The CORE Program will focus on core competencies and learning outcomes specifically related to each functional area within the council governing structure.

SEIFC Announces CORE Curriculum for 2008 Leadership Academy

The Southeastern Interfraternity Conference is pleased to announce the development of a new curriculum developed specifically for training and developing council officers.  This new program, Council Officer Roundtables and Education (CORE), will provide officer-specific training for council presidents, vice-presidents, judicial board chairs, treasurers, and recruitment chairs.  In addition to a path of educational sessions, these officers will participate in a series of facilitated roundtable and panel discussions to help spur conversations and ideas for improved council operations at all functional levels.

“We’re pleased to offer the CORE program to fraternity men in the southeast,” said Victor Felts, the SEIFC Executive Director.  “Our students and Greek advisors have asked for more officer-specific training to assist in their development as council leaders, and the SEIFC board has responded.”

The CORE program will focus on core competencies and learning outcomes specifically related to each functional area within the council governing structure.  Council presidents, for example, will cover issues such as council empowerment, running effective meetings, and developing positive relationships with constituents.   The learning model used to develop this curriculum is designed to accommodate multiple learning styles and will combine large and small group discussions, presentations, case studies and reflective/self-guided learning.

“Not every student comes to SEIFC with the same level of leadership ability or knowledge regarding their jobs,” said Joe Wheeless, SEIFC President.  “The CORE program will be beneficial to students at all experience levels.  It will be interactive, it will be educational and it will be a tremendous benefit to our fraternity communities across the southeast.”

The SEIFC board also notes that it is actively recruiting some of the top leadership facilitators from around the county to facilitate and teach these educational sessions.

“We’re engaged in conversations with Greek advisors, headquarters staff, upper-level university administrators, and leaders in business, industry and government to assist in the training and development of our fraternity leaders,” Felts said.  “Our goal is simple – to offer the most comprehensive and effective officer training program in the country.  The CORE program is the future of our leadership academy and it will set SEIFC apart as the national leader among regional leadership conferences.”

Phired Up Productions will present Dynamic Recruitment Workshop as the opening keynote

SEIFC Announces Dates, Keynote Speakers for 2008 Leadership Academy

The SEIFC Executive Board is pleased to announce its lineup of keynote speakers for the 2008 Leadership Academy, which will be held February 14-16, 2008 in Atlanta.

Highlighting the academy this year will be the team from Phired Up Productions, the same organization responsible for the groundbreaking recruitment book Good Guys – The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibility for Fraternity Recruitment.  Their program, Dynamic Recruitment Workshop, is a highly interactive, innovative and fun recruitment training program designed to help fraternities recruit a higher quality and quantity of men.  It starts with the basics by helping participants master the four competencies of recruitment excellence: skills development, product knowledge, audience understanding, and motivation.  A proven system is then unveiled, empowering men with a consistent method for attracting top undergraduate leaders.  This process becomes the template for applied, year-round, values-based recruitment success.

On Friday morning, Mike Greene will present his program The Four Stages of Drinking.  This program offers accurate information about the physical and mental damage that substance abuse can cause.  Greene believes that because drug and alcohol abuse is a reality on every campus, the actual challenges that students must face involve recognizing personal accountability and making responsible decisions.  His methods are interactive and often entertaining – but his message is deadly serious.  His purpose is always the same – the health and overall well-being of the student.  This is a program guaranteed to help councils and chapters make better decisions about alcohol.

Keynoting the affiliation luncheon on Friday afternoon will be Dr. Gary Sailes.  His program, From the Classroom to the Boardroom, helps students develop the mental toughness to prepare their first job or internship.    It also prepares them for life after college by covering four key areas: leadership, communication, professionalism, and networking.  This high energy program challenges students to develop the skills necessary for success.  In addition, Gary addresses the “confidence factor,” how fraternity men can build their confidence, and shows the fine line between confidence and arrogance.  Councils and chapters can be improved dramatically by following his lessons.

Wrapping up the leadership academy keynote schedule is Brett Sokolow, with his award-winning program What if the Plane Blew Up?  This program is about empowering bystander intervention where audience members will learn that if they see something amiss, often others do as well.  If you act first, as a leader, you will find that others will help.  But, if you do not lead, no one may follow.  Hazing.  High-risk drinking.  Sexual assault.  Prejudice.  How do you react when you know someone should do something?  After this program, council leaders will be empowered to be leaders and make a difference in their Greek community.

SEIFC Dates to Remember

October 15, 2007 – Leadership Academy registration, hotel reservation information, and awards packets available on SEIFC website (http://www.seifc.org/)

November 15, 2007 – SEIFC membership fees due, leadership academy call for programs due

December 10, 2007 – SEIFC Awards packets must be postmarked

January 31, 2008 – Leadership Academy “Early Bird” registration deadline, Hotel Reservations must be made in order to receive SEIFC rate

University of North Texas Approved as Affiliate Member

The University of North Texas was approved as an affiliate member of the SEIFC during the SEIFC summer board meeting, held July 27-28 in Atlanta.

UNT has been an active participant in SEIFC for over 10 years, but due to its location outside of a defined SEIFC region, it’s role at the leadership academy has been limited.  With this new affiliate membership, the school will be eligible for awards and will have representation at the SEIFC business meeting.

“We’re pleased to welcome North Texas as an affiliate member of the SEIFC,” said Joe Wheeless, the SEIFC President.  “There are a number of schools outside of our region, in states like Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, whose Greek communities much more closely resemble those in the southeast than the schools in whose regional association they are a member.  SEIFC provides excellent opportunities for networking and officer training for those schools, and we welcome them as part of our conference.”

The University of North Texas was also pleased with this announcement.

“This will be a tremendous opportunity for our council to receive the recognition we deserve,” said Calvin Ballenger, the IFC President at North Texas.  “We’ve always felt that SEIFC was the best regional conference to suit our needs, and it is an honor to be welcomed as an affiliate member and to have the opportunity to compete for awards amongst some of the largest and most storied fraternity communities in the United States.”

According to Ballenger, the North Texas IFC is particularly excited about two projects that are currently underway for the fall semester. The IFC will be collaborating with Panhellenic, NPHC, and MGC to start an all-Greek newsletter for the first time at North Texas. While the newsletter is still in the planning stage, the Greek councils are in agreement that the final result will strengthen Greek unity through fraternity and sorority updates, a variety of articles on Greek life, upcoming events, and  Greek pride.

“The goal is to produce an all-Greek newsletter that will be published not only for the upcoming academic year, but for years to come,” said Eric Pederson, the public relations chair.

The IFC is also planning a “Guns vs. Hoses” philanthropy basketball tournament between local police officers and firefighters for the fall semester.  Each fraternity will be involved in making the tournament a successful charity event.  The members of IFC are looking forward to this fun opportunity to give back to the Denton community.

With a strong executive committee, insightful Greek advisors, and a growing community on campus, the North Texas IFC is on its way to becoming one of the biggest and most influential student organizations on its campus.

Joe Wheeless 2007-2008 SEIFC President

From the President

I hope that everyone has had a great start to a new year.  I know that everyone is excited to get things underway.  I first would like to welcome the University of North Texas to our region.  We look forward to working with your council in the future.

At the summer board meeting, the Executive Board accomplished many things.  Like at the last Leadership Academy, there is going to me more programming that is officer-specific.  There are going to be round tables and breakout sessions that are going to be for Presidents, Treasurers, Recruitment Officers, as well as a few more.  That means that you will get more out of attending The Leadership Academy.

There are some minor changes to the awards process as well.  I would like to emphasize that you do not have to apply for every award but we encourage you to apply for any and all awards for which you feel you might be eligible.  The SEIFC awards proces is a great way to get much needed recognition for your IFC.  Applications must be postmarked by December 10th.

There are other changes that are detailed in this issue of The Sound.  If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me, your Area VP, or any member of the Executive Board.  I hope you all have a wonderful semester and I wish you well during recruitment, and look forward to seeing you in February.

Sincerely,

Joe Wheeless

President, Southeastern Interfraternity Conference

Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Western Carolina University

SEIFC 2007-2008 Regional Directory

Area I (VA, NC, SC) Vice President

Kevin Hackett

Clemson University

Area II (FL, GA) Vice President

Chad Corbitt

Florida State University

Area III (AL, MS, LA)

Scott Franklin

Lousiana State University

Area IV (KY, TN, WV)

Ross Moore

University of Tennessee at Martin

Brothers 4 Change

Kelly Addington & Becca Tieder, Professional Speakers and Co-Founders of Unite for Change

All too often we hear the frightening statistic that 1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted while in college. What would you say to a friend, girlfriend or partner who tells you they were sexually assaulted? At some point in every man’s life, someone close to him will likely disclose that they are a survivor of sexual violence and ask for help. More and more men on college campuses today have a friend or partner who confides in them and often they aren’t quite sure how to react. A supportive male presence during a survivor’s recovery can be invaluable which is why it’s necessary to understand the importance of your role in the healing process and to be prepared to respond with care and understanding, as a brother for change.

People who have been sexually assaulted often experience a range of emotions and reactions; no two survivors of assault will feel exactly the same. After an assault a survivor begins a difficult struggle to gain control of their life and to heal their soul. They often have feelings of fear, guilt, anger, loss of control, panic or shame. Sometimes survivors will experience a stage of shock or numbness. They may try to ignore what has happened to them in hopes that the feelings will disappear. Some survivors do not want to talk about the assault and try to forget that it happened. At some point something could trigger the survivor’s memory and the thoughts and feelings of what happened could suddenly reappear. This could happen weeks, months or even years after the assault took place. It’s important to keep in mind that survivors heal in their own way at their own pace.

As a friend, family member or partner, your help during this process is essential. Survivors need a great deal of support and caring as they begin to address and work through this very frightening experience. Remember that your primary role is to be a friend and your support and understanding are important factors in the healing. You are not a counselor, or a lawyer, or a doctor; your friend should turn to professionals for the best information on emotional, legal and medical issues.

Steps you can take to help:

Believe them

Believe your friend unconditionally. Expect a friend in crisis to be confused and don’t criticize. It’s not your role to question whether or not they were sexually assaulted.

Help them explore their options

Don’t pressure them to do what you want to do. Empower your friend! Let them know they are not alone and remind them of available resources (campus counselor, campus or community rape crisis center, women’s center, hospital, police department, peer educators, etc).

Allow them to react

Remember, there are many ways for a survivor to respond after being raped. Don’t ask a lot of probing questions.

No more violence

It’s important to remain calm and as hard as it may be, it’s important to refrain from offering to “hurt the person who did this to them.” Although it’s natural to want to protect your friend, an aggressive reaction is not a good response.

Listen to them

Offer your support and offer your time. Let your friend know that they can talk to you about their experience when they are ready.

Let the survivor be in control

Encourage them, but let them be in control. They decide if they want to talk with someone, press charges, etc.

Encourage them to seek help

Talk about the kind of support they need and keep talking about it because their needs will change as they work through the crisis. If they suspect they have been drugged encourage them to go to the hospital immediately to have a rape kit done and to be tested for drugs in their system.

Seek professional help

Insist that your friend seek help if the crisis escalates to the point of being worried about their safety or long-term well being.

Never blame them

Say clearly and with care, “It was not your fault.”

Get help for yourself

Don’t blame yourself for the feelings you may have after learning someone close to you has been sexually assaulted. It’s important to pay attention to your own needs and express them to your friend and others.

Intimacy

If you are their partner, with their approval, use appropriate touching and language to reestablish their feelings of worth. Gentle touching will help let them know that you understand and respect them. Let the survivor decide when sexual activity should begin again.

After some time has passed you may wonder if the survivor has moved on and no longer thinks about the assault. This is extremely rare. Recovery is a long process. Check in with the survivor to let them know you are there whenever they need to talk about it.

As a friend or partner of someone who has been sexually assaulted you may experience feelings of guilt, fear, anger and helplessness and you might need someone other than the survivor to talk to about your feelings. It’s important for you to get help for yourself too. We recommend speaking with an advocate or counselor. If you choose to talk with a family member or another friend, remember to respect the confidentiality of the survivor.

Helping a friend through this can be life changing and this may be a good time to examine your own attitude about rape and to learn more about sexual assault and how it affects us all. If the 1 in 4 statistic does not settle well with you (and we certainly hope it doesn’t) do something about it. You can start by becoming a source for social change. We can change things for the better by communicating and influencing one person or a few people at a time. Here are some suggestions to help you transform your campus culture-

• 1. EDUCATE. Learn more about sexual assault and talk with others about what you’ve learned.
• 2. VALUE. Don’t refer to people as whores, sluts, skanks, etc.
• 3. LEAD. Be a role model and honestly tell people how you feel.
• 4. RESPECT. Confront language that promotes sexual violence. (Ex: “She’s nice and drunk.” “Look at that outfit, they’re asking for it.”)
• 5. CONTRIBUTE. Help raise awareness; it can be as easy as posting a message on facebook or myspace.

As fraternity members and student leaders you vow to carry on the legacy of brotherhood that your founders established long ago and many of you set a personal goal to leave your chapter better than you found it. Why not take it further and make a commitment not only to your chapter, but to your university? As a leader you have an opportunity to influence change, to leave your campus better than you found it. We challenge you to empower your brothers, your sisters and your entire campus community to be a part of the change. Get people talking about issues that matter to you and you’re half way there. Many of the resources and programs for sexual assault awareness and prevention are already in place on your campus it’s simply a matter of partnering with university professionals and other organizations to share the information with your peers and help shape the programs to be even more useful for Greek life and the entire student body.

Students are the most powerful element in changing campus culture and making their community a safer place. As a leader in Greek life you have an opportunity to use your position to make things different, to make your chapter and your campus what you want it to be. Albert Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” What will you do?