Let’s Go to EO!

By: Danielle Krabbe, IMPACT Attendee, Sigma-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 

Me in the room where Gand Council meets, sitting
in International President Tammie Pinkston's
chair!

 Lions and Violets and Diamonds OH MY! While attending IMPACT last week, attendees had the option to visit our Executive Office, and I have to say I am so thrilled I decided to take the trip! I could literally go on and on about my visit with my sisters, but I thought I would just share some of my favorite parts of the afternoon along with many pictures (because you know how we sorority girls are…we LOVE pictures!).


I was in awe pulling up to Memorial Headquarters. The neighborhood was cozy, the landscaping was impeccable, and the mansion was second to none! I mean, just take a look at it! It makes you proud to be an Alpha Delta Pi!




The Creed of Alpha Delta Pi.



A bible used by the Adelphean Society.

A portrait of Eugenia. Memorial HQ has portraits
of all six founders.

But enough about the outside, the inside is where all of the neatest Alpha Delta Pi trinkets are shown on display.   The front part of the mansion, Memorial Headquarters, was renovated in 2004, and it’s like a mini museum! Some of my favorite parts were the Bible, the Alpha Delta Pi Creed (obviously!), and antique badges worn by past prominent sisters. Being surrounded by so much sorority memorabilia really showed me how strong our history is and how close our sisterhood remains. 


And, of course, how could I forget the one and only Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald!?! Not only is she our most famous icon and the founder, but she is also the woman we all strive to become someday. 


When I asked one of the interns, Lindsey Rogers, Eta Upsilon-Wake Forest University, about her favorite part of Memorial Headquarters, she said she loved the illuminated map on the wall that showcased all the chapters in North America. Instantly, I had to go find my chapter on the map (shout out to Sigma!). 


Each light depicts where we have a chapter!


Another intern, Rachel Caltaneo.,Theta Gamma-Sonama State University, said living in Memorial Headquarters was like living in a museum. She spends hours in the library looking up the history of all the chapters! 

Me with Rachel, an intern living at EO.

Upstairs you will find the living headquarters for visitors and interns.  It has a boardroom for Grand Council (I felt like Tammie Pinkston!), bedroom for the summer interns, and spare bedrooms for visitors who spend the night.

Undoubtedly, there are prized possessions handed down from all of the past International Presidents. Don’t you think it would be awesome to spend a night in our headquarters? I know I would love to someday!




IMPACT attendees, looking at all the artifacts
and learning the fun history of ADPi.

 Through a walkway is the new Executive Office added in 2005. It has the offices for employees of Alpha Delta Pi and once again, more memorabilia. 

Debbie Black, Iota-Florida State University, the Office Services Manager, mentioned one of her favorite pieces was the music box bracelet from 1961. Imagine how heavy that would be on your wrist! In addition, photos lined the walls, including a picture dating from when we were still Alpha Delta Phi in 1911. 



Whew! Time flies when you’re having fun, and it was totally true at EO! One moment, the bus dropped us off and it seemed like five minutes later I was squeezing in one last picture with a lion.

I truly had a fantastic time at Executive Office and I am so delighted I got to go to EO with some truly amazing sisters!

Community Building at IMPACT

This Small Town activity created a lot of chatter in the ballroom.

When we say the word community, what do you think that means?

IMPACT collegians talked about shared beliefs, dependability in this Saturday morning session which focused on community and how you can strengthen your chapter's community next fall.

Leaders discuss the goals of their own personal
part of the town.

Small Town USA, a learning activity not the country song, challenged the collegians of the newly formed Diamond Town, Lion Town and Violet Town. Different pride groups worked together to discuss the needs of their own individual parts of the town, working together to create a cohesive unit.

Observers were also picked in each groups to listen and then comment to the group about how each town worked together.

Each groups discussed with the whole session what went right, and what could have been improved, in each session.

Co-Facilitator Adam Cantley said that this exercise is really an exercise in trust.

"You have to a level of trust for this to work, and you have to have trust for your sisterhood to work," He said.

IMPACT Attendees will have one more session tomorrow morning and most will be visiting Executive Office or the Georgia Aquarium this afternoon.

Were you in this session this morning? What did you think of activity? Tell us below in the comments!

IMPACT's First Sessions

IMPACT getting started!

IMPACT attendees braved the coffee shop lines and walked into the ballroom. With pop tunes blaring and  tables of sisters from all over the country, the emerging leaders sat down and chatted with each other, excited to start the first day of sessions.

International President Tammie Pinkston
greeting collegians. 

International President Tammie Pinkston weaved around the ballroom tables conversing and laughing with the collegians, with some members tweeting the pres. is in the house! Ms. Pinkston spoke to the program welcoming the attendees.

"I want to remind you that you're an emerging leader," She said. "We're expecting great things from. you.

Ms. Pinkston went on to say that Alpha Delta Pi is a lifetime commitment and that your stewardship starts here.

Next the co-facilitators spoke to the attendees and both expressed their excitement.

"I'm a huge ADPi fan," co-facilitator Adam Cantley exclaimed. "I know we're going to have a great week."

The co-facilitators went on to explain what Alpha Delta Pi expects from the attendees, as well as, the great opportunity these college women have this weekend.

"This is an opportunity to get to know 139 of your sisters from around the country," Co-Facilitator Annie Durant said. "And also get to know your facilitators."

Some of IMPACT's amazing facilitators. 

IMPACT is all about participation and we're encouraging attendees to join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #ADPiLS2012 and mention @IMPACT_ADPi.

"If you have a great point, we want to hear what you have to say," Durant said.

These tweets will even be displayed during all meal times and some may even be featured in an upcoming issue of the Adelphean.

Now the attendees are broken up into their pride groups for the weekend. Fun names for the groups, penguins, books, crayons, cars, apples are scattered around the room playing team-building games and led by two facilitators, an ADPi and one of our ADPi friends. Beach balls are lobbed and hula hoops lifted while attendees learn how to work in their new groups with their facilitators.

Pride Group members discuss a session. 

Be on the lookout for more updates from the IMPACT program. We will be sharing updates all weekend!

Are you an IMPACT Attendee this weekend? Tell us how the first sessions went 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!

IMPACT Participants' Free Afternoon



Memorial Headquarters and Executive Office.



We’ve talked about Adelphean Compass attendees’ trip to Macon but IMPACT participants will also have some fun the Saturday of LS with a free afternoon.

Most attendees already know where they’re going to be embarking to on that Saturday. Alpha Delta Pi offered trips to Memorial Headquarters, as well as, to the Georgia Aquarium.

Here at Executive Office, the silver has been polished and all of our ADPi memorabilia prepped for the collegians’ arrival. Sisters meander from room to room seeing the history of ADPi. They can also see the portrait of Elizabeth Williams Mitchell, which was unveiled at last year’s convention.

The Georgia Aquarium

Those with a love of all things marine will be visiting the Georgia Aquarium, which is the world’s largest. Tropical fish, dolphins and jelly fish will delight visitors; maybe you’ll even spot an azure blue and white fish.

For those attendees who elected to not visit the aquarium, there are still tons of fun things to do around the hotel and Atlanta.

The Westin has both an indoor and outdoor pool, which would be a great place to break in your new ADPi beach towel you snagged from Gift Mart. Who wouldn’t love a little poolside nap before the awards dinner?

The Varsity restaurant in Atlanta.

For the more adventurous types there are tons to do in the city. There’s the Coca-Cola museum (Atlanta is the birthplace of Coke), The Varsity (An Atlanta institution for chili dogs and Frosted Oranges), The High Museum of art, shopping and more.

We do have to warn you, Atlanta traffic can be hectic sometimes. Be sure to leave yourselves plenty of extra time to prepare for any traffic jams and so you have time to get ready for the awards dinner. Because frankly, no one likes frantically changing in your hotel room, or even worse, missing the bus!

Are you going to Memorial HQ or the aquarium during your free period? What are you most excited to see in Atlanta? Tell us below in the comments!

What to expect at IMPACT

By: Megan Stroup, Leadership Consultant 2012-2013


For those of you who are looking forward to your first Leadership Seminar this summer, get excited! I attended IMPACT in 2010 when I was serving as my chapter’s Panhellenic Delegate, and I’m thrilled to be going back for Adelphean Compass this summer as an incoming Leadership Consultant. Today, I wanted to share with you the highlights of my time at IMPACT so you know what you have to look forward to.


The sheer amount of Pi-ness will overwhelm you. In 2010, I was entering the hotel for the first time and saw Alphie, larger than life, projected on the marble lobby wall. You will see more lion bracelets, sandals, tote bags, etc., than you have ever seen in your life, and you will want to buy everything in Gift Mart. Be sure to bring extra spending money.



Kelly and I at Leadership Seminar in 2010 (left) and
Grand Convention in 2011 (right).

Making new friends. I think it’s great that IMPACT and Adelphean Compass are in different hotels this year because that means women from the same chapter can’t band together during the social events. It’s seriously so important that you talk to the women around you and meet sisters from different chapters. The lessons you can learn from each other are invaluable.

In fact, I loved my roommate, Kelly, at Leadership Seminar so much that the next year, when we were both chapter presidents, we roomed together at Grand Convention! (I realize that’s not exactly taking my own advice on branching out, but I promise I met lots of new people at Convention, too!)

So make an effort to eat your meals and spend your free time with different women, and be sure to get their contact information. You can be great resources for each other during the year ahead. Your pride might even want to start a Facebook group to ask for advice and provide feedback after you leave LS.




Striking a diamond pose with Claire Brown
Gwaltney, International President from 2007-11.


Hobnobbing with the Alpha Delta Pi elite, a.k.a. Grand Council and the Executive Office staff, as well as countless district, province and chapter volunteers. Warning: Prepare to stand in line for pictures with Grand Council. They really are celebrities!




Look at those violets!

Violets for your sister. The violet fundraiser is really neat! It’s fun to see the women who have served Alpha Delta Pi for years (or even decades!) get so many violets they can’t even fit them all on their name tags. 

Chapter Presidents from Omicron I province before the awards
dinner. Notice the violet on Ashley's name tag (far left).



Be sure to pre-order some violets for your chapter advisors and other people who have helped you during your term. It’s nice to be appreciated, and there’s nothing more exciting than stopping by the violet table and finding one with your name on it!

[Editor's Note]- The deadline to pre-order violets is June 18th. See our previous Blog Post for more information and how to order.





While I obviously enjoyed every minute of IMPACT in 2010, do you want to know my single most exciting moment? I was crossing the street with a group of women in our ADPi letters after visiting the aquarium, and an older woman coming toward us gave me the call. That’s right. She. Gave. Me. The. Call. Is it just me, or is it so exciting when you discover the bonds of sisterhood with complete strangers across the country?

I hope my post has you excited for IMPACT (even more excited than you already were, I mean), and I hope to meet many of you there!

Did Megan's post make you more excited about IMPACT? What's your favorite tip? Be sure to tell us in the comments below!

Reflections from IMPACT 2010

This group is all smiles at LS 2010.

After Leadership Seminar 2010, Alpha Delta Pi sent surveys to all the attendees asking what they thought of the programs. We got a great response and, for the next two days, we’re going to showcase some fun quotes from these surveys.

We hope these great responses show the 2012 attendees all there is to look forward to at LS. Today, we’re going to be focusing on IMPACT and what our 2010 emerging leaders thought of the program. 

The question that elicited some of the most fun responses was simply What did you liked the most about IMPACT? Here's what collegians had to say about IMPACT!



A session during IMPACT 2010.



IMPACT attendees loved meeting sisters from all over the country, and Canada!

“I really enjoyed meeting my sisters from across the country and Canada. We had the chance to interact with a lot of women. I also really enjoyed the Pride Groups and the discussions. It was really informative and it was neat sharing ideas.”

“I really enjoyed the sisterhood that I experienced and I enjoyed the time I got to spend talking with girls from other chapters about how they do things and what works for them. I also enjoyed the overall emphasis on leadership and how it was broken down into several parts.”

The collegians also really enjoyed the pride program component of IMPACT.

“The Prides-- I felt so close and connected to my pride by the end of the weekend. It was so awesome to experience things together.”

“The Advisors were passionate and excited to be there. It was a great chance to meet other women and learn about their chapters. I think the best part was the prides. Having a small group of women that you could get to know very well instead of large conference meetings all day was very beneficial. Also the closing ceremony was very beneficial because I feel it made us pledge to strive for something and say it in front of 250 other people who can hold us accountable.”

New sisters become new friends at LS 2010.

Overall, attendees shared their positive experiences about the IMPACT program on the survey.

“The stress put on values and creed, and how that needs to be a major part of each Alpha Delta Pi members' lives and the operations of each chapter.”

“I absolutely LOVED the Impact program and though it was so beneficial. I liked having one of my Pride Leaders as a male because he added new and different insights to our discussions. I thought it was fantastic and it really got me pumped up about my office. It also helped knowing that we all have our issues and was so nice meeting so many of my sisters and even though we did not know anything about each other, we all shared the bond of Alpha Delta Pi.”

Be sure to follow our blog, you can follow by email on the right hand side of the site, and catch what the Adelphean Compass attendees thought of their program tomorrow.

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

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.