April News & Notes

It is Spring time and the weather is changing. For many of us it is a welcome change. Fresh grass, flowers popping up and longer days. It is also a time for change as our New Members are initiated and as our Alumnae Associations welcome new graduates.

Change is exciting but it can also be uncomfortable. Looking forward to new adventures and opportunities is exhilarating, but can be overwhelming at times, as well. It is always good to think about those things that remain constant and provide the comfort of familiarity to keep us grounded as we face change. This can be applied to Theta Phi Alpha as well.

There have been many changes, most noticeably in our National Office, over the biennium. But many things have remained constant. We are still and will always be a member organization. We do not exist if not for our membership. Only members can recruit members. Theta Phi Alpha stresses values-based recruitment and our values have been constants for over 100 years. These values are what ground us and provide the True North for which our compass points. 

We will always need and depend on our loyal alumnae to provide the volunteer efforts that connect our membership. For we will need the older and wiser sisters to help our newer members learn the traditions and Rituals of our Fraternity. Local, regional and national volunteers are always needed and their efforts are forever appreciated. We are each a single rose which when joined together creates a bouquet that is stronger and more beautiful.

Our Ritual has not changed. It remains a time for us as members to stop and reflect on the true meaning of our values. There is comfort in Rituals, just as we find comfort in the rituals of our daily lives. Sometimes as an alumna I find myself craving the Ritual of Initiation. To attend initiation as an alumna always brings me back to those years in college and the friendships that live on.

There have been changes in our leadership with the recent resignation of two Grand Council members. Although it is difficult to lose members of our leadership team, the remaining members, volunteers and staff are working to cover their responsibilities and fill these positions. There will also be more changes as we welcome a new Grand Council this summer. We are working hard to make sure our new set of leaders are prepared and ready to take on the challenges that our future holds. I look forward to working with them as they are excited for the future and ready to accept the challenges ahead.

As we celebrate Founders’ Day this weekend, I think about the 10 women that were excited to create something new. I’m sure they were a bit uncomfortable as they forged those changes, but they knew what our Patroness knew, that ‘Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring’!