University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sorority & Fraternity Life

I had a great time this evening at Alpha Gamma Rho’s Administrator Appreciation Dinner. A big thank you to Owen Marcey and Nate Stroup for inviting me and members of my leadership team (Byron Hughes, PhD and Susannah Marshman). We enjoyed the fellowship, great conversation, and learning all about the great things happening at AGR!

As elections for my sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, are just around the corner, I wanted to reflect on the opportunity I had to serve as Vice President of Operations. Through this role, I developed myself both personally and professionally. Vice President of Operations truly taught me how to manage my time, the importance of organizational skills, and how to delegate tasks to individuals as they may arise. Some of the many tasks I performed included leading weekly Monday night meetings, meeting deadlines for various events/ tasks by Headquarters and the OSFL staff, leading a team of eight people with their assigned tasks, working much of the behind-the-scenes of our sorority, and so much more! In addition, I served as a source of communication as a liaison between our chapter members, other executive board members, AOII Headquarters, the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life staff, and the larger Greek community here at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Serving in an organization such as AOII has been my greatest joy and an opportunity to learn from so many incredible individuals who bring so much to every table. I am eager to see what the next Executive Board holds and hopefully have the opportunity to continue serving in an organization that continues to do so much good!

Last week University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sorority & Fraternity Life hosted the annual Greek Gala, honoring Hall of Fame inductees and celebrating tremendous growth across the community. As of fall 2024, 8,933 students, approximately 30% of the undergraduate population, are members of Greek-letter organizations.

✨Last week, I represented the Academic Success Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. - Official at the first Greek Networking Night hosted by University of Tennessee Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration and University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sorority & Fraternity Life with the. It was great networking (and meeting students where they are by reminding them of academic services because my coaching hat is always on and Connectedness is my #1 Clifton Strength 😉) along with telling them my “Why” into my career! It was a good time!✨ • • • #HigherEd #Connectedness #NetworkingToSuccess #LetMeShowYouHowToNetwork!

Mentors matter… a lot. When I look back on my collegiate experience in the Epsilon-Omicron Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I have much to be grateful for. I made incredible friends, had impactful life experiences, engaged with University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sorority & Fraternity Life, and developed hard/soft skills that serve me to this day. I also owe my current occupation with Lambda Chi Alpha & a lifelong passion for fraternity, to my time in Knoxville. Arguably none of these experiences would have been possible without meeting the mentors that changed my life while in school. Here are three critical things I learned (and am now extraordinarily grateful for) though maybe wasn’t at the time: 1. Good mentors help you to see the bigger picture. I vividly recall the first time I disagreed passionately about something, and I’m not always great at admitting I am wrong. Tom, Cleve & Falcon being willing to hold me accountable & explain their "why" helped me learn that it is okay to admit I didn't know/was incorrect. I didn't enjoy it, but I am eternally grateful that day happened at the early age it did. I now take into account I don’t have to always have the "right" answers. 2. Great mentors challenge you to think/execute differently. Cleve loved to frustrate us in judicial meetings -- every time that we were making a decision, he challenged the process. He always ensured that we thought through our decision, it's impact, and how we were challenging members to grow. Even on decisions that felt easy, Cleve ensured we were working through the process & considering all options. I now consider myself to be more fair & even-keeled because of it. 3. Incredible mentors care about you personally (outside of a position or an organization). Every time I speak with these guys we have much to catch up on about Lambda Chi Alpha at UT - they are still just as involved as ever. Despite this, one of the things I love is that they don't just care about our mutual interests, but they developed a personal care for me that still holds to this day. I met their families, friends, interacted with their businesses, and much more. I learned that even incredible mentors who give so much of themselves to something, have countless other competing priorities. This weekend, I returned home to Knoxville & got to see some men that have impacted me so much. I had so many mentors during my time in Lambda Chi Alpha, such as Tom McNutt, “Cleve” Michael May, Mark Wilson, Falcon Belew, Andrew Dorris, Danny Kirby & many more. Though I only got pictures with some, it was great to see all at 1848 Fraternity Park Drive for Tennessee v Florida weekend. While we may talk less than we used to (and certainly see each other less), it makes the returns to home sweet home on Rocky Top that much better. I am in large part, who I am today, because of these guys.

Had an excellent time creating and giving this presentation to our Greek community with Reece Lagerblade! I credit my fraternity experience with sparking my love for higher education and for giving me skills I use every day (communication/public speaking, conflict management, time management, adaptability, and so much more). Any day I get to help our students connect their fraternity and sorority experiences to their careers is a great day in my book! Reece, thanks again for being a great co-presenter and a great student leader! #GoVols #GoGreek University of Tennessee Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration

I am extremely excited to announce that we have successfully initiated 38 new members into Pi Kappa Alpha Zeta chapter at the University of Tennessee. Reflecting on my time as Vice President/New Member Educator for PIKE, I’m incredibly grateful for the leadership and growth opportunities it provided. In this role, I had the privilege of helping guide 38 new members, majority of whom were living away from home for the first time, through their pledgeship and personal development. These first couple months at college are extremely important to instill successful habits that will continue to benefit them throughout their college experience as well as post graduation. One of the key lessons I emphasized throughout this time was the importance of structure. For freshmen, balancing the demands of school, social life, and extracurricular activities can be overwhelming. By creating a strong supportive environment, we helped our new members establish healthy routines, develop time management skills, and set priorities—all critical to thriving in their first year away from home. This experience taught me the value of providing guidance and mentorship to those who need it most, and the importance of balancing responsibilities in a way that promotes both personal growth and academic success. I’m proud of the impact I was able to make and excited to carry these lessons forward into my career. I would also like to thank my committee, who helped me guide these young men, as I would not of been able to manage them on my own! Thanks to Ben Silberman, Fisher Donovan, Jacob Woltman, Thomas Dezio, Bob Paster, Nolan Stern, @Joshua Goode, Eliot Edward and William Brodie. #Leadership #UniversityofTennessee #PIKE

Super excited for what's to come next week! I remember 6+ months ago when Greek Networking Night was just an idea. Now we're excited to host a large & growing list of employers, Greek alumni, and students of all 4 Greek councils! ➡ Information and sign-ups for employers, alumni, and students are all listed below!

Wow!! I am so incredibly proud of how this event worked out!! As the VP of New Member Development for our Panhellenic Executive Council, I was tasked with our Annual Welcome Home Event. My goal was to improve the outlook on a mandatory event, make it more fun and engaging, and allow our new members and active members to be able to participate in enjoying local businesses. We had more than 2,900 attendees and more than 15 local and student businesses who participated in this event. In addition, we provided popcorn, cotton candy, and cookies for the attendees! The bouncy houses and Dunk-Your-Gamma-Chi were a hit among our Active and New Members. Special thanks to Kendra Scott of Knoxville for donating a percentage of their sales to Circle of Sisterhood, our Panhellenic Philanthropy. Thank you to my advisor Michaela LaFountaine, Graduate Assistant Camille Moffatt, and my director Callie Spicer for helping me with this vision! University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sorority & Fraternity Life

Today, two members of the Hazing Prevention Team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville hosted a Hazing Preventative Pathway Certificate Training for faculty and staff on Rocky Top! Hailey Flavin, M.S. (Chair) and Jamie Baroff-Thompson outlined how to #identify, #act, and #prevent when it comes to different stakeholders on campus, and each participate took away an action plan to how to increase their departments resources and prevention work surrounding hazing. Hailey is the Assistant Director for Harm and Risk Reduction in OSFL. Jamie is a Graduate Assistant in OSFL working with IFC and Psi Society. Thank you both for a great lunch & learn training! Learn more about hazing prevention at Tennessee at hazingprevention.utk.edu #BeTheLeader #HazingPrevention #Highered #utk | Division of Student Life at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Hazing Prevention Network | Association of Fraternity & Sorority Advisors