining Psi chapter here at UC Berkeley. I learned so much, but more importantly, I met so many incredible ADPi sisters who helped shape my time with ADPi as well as my leadership abilities.

I learned a lot at IMPACT about what it takes to become an effective leader in ADPi. And we've heard it all before: communicate, delegate tasks, be professional, etc. But there are things that I learned personally during IMPACT 2010 that have helped me 2 years later, in my current position as Chapter President. I learned that personal outreach is very significant. Reaching out to every single member (no matter how big the chapter is) is an invaluable skill for a leader.

Think about IMPACT itself, there were over 600 women in attendance, eager to learn skills and advice to bring back to their individual chapters. During LS, IMPACT provided leaders who break us into smaller groups and helped get to the heart of each chapter's needs. How amazing is that?

I've worked hard to take that into account during my presidency so far. My door is always open and I have had several chapter women come to me with problems, suggestions, and sometimes just ideas! That is a great feeling for me as a leader of my chapter. IMPACT taught me to reach out to individuals and when they come to me, reaching out means giving them my full attention and supporting their thoughts. So when the women of Psi Chapter come to me with ideas, I know that they care so much about ADPi and they trust me with helping them develop their plans.

They found an Alphie!

The women at IMPACT 2010 (specifically in my breakout group), taught be the importance of turning to others for help. And I stuck by what I learned. When I had problems arise with Psi Chapter, I needed an outside opinion-- a fresh outlook. So I turned to the women I had met at IMPACT 2010 and everyone was so wonderful in helping me out. They offered the advice that they had picked up along their own way with ADPi. They told me what worked for their chapter and what didn't, but could work for mine.

And you know what? I learned that I was definitely not alone. A leadership position like Chapter President, can come with it's difficulties and frustrations. And these women, who were going through the exact same things, were there to help me! I turned to them. Being a leader means doing what you can do the best of your ability. To do that, you use all the resources you have.

IMPACT 2010 was the best resource I could've gotten to build upon my leadership in ADPi. Two years later, I am ready for Adelphean Compass 2012 and I have a wonderful Psi Chapter sister attending IMPACT 2012, just like I did. As a leader, and her sister, I am so excited to see what her IMPACT experience will be like and what she will take away from the weekend. My work with Psi chapter isn't quite finished. I have so much more to learn and take back with me. If IMPACT 2010 was any indication of what to expect for this summer, then I can't wait to see what's in store this time.

Another picture near the Memorial gardens.

What did you think of Kathleen's post? Tell us below in the comments!

Pre-Work

Adelphean Compass Attendees don’t forget to get started on your pre-work for Leadership Seminar.

This pre-work is vital and will help you make the most of the Adelphean Compass program. We suggest that you take your time and spend an afternoon completing the assignment, focusing on your self-reflection.  

The pre-work assignment can be found on Pride Online under the page "Adelphean Compass Pre-Work. With LS being a little under a week away we can’t wait to see how your pre-work is incorporating in the Adelphean Compass program.

Have you finished the Adelphean Compass pre-work yet? Did the assignment help you get excited for LS? Tell us below in the comments.

LS Prep from a Facilitator's Perspective



By: Tracy Kerr Carson, Adelphean Compass Facilitator



Tracy Kerr Carson

It’s a long way to Atlanta from Phoenix, Arizona.  4 hours on a plane to be exact. Days and days in the car if you were to drive.  In my heart, however, it’s only a hop skip and a jump.  To say I am excited to be one of your Facilitators in less than two weeks during Adelphean Compass is fabulously understated.  I am actually over the moon that I get to be a part of this amazing experience and I count it a privilege to come alongside of you as you navigate through this wonderful material as participants.



Hi, My name is Tracy Kerr Carson, Eta Xi- Presbyterian College, and I currently live in Scottsdale, Arizona with my Prince Charming of a husband and two wonderful boys.  It’s nice to meet you…virtually.  As I sit and write I am currently in between clients at work.  I am a Professional Counselor and I specialize in the treatment of young women’s issues (depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationships, etc.). I had the opportunity to speak last summer at Grand Convention on “Healthy vs. Hurting Leadership” and that proved to be the catalyst to remain involved on this level with ADPi. I couldn’t be more honored.

As facilitators we are currently working hard to prepare our sessions for you.  In fact, just this morning while my boys were at their swim lessons I was reading through my notes (yet again) to make sure I have my information down solid.  It’s exciting for me to think about each of you, Chapter Presidents who truly represent the first and the finest of ADPi right now, as I prepare.  What a powerful moment to get to speak to the future leaders all at once.  We are in great company and I can’t wait to come together. 

There is a team of 6 of us that will be presenting as well as two Grand Council members that have served with us as we prepare.  (Can I just say what an HONOR it was to have International President, Tammie Pinkston with us for our entire prep team weekend?!  Holy Moly, that was AWESOME!) The six of us come from all walks and stages of life but the one thing we have in common is an unwavering love of Alpha Delta Pi and an intense desire to serve you (and therefore the future of the sorority) by facilitating throughout the weekend.  I am SO SO SO impressed with these women; I know you will be too. 

So while we are working hard, gathering informative anecdotes, rehearsing our transitions, and memorizing facts we hope you are working hard too.  You have some pre-work to do and I really want you to set some time aside to thoroughly complete these assignments, it will only serve you better once you arrive! 

There are less than two weeks to go until we are all together in Atlanta, I am confident it will be an amazing time.  In addition to my content preparation I also might have spent some time thinking about my wardrobe.  Seriously.  Because you are never too prepared for anything, right?

In the meantime, I really want to get to know you prior to your arrival so tell me in the comments one thing you are excited about and one thing you might be anxious or nervous about (remember I am a therapist so I love to go deep in conversation right away!).

You can follow me on twitter too, @tkcarson.  I can’t wait to see your smart, beautiful faces! Don’t be a stranger when you arrive, I love any chance I can get to give (and receive) a secret handshake!  

Reflections from Adelphean Compass

Collegians at Leadership Seminar 2010.

After Leadership Seminar 2010, Alpha Delta Pi sent out surveys to all the attendees asking what they thought of the programs. We got a great response and we’re going to showcase some responses from these surveys. Yesterday we showcased responses from IMPACT attendees and now we’re focusing on Adelphean Compass participants.

We hope these great responses show the 2012 attendees all there is to look forward to at LS. Now let’s see what our 2010 chapter presidents thought of the program. 

Attendees enjoyed meeting other chapter presidents and bonding over shared experiences during LS.

“I was able to meet many more people at Leadership Seminar than at Grand Convention the previous year. It was also nice to be around other Chapter Presidents who experience the same frustrations. I made so many great friends and became closer with almost all of the chapter Presidents in my District.”

“I enjoyed meeting other chapter presidents and being able to relate to them. It was also nice to bounce ideas off of each other and gain strategies that we could use to strengthen our own chapters.”

The Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at
Wesleyan College.

Adelphean Compass attendees raved about the trip to Macon. We can’t wait to share this experience with the 2012 participants.

“I loved seeing Memorial Headquarters! You know that when you send off mail and email to EO that it is going somewhere, but to physically see where you are sending things, and the desks of Sisters that you are communicating with really brought home how important what I am doing is. Also, the history of the house was amazing and the nostalgia of everything was moving!”

“Just seeing all the history, it made everything we do much more realistic. I wish my chapter could experience it, they would really understand the meaning of ritual and ADPi so much more.”

“The whole trip made me realise how much bigger ADPi is than my own chapter, it's about so much more. Going to the grave site just made everything seem so real. ADPis always wish they could come do and see the things I saw on this trip and I am very blessed to have been able to come. It was just amazing to see where our founders once stood and try to imagine the hardships they went through to create Alpha Delta Pi! This by far was the best part of the trip for me it just made me see the bigger picture and want to become a beter person and leader!”

Overall, chapter presidents were very pleased with the Adelphean Compass program.

2010 Adelphean Compass Participants.

“I absolutely loved the idea for each chapter to have their own vision, to really sit down and come up with something specific for our needs. It really motivated me to think about a vision for my chapter. I'm excited to go back to school with new refreshed ideas on how to continuously improve our chapter.”

“I had the most amazing time with all my sisters and learning about who I am, who my chapter is, and the great things we can accomplish together. It was a great reminder of why I chose the best sorority ever to be my home. I have the greatest appreciation for all the women that put this program together, y'all truly made a difference.”

Be sure to follow our blog, you can follow by email on the right hand side of the site, and catch more blog posts leading up to Leadership Seminar 2012!

What do you think of these survey responses? Do they make you excited to attend LS in two weeks?

Chapter Presidents Bring Your Extra T-Shirts to LS

These shirts from Alpha Beta-University of Iowa
would make any colony member happy.

I remember getting my first set of letters other than my bid day shirt.

Winning my choice of extra t-shirts during one of my first new member meetings,  I remember digging through the bag and finding the one I wanted most amongst the Mallard Ball, social, philanthropy and other ADPi shirts.

It was an old bid day shirt from two years prior, an eggplant purple color with a silver metallic diamond and “frost yourself” emblazoned on the back. That shirt, to me, was special and I wore it proudly my freshman year.

Now I bet I have over 25 shirts accumulated through my four years of college but I still remember how I got my first one and how happy I was to receive some new letters.

 

These shirts from Delta Gamma-University of Arizona would
be a fun shirt to bring along to LS.



Adelphean Compass participants we’ve asked you to bring extra t-shirts to Leadership Seminar from your chapters so that our seven new colonies and their members can experience the same joy.

Tuck them in your suitcase, pile them into the trunk of your car, or stuff a carry-on bag for the plane ride to Atlanta. These extra t-shirts from bid day, philanthropy and other ADPi events will make our new colony members feel as happy as I bet we’ve all felt at least once as Alphas.



Look at all these shirts from Delta-
University of Texas

As a reminder, please only bring shirts that are appropriate and reflect a positive image of Alpha Delta Pi.  Staffers will be available at the registration table at any time during Leadership Seminar to collect your t-shirts.

Thank you so much for you and your chapter’s support of our new colonies. We can’t wait to see all the cute designs that everyone brings.

Are you going to bring t-shirts to Adelphean Compass? Do you have any shirts that have a special significance to you? Tell us below in the comments!

Saturday in Macon



The Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at Wesleyan College.



Walking along the Wesleyan College grounds, you can almost feel what it was like to be a student in 1851, when our six founders started a secret society that has made an impact on young women for over 160 years.



Adelphean Compass participants visiting Rose Hill Cemetary
in Macon during Leadership Seminar 2010.



Seeing Macon is a once in a lifetime experience and Adelphean Compass participants will have this opportunity on the Saturday of Leadership Seminar. Adelphean Compass attendees will be making the hour and a half drive to see not only the college but other places of significance for Alpha Delta Pi.

 

Chapter Presidents and Claire Brown Gwaltney,
International President in 2010, at the Cannonball House.



 Participants will visit Rose Hill Cemetery where Founder Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald is laid to rest and the Cannonball House, which holds a replica of the original Adelphean Parlor.

After the chapter presidents’ trip to Macon, the group meets up with the IMPACT participants for an awards dinner and a meet and greet with Grand Council.

   

 

Executive Office and Memorial Headquarters in Atlanta.



Are you going on the trip to Macon? What are you most excited for? Be sure to tell us in the comments!

Difference between Adelphean Compass and IMPACT

For those who might not be attending Leadership Seminar, and even for some who are, the two different programs can be a bit confusing. We’re hoping that this blog post explains the two programs, Adelphean Compass and IMPACT.

Adelphean Compass is a leadership seminar geared for current chapter presidents. This program emphasizes a focus on leading with self, vision, action, and relationships. Chapter Presidents learn how to lead while still taking into account different perspectives, as well as, to take initiative and act as an inspirational role model.

IMPACT is for emerging leaders and each chapter has at least one emerging leader attend, some bring more. IMPACT is for participants to explore their potential as leaders. The program, based off our creed, helps participants learn to influence the future of Alpha Delta Pi and their chapters, as well as, look to themselves for personal change and growth.

Each program will be running simultaneously at two different hotels. Adelphean Compass will be hosted at Renaissance Concourse Hotel and IMPACT will be at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel.

Participants of both programs will be housed with roommates of different chapters and members will see their chapter sisters attending the conference at the awards dinner on that Saturday. 

Are you attending Adelphean Compass or IMPACT? What do you hope to learn during these programs? Answer below in the comments section.