To me citizenship means giving back to the community that helped shape and mold you into the person that you are. The way in which you give back can be very different. First let me tell you how I like to give back, so that I can make my community a better place to live. I volunteer 10-15 hours a quarter or more on the Ohio State Campus. I organize water stations for marathons and half marathons that come through columbus, I clean up trash on Indianola Ave at least once a month, through my old school district I volunteer coach wrestling, football and track when I have time. With wrestling in particular, I have contributed over 100 hours since being at Ohio State. Thats just me, one man, one person, one body, that does all of that. There are people that do more and people that do less.
For Ohio State Greek Life to really take off, we need to have a stronger sense of citizenship. That may mean doing what I have done, by community service, but it could also mean raising money to go to a charity or hosting a canned food drive to give to the needy around Columbus, or it could mean donating blood to the red cross so lives can be saved. All of these things are a way for all of us in Greek Life to take part in active citizenship.
Look at greek week. Every year there is a greek tug of war. Its fun and challenging all at the same time. But it brings the greek community together for one week, where we can all participate and have fun together. The following is a clip of a tug of war match from Greek Week:
This shows the unity shared and also the fun shared by the greek community. Most people have a great time with the greek olympics.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Panel Discussion
I think that one of the biggest things I took from the panel, is that the majority of the people on the panel agreed that there needs to be more collaboration between the different councils for our greek community at Ohio State to grow. For that collaboration to happen, I think that the staff at the Ohio Union should host 2-3 events a year, specifically for greek members from different councils to meet and talk with each other. If something along those lines happens, then I think we will begin to see a change in the mood here at Ohio State.
Another thing I enjoyed hearing about while at the panel discussion was Jordan Davis' discussion on how she enhanced her leadership abilities when she took over as recruitment chair for her chapter after coming back from a long internship out of country. To me, that Is how leaders really begin to define their leadership styles. Some people are more stern with things and by the book. Other people think outside of the box and develop new ideas that could possibly help their chapters. I think that in the todays society we need both types of leaders. By that I mean we need people thinking of new ideas and developing them, and also leaders directing people on how to implement the new ideas. Both types of leaders are important to our future here at Ohio State. Often times you can hear gordon gee talking about Ohio State and how we are shaping the leaders of tomorrow. He often says that here at Ohio State, we want thinkers. Thinkers are going to be the people coming up with solutions to the worlds ever growing list of problems. Along those lines, I think another big thing we discussed at the discussion was accountability. We at Ohio State need to be held accountable for actions and responsible member of the Ohio State community. By that, we need to watch our actions to make sure that they do not become negative reactions of non greek people around the community.
Here is a video of Gordon Gee Speaking, towards the end of the video he talks about the future and how we need to collaboratively change and create the next generation of opportunity.
Overall the panel discussion was very informative and helped to enhance my perception on leadership.
Zach M
Another thing I enjoyed hearing about while at the panel discussion was Jordan Davis' discussion on how she enhanced her leadership abilities when she took over as recruitment chair for her chapter after coming back from a long internship out of country. To me, that Is how leaders really begin to define their leadership styles. Some people are more stern with things and by the book. Other people think outside of the box and develop new ideas that could possibly help their chapters. I think that in the todays society we need both types of leaders. By that I mean we need people thinking of new ideas and developing them, and also leaders directing people on how to implement the new ideas. Both types of leaders are important to our future here at Ohio State. Often times you can hear gordon gee talking about Ohio State and how we are shaping the leaders of tomorrow. He often says that here at Ohio State, we want thinkers. Thinkers are going to be the people coming up with solutions to the worlds ever growing list of problems. Along those lines, I think another big thing we discussed at the discussion was accountability. We at Ohio State need to be held accountable for actions and responsible member of the Ohio State community. By that, we need to watch our actions to make sure that they do not become negative reactions of non greek people around the community.
Here is a video of Gordon Gee Speaking, towards the end of the video he talks about the future and how we need to collaboratively change and create the next generation of opportunity.
Overall the panel discussion was very informative and helped to enhance my perception on leadership.
Zach M
Monday, November 15, 2010
Oath
Oath. First off let me give the dictionary definition of the word Oath and then I'll go on to describe what I think it should mean and what it means to me, as a person and as a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.
Oath- a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation.
Synonyms for the word Oath are vow and pledge
Based off of this definition I think Oath is what we pledge to do for ourselves and for our organizations. We give an oath to uphold high moral standards, and to maintain academic excellence, and raise money and give back to the community. I know for me, I gave an oath before I came to Ohio State to do the best that I could and to gracefully accept every opportunity presented to me. Once I became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha I made a personal pledge to give everything I can to my fraternity, whether that be through grades, or planning community service events, or whatever else. Of course I gave a formal oath when I became a member, to uphold the ideals of Pi Kappa Alpha. I think for this formal oath to really be successful though, one has to look within themself and ask, "what can I do to make my fraternity better? What can I do personally to make myself a better man, while at the same time helping my fraternity to grow?" I think one must ask themselves these questions when taking an oath. The same can be said for the President of the United States. They take an oath to uphold the constitution. If I were the president I would ask myself constantly if I was doing the right thing for the country, if the action I was taking was upholding the ideals and laws set forth by the constitution. I would grow crazy if I was the President, because I think way too much, and there's so many people to look after. The United States has over 300 million people, and at the forefront of all of them is their president, their leader. But the President does always take that Oath of office, and I think they work very hard towards fulfilling that oath.
I am the same way with the oath I made to the brothers of my fraternity and also to myself. I won't stop until the oath I took has been fulfilled. Based on the Oath I took to myself and my fraternity, that won't be until I'm in the grave. And I like that. Excellence and self fulfillment and striving to be the best, should be lifelong.
Below is a clip on President Obama taking his formal Oath:
That's all folks,
Zach
Oath- a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation.
Synonyms for the word Oath are vow and pledge
Based off of this definition I think Oath is what we pledge to do for ourselves and for our organizations. We give an oath to uphold high moral standards, and to maintain academic excellence, and raise money and give back to the community. I know for me, I gave an oath before I came to Ohio State to do the best that I could and to gracefully accept every opportunity presented to me. Once I became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha I made a personal pledge to give everything I can to my fraternity, whether that be through grades, or planning community service events, or whatever else. Of course I gave a formal oath when I became a member, to uphold the ideals of Pi Kappa Alpha. I think for this formal oath to really be successful though, one has to look within themself and ask, "what can I do to make my fraternity better? What can I do personally to make myself a better man, while at the same time helping my fraternity to grow?" I think one must ask themselves these questions when taking an oath. The same can be said for the President of the United States. They take an oath to uphold the constitution. If I were the president I would ask myself constantly if I was doing the right thing for the country, if the action I was taking was upholding the ideals and laws set forth by the constitution. I would grow crazy if I was the President, because I think way too much, and there's so many people to look after. The United States has over 300 million people, and at the forefront of all of them is their president, their leader. But the President does always take that Oath of office, and I think they work very hard towards fulfilling that oath.
I am the same way with the oath I made to the brothers of my fraternity and also to myself. I won't stop until the oath I took has been fulfilled. Based on the Oath I took to myself and my fraternity, that won't be until I'm in the grave. And I like that. Excellence and self fulfillment and striving to be the best, should be lifelong.
Below is a clip on President Obama taking his formal Oath:
That's all folks,
Zach
Monday, November 8, 2010
Incongruencies at Ohio State and in my chapter
There are a lot of incongruencies here in my fraternity that I don't like to talk about or discuss just because of the negative mood it brings to the table. While saying that, i know that it can only be changed by looking at a problem and creating a solution. We don't get the grades that we should. I personally have a 3.4, but everyone doesn't have the same major and talents as myself. Some people just need to be more focused and work hard in the week. I stay true to the work hard, play hard philosophy. Because of this i am able to get good grades and also to have a good time and be social. We need to fix this, by implementing very strict grade requirements and study hours requirements. This can be said for the entire greek community. We come to college to get an education first. Greek life enhances the educational experience, but in all fairness, employers are more likely to care about your GPA rather than what you did in college. That is the first incongruency we need to work on.
The second incongruency we need to work on as a chapter and community, is our new member education and recruitment. The more unified the greek community is in the recruitment of young men and women across campus, the larger our greek community will grow. If you look at the size of our campus and how many people we have, you would think we would have 4-8 thousand greek community members. We don't, and I think that is because of the incongruencies in our community over recruitment. We need to team up and raise numbers. Rather than having all different stands on Information day at welcome week, we should have one stand for sorority and fraternity life. From that booth, we could have brochures and pamphlets to distribute out. We should also have a list of events that students can go to while searching for an organization to join.
Another incongruency that could very dangerous to our appearance to people around campus is TG themes. Some Tg themes can be very fun. With that being said, I think that some of the costumes people wear to TG's can be offensive in some nature to one person or another. I think that they can give a negative stereotype to certain groups of people. I think to solve this, we should have an approved list of TG themes. Noone gets offended by people wearing toga's. One such thing people could get offended by is jersey shore. We had this theme of TG last year, and one member brought to our attention how some people around campus could view this as offensive towards italian americans. It's all up for discussion what is right and what is wrong, but it can be guaranteed that someone will be offended at sometime or another. All I'm saying is we need to watch the themes that we use for TG's. I personally am not offended by any TG themes I have seen, but that is not to say someone else hasn't.
That's all folks,
Zach "Big Mac" McManus
The second incongruency we need to work on as a chapter and community, is our new member education and recruitment. The more unified the greek community is in the recruitment of young men and women across campus, the larger our greek community will grow. If you look at the size of our campus and how many people we have, you would think we would have 4-8 thousand greek community members. We don't, and I think that is because of the incongruencies in our community over recruitment. We need to team up and raise numbers. Rather than having all different stands on Information day at welcome week, we should have one stand for sorority and fraternity life. From that booth, we could have brochures and pamphlets to distribute out. We should also have a list of events that students can go to while searching for an organization to join.
Another incongruency that could very dangerous to our appearance to people around campus is TG themes. Some Tg themes can be very fun. With that being said, I think that some of the costumes people wear to TG's can be offensive in some nature to one person or another. I think that they can give a negative stereotype to certain groups of people. I think to solve this, we should have an approved list of TG themes. Noone gets offended by people wearing toga's. One such thing people could get offended by is jersey shore. We had this theme of TG last year, and one member brought to our attention how some people around campus could view this as offensive towards italian americans. It's all up for discussion what is right and what is wrong, but it can be guaranteed that someone will be offended at sometime or another. All I'm saying is we need to watch the themes that we use for TG's. I personally am not offended by any TG themes I have seen, but that is not to say someone else hasn't.
That's all folks,
Zach "Big Mac" McManus
Monday, October 25, 2010
Mission
Our mission statement is as follows,
Pi Kappa Alpha will set the standard of integrity, intellect, and achievement for our members, host institutions, and the communities in which we live.
I feel as if our chapter is on the rise. We look for guys that possess these qualities and that strive to be the best. I think that it is through fraternal life that leaders are shaped and influenced. Through my own experience, I have noticed that not everyone has the same beliefs and opinions on things. That happens in life, duh. But because of that, I think we become better leaders because we have to talk through problems and create solutions. If someone does something wrong, they hear about it, and they learn from the what they did. Our members are held to a high standard of integrity because we want to be viewed as gentlemen.
In regards to intellect, I feel our fraternity is beginning to establish itself as a much stronger intellectual organization. The definition of intellect is, capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge, esp. of a high or complex order; mental capacity. In regards to this definition, we have these things. A large number of our members are engineers of different sorts. We strive to make ourselves better and more knowledgeable in regards to our course of study. Our GPA is not the best or the worst, but we as a chapter are working very hard to bring this "number" up. I say number like that, because GPA is just a number. Nowhere in the definition of intellect does it say high GPA, it says capacity for thinking and aquiring knowledge of a high or complex order. To me, we as a chapter are doing that. Society is crazy about numbers and figures, and that is why GPA is so important.
Achievement. What a wonderful word! We have won the fraternity cup, we have several leaders on campus, and we have moved to a place on campus where everyone can see us and where we're going. I think that by our achievements we bring the greek community up. If our fraternity is giving a good image, I think that does some good in speaking for the whole greek community. A lot of people make first impressions, and don't give much thought to those impressions maybe being wrong. If people can see our achievements, I feel as if it's much more difficult to make these negative first impressions of greek life.
I think that we are being as congruent as possible to our mission. There are always areas to improve on, in any organization, but we are working to make those improvements and set the bar for excellence.
That's all for now folks!
Zach
Pi Kappa Alpha will set the standard of integrity, intellect, and achievement for our members, host institutions, and the communities in which we live.
I feel as if our chapter is on the rise. We look for guys that possess these qualities and that strive to be the best. I think that it is through fraternal life that leaders are shaped and influenced. Through my own experience, I have noticed that not everyone has the same beliefs and opinions on things. That happens in life, duh. But because of that, I think we become better leaders because we have to talk through problems and create solutions. If someone does something wrong, they hear about it, and they learn from the what they did. Our members are held to a high standard of integrity because we want to be viewed as gentlemen.
In regards to intellect, I feel our fraternity is beginning to establish itself as a much stronger intellectual organization. The definition of intellect is, capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge, esp. of a high or complex order; mental capacity. In regards to this definition, we have these things. A large number of our members are engineers of different sorts. We strive to make ourselves better and more knowledgeable in regards to our course of study. Our GPA is not the best or the worst, but we as a chapter are working very hard to bring this "number" up. I say number like that, because GPA is just a number. Nowhere in the definition of intellect does it say high GPA, it says capacity for thinking and aquiring knowledge of a high or complex order. To me, we as a chapter are doing that. Society is crazy about numbers and figures, and that is why GPA is so important.
Achievement. What a wonderful word! We have won the fraternity cup, we have several leaders on campus, and we have moved to a place on campus where everyone can see us and where we're going. I think that by our achievements we bring the greek community up. If our fraternity is giving a good image, I think that does some good in speaking for the whole greek community. A lot of people make first impressions, and don't give much thought to those impressions maybe being wrong. If people can see our achievements, I feel as if it's much more difficult to make these negative first impressions of greek life.
I think that we are being as congruent as possible to our mission. There are always areas to improve on, in any organization, but we are working to make those improvements and set the bar for excellence.
That's all for now folks!
Zach
Monday, October 18, 2010
Ford Motor Company
A company that shows its values to me is Ford Motor company. In 2009 Ford Motor Company turned down the federal bailout that was offered to them along with GM and Chrysler. For was the only US car company that turned down the money. Due to the decline to accept the bailout money from the government, sales of ford vehicles and stocks rose dramatically. This is due to the perseverance of the hard working Americans emplyed by Ford and In charge of ford. A value I admire of Ford is that they are starting to make their cars more fuel efficient to help the environment. Currently ford has some of the top hybrid vehicles in production. They are one of the top, if not the top in the automobile industry. You can see by Ford's website that they are committed to a future with a carbon footprint as small as possible.
I picked Ford because I have read about their resiliency to accept the federal bailout dollars. That showed me that Ford wanted to make it on their own, and show the world that Ford is still around and is still creating cutting edge vehicles, just like in the olden days of the Model T. I value hard working companies that don't rely on the government to bail them out of a financial crisis. Also, Ford is dedicated to fairness and accountability within the company. This shows me that they mean business, and they're going to hold people in the company, including the big wigs accountable for their actions and performance. Ford's values are visible on their website and by their actions regarding the auto bailout.
The following is a story on Ford and Ford's CEO:
I picked Ford because I have read about their resiliency to accept the federal bailout dollars. That showed me that Ford wanted to make it on their own, and show the world that Ford is still around and is still creating cutting edge vehicles, just like in the olden days of the Model T. I value hard working companies that don't rely on the government to bail them out of a financial crisis. Also, Ford is dedicated to fairness and accountability within the company. This shows me that they mean business, and they're going to hold people in the company, including the big wigs accountable for their actions and performance. Ford's values are visible on their website and by their actions regarding the auto bailout.
The following is a story on Ford and Ford's CEO:
Monday, October 11, 2010
Values
Growing up I was presented with a certain set of values and morals by my family, friends, and teachers. From my family I learned what it takes to be apart of something. For a family to function and to work, everyone has to have a place in it and feel apart of something bigger than themselves. I learned to love and respect my family for putting up with me, the good and the bad. I learned the basic stuff from my family, like respect your elders and help out your family members whenever possible. Family values are the first that really affect how you behave as an individual. One big thing my family instilled in me was treat others how you would want to be treated. That is one value that has stuck with me all these years.
Friendship has also had a lasting impact on my values. Friendship has taught me commitment and trust. So many times growing up, I would look to my friends for support and guidance and sometimes just a good laugh. Friends would come and go, but there would always be those few people that you would always remember. Looking back and reflecting on our friendships is a good way to learn about ourselves as people.
In regards to teachers and instructors and coaches, I think the main value I learned from them is to never give up. Growing up I always was told that I could do whatever I wanted with my life as long as I worked hard for it and was dedication. Hard work and dedication are two values that I hold very dearly. I've had to work for everything I have. Right now in college I balance 35 hours of work a week at wendy's and the union, a 3.4 cumulative GPA, and all the work I put in for my fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. Some people look at me and ask how I do it and why I do it. I look back and tell them it's all about priorities, being responsible, paying your car bill, insurance, cell bill, and rent, going to class and getting your work done and being proactive with the people around you. The only way I see myself getting through all of this is hard work and dedication. Goalsetting is important to me and Staying the course and persevering through all of the bad things to get to the better, to get to my goal, to reach my degree, is why I do and believe what I do. To me, they are the two most important values I have learned thus far.
This short video gives a story of a young man who lives by the same values of hard work and dedication and determination that I do By working hard and staying dedicated, it allows me to be responsible and trustworthy and all the things I want to be as a person, as a friend, as a brother, and as a son. My values are important to me, and when I have kids I'll try to teach them the same concepts and make them better men and women than I could have dreamt of being.
A quote that I try to live by and also goes along with my values comes from Ben Franklin. It is as follows, "Energy and Persistence conquer all things." That one small quote means a lot to me, and I think if more people read it, it would mean something to them as well.
Respect women and your elders, help people less fortunate than yourself, be the difference in someones life around you. These are just a few more "values of mine".
A good quote by Harriet Tubman that goes along with last week is "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." I looked at this and immedicately though of last week and changing the world.
Concludes Values Blog! wooh, a lot of typing
Friendship has also had a lasting impact on my values. Friendship has taught me commitment and trust. So many times growing up, I would look to my friends for support and guidance and sometimes just a good laugh. Friends would come and go, but there would always be those few people that you would always remember. Looking back and reflecting on our friendships is a good way to learn about ourselves as people.
In regards to teachers and instructors and coaches, I think the main value I learned from them is to never give up. Growing up I always was told that I could do whatever I wanted with my life as long as I worked hard for it and was dedication. Hard work and dedication are two values that I hold very dearly. I've had to work for everything I have. Right now in college I balance 35 hours of work a week at wendy's and the union, a 3.4 cumulative GPA, and all the work I put in for my fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. Some people look at me and ask how I do it and why I do it. I look back and tell them it's all about priorities, being responsible, paying your car bill, insurance, cell bill, and rent, going to class and getting your work done and being proactive with the people around you. The only way I see myself getting through all of this is hard work and dedication. Goalsetting is important to me and Staying the course and persevering through all of the bad things to get to the better, to get to my goal, to reach my degree, is why I do and believe what I do. To me, they are the two most important values I have learned thus far.
This short video gives a story of a young man who lives by the same values of hard work and dedication and determination that I do By working hard and staying dedicated, it allows me to be responsible and trustworthy and all the things I want to be as a person, as a friend, as a brother, and as a son. My values are important to me, and when I have kids I'll try to teach them the same concepts and make them better men and women than I could have dreamt of being.
A quote that I try to live by and also goes along with my values comes from Ben Franklin. It is as follows, "Energy and Persistence conquer all things." That one small quote means a lot to me, and I think if more people read it, it would mean something to them as well.
Respect women and your elders, help people less fortunate than yourself, be the difference in someones life around you. These are just a few more "values of mine".
A good quote by Harriet Tubman that goes along with last week is "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." I looked at this and immedicately though of last week and changing the world.
Concludes Values Blog! wooh, a lot of typing
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