Leadership within the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority at FSU

 

      As the college application process was wrapping up and November of my senior year was approaching, I knew exactly what University that I wanted to attend. My acceptance letter arrived from Florida State and the letter not only stated that I was admitted into the University, but solidified where I would be continuing my education for the next 4 years.

     In high school, I was always super involved, a part of numerous clubs, and held leadership positions within my senior class; however, I was now going to attend a university with over 40,000 students and face excessive difficulty in attaining these sought after leadership positions I desired to hold.

     Before coming to Florida State, I decided to register for Panhellenic Recruitment, along with 2,000 other girls, who wanted to join a sorority. The seven-day long process consisted of meetings, conversations with sisters in every chapter, narrowing down the amount of chapters we had left each day, and running home to a sorority house on bid day. I never completely understood what a sorority was and the impact it would have on the Florida State campus and community, but the entire week of recruitment and interaction with multiple chapters changed my perspective entirely. The Panhellenic Board instilled in all the Potential New Members (also known as PNMs during the process) that their motto was to “Discover What Lies Within” (FSU Panhellenic, 2017) and the importance of women empowering women.

     On the final day of recruitment, I unsealed my bid card and I ran home to Gamma Phi Beta. From that moment on, until initiation, I became a New Member and began the new member education process. The new pledge class became familiar with the Gamma Phi Beta philanthropy, Building Strong Girls, learning about the events the sorority holds around campus throughout the year, and learned about the history of the sorority since being founded in 1874. Additionally, we were introduced and worked closely with all of the Executive Board members that headed this chapter. There are a total of 7 women on the Executive Board, who hold positions that range from President and Administrative VP to Education VP and the New Member Educator. Each woman has a specific position within the chapter and being able to see how they aid in the function and success of this chapter, I began to admire the leadership qualities they all possess and envision myself holding a position on the Exec. Board.

     I held many different leadership positions when I was in high school, and the commitment helped manage my time and eventually aided in the success of my grades because of the promotion of a daily routine and planning. I wanted to see if this trend was shown after girls joined a sorority, so I began to research multiple different circumstances. In the journal “Do Fraternities and Sororities Enhance Socially Responsible Leadership?”, author Georgianna Martin analyzed the leadership of first year Greek affiliated students. The article stated that “first year sorority members demonstrated significantly higher scores on many dimensions of leadership” (Martin, 2012). Additionally, the study continued four years later with the research article titled “Do Fraternities and Sororities Still Enhance Socially Responsible Leadership?” by Michael Hevel. In this article, there was not a trend between leadership qualities and Greek affiliated students; however, students holding higher positions within their chapter exhibited additional points on the dimensions of leadership (Hevel, 2014).

     After the completion of the new member process and initiation, I developed interest in each particular Executive Board position and their purpose within Gamma Phi Beta. I wanted to have some insight and background of the roles before pursuing a position during my years as an upperclassman in the sorority. I set up an interview with the Education Vice President, Elizabeth McLean, where I asked her a series of questions and began to break the boundary between a new member and an Executive member.

In the interview, she spoke about the chapters’ influence on her life, her leadership skills molded by her experience in Gamma Phi Beta, and her specific position as Education Vice President. She has 18 people in her department, working under her, who help manage all things involving scholarship, new members, sisterhood, and rituals. Furthermore, Elizabeth stated that she follows the Gamma Phi Beta mission statement, “Promoting the Highest Type of Womanhood” (Gamma Phi Beta, Inc., 2016), in all of her decision-making and planning for the lessons and events the chapter women take part in weekly. Lastly, Elizabeth stated: “The ‘Collegiate Operations Manual’ is the official Gamma Phi Beta text I follow for all rules and guidelines [in order to best do my job]”. Interviewing Elizabeth was extremely useful and gave me insight into the Collegiate Operations Manual, which I was completely unaware of, and allowed me to discover and analyze the manual as a piece of text operating specifically within the Executive Board.         After my first interview with Elizabeth, I became more intrigued about the COM and its primary function within the Executive Board of the sorority. Originally, I was under the impression that the manual was a general packet of information given to the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board from Florida State as a way to properly conduct events and meetings with the women, which the University approves and interprets as acceptable. In a follow up series of questions, I asked Lizzie more about the COM and she emailed me a PDF to the manual. The manual contained all of the information for the Executive Board and explained how to correctly fulfill the role of the positions they held, as well as additional information for their role within the Beta Mu chapter at Florida State.

     During the same week, I attended a chapter meeting where the new Executive Board of 2017-2018 was installed. Along with the installation, I witnessed the oath that the new board members had to repeat to our current President, Shannon McKenney. In the oath, the COM is referenced and the officers were prompted to repeat a phrase that designated the COM as the primary piece of text for the officers to contact if they had any questions about their position, or questions about how to fulfill their responsibility through the guidelines of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

     Contrary to my preconceived belief, I opened up the PDF of the manual and realized that this was very specific for Gamma Phi Beta. It is printed with the Gamma Phi Beta shield, as well as symbols of the sorority, including the crescent moon, pink carnation flowers, and a book. The COM claims to be a “reference manual for how collegiate chapters conduct business and is to be utilized by all chapter officers, chapter advisors, volunteers and members of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority” (Collegiate Operations Manual, 2017).

After analyzing the PDF, I concluded that the Collegiate Operations Manual (also known as the COM) is a piece of text that all Gamma Phi Beta Executive Members use as a document and guideline to correctly perform the roles of their positions in the most effective and efficient way possible, stated by the sorority. It has been passed down for many decades and an oath is given to each slated Executive Board member that they will use and reference this manual during all tasks they endure during their term as an Executive member. The COM has also been used by countless Executive Boards, and is an exceptional text to represent the abilities and leadership skills the women must have in order to effectively hold their positions.

     In my additional interview with Elizabeth, which focused only on the function of the COM within her position, I asked her a series of questions including: Which part of the manual do you utilize the most? How has it been beneficial to your position? How often do you reference the COM? Etc. This interview was in person so I don’t have her exact words but her answers were just as I expected. She utilizes the section titled “Education Vice President” the most often. The COM answers any unanswered questions she may have, as well as clarify things she is and isn’t allowed to do. Before making any major decisions in regard to the well being of the sorority, its members, when she has questions that come up periodically, or questions that people ask her, she will reference the manual.

I went to the “Education Vice President” section, starting on page 85 of the COM (Collegiate Operations Manual, 2017), and I found that there are 3 main topics with various subtopics, as well as a statement explaining that the Education VP has to report to the chapter President, who reports to the Chapter Advisor. The 3 main topics of the “Education Vice President” section are Specific Responsibilities, Supplies, and Requirements. I am going to be mainly focused on the first topic, Specific Responsibilities.

     The topic “Specific Responsibilities” includes position-specific responsibilities, department management, operational knowledge, committee and meeting participation, and international Gamma Phi Beta. Within the main Specific Responsibilities topic, I will be focusing on the “Position-specific responsibilities” subtopic, which includes exactly what is required of Elizabeth and the role she has within the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board, as well as what she claims as most valuable to explaining the role of being the Education VP.

     There are a total of 9 different “Position-specific responsibilities” that range from specific Beta Mu requires to ones designated by Internationals. I asked Elizabeth what her 3 most referenced and useful responsibilities were and she explained that the responsibilities are very vague and are up for interpretation, based on the requirements of each chapter; however, she said that responsibilities numbered four, six, and seven were the most vital for her position as Education Vice President.

Responsibility #4 states: “Plan and coordinate an all-chapter sisterhood retreat within one week of Bid Day” (Collegiate Operations Manual, 2017). Each semester, the entire chapter travels together to a place where they can bond, interact, and become closer as a sisterhood. It is up to Elizabeth to plan these events in order to grow as a chapter and influence the experiences each sister has during their time as a Gamma Phi Beta. The aspect of the time line mentioned for this event to occur is up for interpretation; however, every other aspect is vital for Elizabeth to accomplish. As stated previously, she has 18 people underneath her in her department. There is a specific sister designated to help her and gather a committee to help plan and organize the sisterhood retreat. Elizabeth considers this responsibility to be the most crucial because it is something that each sister looks forward to and grows the sisterhood side of the chapter.

     Responsibility #6 states: “Assist the PACE chairwoman in implementing PACE programs for the chapter” (Collegiate Operations Manual, 2017). PACE is a branch of chapter that occurs bi-monthly and is informative and informational for sisters that attend. The information presented during PACE ranges from education about safe consumption of alcohol to how to avoid unhealthy relationships. This is a part of the sorority that Elizabeth believes many people over look when they stereotype a sorority and assume the women represent. This is a way for the chapter to build a safe environment for the women to be honest, real, and human. Again, this responsibility is up for interpretation because each chapter is able to determine what lesson is taught during the PACE chapter meeting. Elizabeth has a PACE chairwoman who works under her, but she makes sure all of the sisters complete the online lesson for each PACE chapter.

     Lastly, responsibility #7 states: “Assist the new member educator and ritual chairwoman in planning Initiation Week and Initiation” (Collegiate Operations Manual, 2017). Elizabeth believes that this is such a crucial part of the new member process because the new girls begin to question whether or not they want to stay in this chapter, as well as this being an experience sacred to the sorority (and its founders). The new member educator spends almost 2 months preparing the new members for Initiation and the ritual chairwoman begins to prepare for all of the Gamma Phi Beta secrets to revealed. In regard to Gamma Phi Beta Internationals and the overall sorority as a whole, not just as a chapter, this responsibility would be deemed as most important. Again, this responsibility is up for interpretation because each new member educator and ritual chairwoman requires different things from the Education VP each year.

     Sororities and the Panhellenic Counsel collectively focus on the empowerment of women and promotion of leadership skills through out the Florida State campus and in each specific chapter. The fact that women are able to hold leadership positions within a society is unbelievable compared to how it was about 100 years ago in the United States; and the creation of these sororities in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was the true boundary breaker for women’s rights and freedoms as independent and empowered women, during a time period where male dominance was most prevalent and viewed as acceptable.

After researching the data between leadership and sorority involvement, interviewing the Education Vice President, Elizabeth McLean, from the Executive Board, referencing the Collegiate Operations Manual, and collecting first hand evidence from my involvement in the installation of the new 2017-2018 Executive Board, I believe that becoming a member of the Executive Board and a leader within the chapter is nothing but beneficial. The various positions promote the empowerment of women, building leadership skills, and allowing for the promotion of time management, cooperation, and important life skills to develop during a crucial time period in an individual’s life.

     In reference to the analyzed text, Collegiate Operations Manual, I believe it would be beneficial for the COM to be an easily accessible document for members of the sorority. This manual will be beneficial for any potential member thinking about or applying for an Executive or appointed position in the future. It will allow members to find the position that will best suit their talents and which one is most appealing to them. It will only be positive for the chapter of the sorority if underclassmen are able to mold their talents and capabilities into the qualities necessary for a specific position, in order for them to best perform that position in the future.

 

 

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References

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. “Education Vice President.” Collegiate Operations Manual,     

Summer 2017 Edition, Gamma Phi Beta, 0ADAD, pp. 85-87.

 

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, INC. A Lifetime of Gamma Phi Beta: An Introduction to          

Gamma Phi Beta; Gamma Phi Beta Mission Statement (8), 2016.

 

Hevel, Michael S., et al. “Do Fraternities and Sororities Still Enhance Socially                               

Responsible Leadership? Evidence from the Fourth Year of College.” Journal of           

Student Affairs Research and Practice, vol. 51, no. 3, 01 Jan. 2014, pp. 233-245.

 

Martin, Georgianna L., et al. “Do Fraternities and Sororities Enhance Socially       

Responsible Leadership?.” Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, vol.  

49, no. 3, 01 Aug. 2012, pp. 267-284.

 

“Mission Statement.” Panhellenic Association at FSU, www.floridastateph.com/.

 

 

 

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Annotated Bibliography

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, INC. A Lifetime of Gamma Phi Beta: An Introduction to          

Gamma Phi Beta; Gamma Phi Beta Guiding Principles (8), 2016.

 

     This section of the Gamma Phi Beta New Member guideline book is in reference to all of the principles that Gamma Phi Beta promotes, perpetuates, fosters, and advocates through their sorority. The section ‘Gamma Phi Beta Guiding Principles’ of the chapter ‘An Introduction to Gamma Phi Beta’ acts as an informative and guiding piece for the young women joining this chapter, as well as what sets Gamma Phi Beta apart from other chapters on Florida State’s campus. The guiding principles include lifelong commitment, intellectual and personal growth, and service to humanity. Also, it states that the sorority “fosters enduring friendships and advocates for ethical behavior, respect, authenticity, accountability, and integrity” (8). This text illustrates an informative genre about the sorority and the leading factors in it. There is a potential bias in this informational book because it only focuses on Gamma Phi Beta, and not the other sororities; therefore, I won’t be able to distinguish Gamma Phi apart from any other sorority. Although, this will be extremely helpful because it shows a direct correlation to the function of the Executive Board in the Beta Mu chapter of Gamma Phi Beta at Florida State. 

 

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, INC. A Lifetime of Gamma Phi Beta: An Introduction to          

Gamma Phi Beta; Gamma Phi Beta Mission Statement (8), 2016.

 

     The mission state of Gamma Phi Beta states: “To inspire the highest type of womanhood” (8). This mission statement acts as the overall goal and mantra of the sorority that binds all of the women together. After my interview with an Executive Board member, I believe that they mission statement will be an extremely useful piece of evidence that will aid as the driving force of all of the effort that the board puts into this chapter at Florida State. I don’t see as much bias in this statement, compared to the Guiding Principles, because this is completely individualized to Gamma Phi and only is relevant within its own mission. This leads me to question how the chapter at Florida State is specifically achieving the goal of the mission statement and I will probably schedule a following up meeting with the Executive Board member that I interviewed, Lizzie, to become more familiar with the direct relation to Gamma Phi.

 

Martin, Georgianna L., et al. “Do Fraternities and Sororities Enhance Socially       

Responsible Leadership?.” Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, vol.  

49, no. 3, 01 Aug. 2012, pp. 267-284.

 

     This article is peer-reviewed and a full text. This article studies the leadership of first year students who are members of a fraternity and a sorority. Based on the title, it is evident that the information about the fraternity wouldn’t be useful to me, but the sorority aspects would be. This article showed that first year sorority “members demonstrated significantly higher scores on two dimensions of leadership”. There is a bias in this article because first year sorority members are only compared to unaffiliated women, not to first year members of other chapters or non-first year students of the same chapter. I found this article useful because it directly correlates with my 4th source, where there was no correlation/difference in leadership skills between unaffiliated and fourth-year sorority women. This linkage and comparison allowed me to start questioning why this is happening and what external outlets are also playing a role in the results of the leadership components shown in first-year sorority women.   

 

Hevel, Michael S., et al. “Do Fraternities and Sororities Still Enhance Socially                               

Responsible Leadership? Evidence from the Fourth Year of College.” Journal of           

Student Affairs Research and Practice, vol. 51, no. 3, 01 Jan. 2014, pp. 233-245.

 

     This article is both peer-reviewed and a part of a full text. This article directly correlates with the source that I mentioned as number 3, because the study has continued from first-year fraternity and sorority students to fourth-year affiliated students. Again, the information about the fraternity does not provide any help towards my research, but the information about the sorority women does. This article shows a different result than from the article about first-year students. This one states that there is no difference in leadership components/skills when comparing fourth year affiliated and unaffiliated students. Again, there is some bias to this article because chapter women and men of various years are not compared to each other, as well as men and women of different chapters in the same year. This is not useful to the extent that I interviewed a senior Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board Member, but does provide use in allowing me to determine and assess the reasons that there were differences between the first year students, and no differences between the fourth year students.

 

Preston-Cunningham, Tammie, et al. “Defining Leadership: Collegiate Women’s   

Learning Circles: A Qualitative Approach.” Journal of Leadership Education,      

vol. 16, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 133-147.

 

     This article is very relevant to my topic because it studies and defines leadership within young women. Gamma Phi Beta only relates to females; therefore, it is beneficial to have found a research paper that does the same. The article defines leadership of first-year females by their involvement with the Women’s Learning Circle. Comparatively, I will be studying the leadership skills of females through the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board. It will also be beneficial to compare the findings that this article claims, compared to the one mentioned in number 3 of the Bibliography because they both study first year students. In this article, there is bias because it narrows the definition of leadership down to traits and behaviors, and doesn’t take into account all of the other definitions given by the other girls. Lastly, this article studies and listens to 54 female students, where I will be evaluating the Executive Board, which comprises about 10 girls.

 

Fairlie, Anne M., et al. “Fraternity and Sorority Leaders and Members: A Comparison of            

Alcohol Use, Attitudes, and Policy Awareness.” American Journal of Drug & Alcohol

Abuse, vol. 36, no. 4, July 2010, pp. 187-193.

 

     In this article, there is a main focus on alcohol and comparison between Greek leaders and Greek members. This article is beneficial towards my research because it examines Greek leaders and Greek members, where I am a current members, but striving to be a leader. In addition, it has been difficult to find an article that actually references leaders and not just the sorority/fraternity as a whole, so this will also be useful in my study/research. There is some bias in this article because it is based upon a survey, and some students could have been dishonest and tried to hide the amount of alcohol that they consume, as well as their attitudes and behaviors. The study’s conclusion states that there was not a difference between Greek leaders and Greek members; however, it did say that it could be “highly variable across college and university campuses”. This article will also play a role in my interview follow up questions, as I will be able to ask alcohol related questions and gather her thoughts about the differences in attitudes and behaviors of alcohol within Gamma Phi Beta, through the perspective of a Greek leader.

 

Haack, Kirsten. “Women, Organizational Crisis, and Access to Leadership in        

International Organizations.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, vol. 38, no. 2,        

Apr-June2017, p.175

 

     This article is extremely beneficial to my study of the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board and its role within the sorority, because it focuses on just women, as well as the leadership positions held by women in the World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. All four organizations are diverse and can apply to the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board. The article focuses on breaking the glass and allowing women to run for these higher positions, as well as the leadership qualities they possess allowing them to run for the leadership roles. Also, the article states that after breaking the glasses and having women run for these positions, they can finally be viewed as impactful, worthy, and acceptable candidates. I’m interested and intrigued to compare the leadership roles of these women within these organizations to the women of Gamma Phi Beta, and see the direct comparison of the female role in a society.

 

Klettner, Alice, alice.klettner@uts.edu.au, et al. “Strategic and Regulatory Approaches to            

Increasing Women in Leadership: Multilevel Targets and Mandatory Quotas as            

Levers for Cultural Changes.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 133, no. 3, Feb.       

2016, pp. 395-419.

 

    This article is about the “emerging positive increases in the participation of women on company boards, but paired with less evidence of significant change in women as senior executive ranks”. I believe this article will be beneficial to my research because it is evaluating women on the scale of becoming apart of an Executive Board, as well as promotion of the cultural and practical change. In addition, this article show the support of a greater representation of women in leadership, and this is exactly what Gamma Phi Beta strives to do, as well. This article and the study/research were composed/done in Australia; therefore, it might be difficult to compare these results to those of the sororities found in the United States. However, it could be beneficial to see both perspectives of women and the empowering of women in two differing countries. Lastly, it will be interesting to see a comparison between company boards and the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board, and the growing leadership skills that steam from these positions.

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Cimirotić, Rusmir, et al. “Enabling Factors That Contribute to Women Reaching   

Leadership Positions in Business Organizations.” Management Research Review,           

vol. 40, no. 2, Feb. 2017, p. 165.

 

     So far, this article seems to be the most beneficial to me because it exemplifies the mission statement of Gamma Phi Beta, which is to strive for the highest type of womanhood. This article studies that factors that contribute to women finding their place in leadership positions within a company/occupation. In the abstract, it says that the purpose of the paper is to “identify factors that support the advancement of those female executives who have reached a leadership position”. As the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board works below the Internationals and above the Greek members, they are also working extremely diligently in promoting womanhood, empowering women, and be impactful towards the organization. This article demonstrates exactly what the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board strives to do in order to see the best for its members, as well as grow roles that women can pursue. Lastly, it will be valuable to see and compare the characteristics of leadership for the women striving to have roles with an occupation, compared to a sorority.

 

Haber-Curran, Paige. “The Delicate Balancing Act: Challenges and Successes Facing         

College Student Women in Formal Leadership Roles.” NASPA Journal about Women in

Higher Education, vol. 6, no. 1, Feb. 2013, p. 71.

 

     This article the successes, as well as the challenges, faced by college women in leadership roles. I chose to examine this article because it was one of the only that mentioned specific challenges that women faced, not just positives, so I felt that this article would have less bias. Also, this article is based off of interviews conducted and journals written by the females, all primary sources, which what I was doing by interviewing members of the Gamma Phi Beta Executive Board. This article made me reevaluate my questions for my follow up interview and allowed me to reflect and think about the challenges that members of the Gamma Phi Executive Board face on a daily basis. For example, college is full of underage drinking and many members of the sorority are underage. I am sure the Executive Board has many measures put into place to respect the law, as well as the mission statement of the sorority.