[22796] in APO-L
Re: [APO-L] Extension - Market Niche
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Rachel Marie Kuhn)
Wed Jul 17 09:37:06 2002
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 09:25:38 -0400
Reply-To: Rachel Marie Kuhn <kuhnrm@MUOHIO.EDU>
From: Rachel Marie Kuhn <kuhnrm@MUOHIO.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
50 new campuses by 2005? Although that would be great, is it really a=20
possibility? I think quality of the chapters being installed is far=20
more important than quality and I would much rather see 25 chapters=20
that develop strongly and stick around forever, rather than a ton of=20
these fly-by-night chapters that get off to a good start but then=20
plumet in membership and lose thier charters within a few years. What=20
about going back to chapters that at one time existed and for one=20
reason or another did not last, have been gone a few years to where all=20
or most of the former members are gone, and trying to get those started=20
again? I'm sure alumni of those chapters would like to see that and=20
may even be willing to help. Or chapters in areas where there are=20
alraedy several chapters at nearby colleges that would be willing to=20
help get things started? =20
Rachel Kuhn
VP Community Service
Zeta Delta Chapter
Miami University; Oxford, Ohio
John Grossi wrote:
>I have to agree with Steve and Tedd, but then again I
>know both of them well, so agreement isn't hard to
>acheive. Let me strike out on a different track with
>some comments.
>
>What is our way forward? What is the path to acheiving
>these goals we talk of?
>
>Firstly it would be to phrase things into a concrete
>goal. Is our concrete goal to "extend Alpha Phi Omega
>to 50 new campuses by 2005?"
>
>Once a goal is agreed to, what is our project plan for
>that? What tasks need to be done in what time frame to
>acheive those goals? Once you have that defined you then
>have your resource needs defined. If attacked in a
>logical and progressive manner the goal is indeed
>possible, provided the resources can be secured. We just
>need to take the planning and goal setting lessons we
>teach in the CPW and actually apply them.
>
>I'll make the observation that assigning it as an
>additional task to the current staff structure is not
>likely to be very successful; in my opinion, because
>that organizations goals and accountability are focused
>on concrete rewards that if anything detract and
>distract from this goal.
>
>Oh and one closing comment... if you add the
>prepositional phrase ",in Canada" to the end of that
>goal and it is exactly what I have been charged with.
>
>-John Grossi
>Advisory Chair Theta Zeta - UNH
>> I have to agree with Steve.=A0=A0Attempting to recruit high school=20
students is
>> not a very wise move, unless done with extreme caution.=A0=A0I think it
>> completely appropriate to contact guidance offices in high schools for
>> special visitation days, or to make fraternity information=20
available.=A0=A0I
>> think we should also contact clubs and organizations affiliated with=20
Service
>> Learning programs that are active with high school students.
>>
>> I want to pose a couple of rhetorical question:=A0=A0How many Alpha Phi=
=20
Omega
>> Brothers are involved with Social Greeks through membership in a social
>> fraternity or sorority?=A0=A0How many of our APO Brothers are friends,
>> acquantances, or even have any connection to social greeks?
>>
>> I ask this because my guess is that many of us have had no real=20
experience
>> with social fraternities and sororitites.=A0=A0I have had some experienc=
e
>> through working with National Greek Consultants, through helping=20
administer
>> Formal Sorority Rush, and by having consulted both fraternities and
>> sororities through outreach programming.
>>
>> My suggestion is for us as a National organization to focus on our=20
aspects
>> of leadership development and on our niche of service.=A0=A0We have an=
=20
excellent
>> Leadership program, but our focus is on leadership within the=20
fraternity.=A0=A0I
>> think that we should expand LD to have a focus on leadership=20
development
>> outside, as well as inside of the fraternity.=A0=A0There are a few honor=
ary
>> leadership fraternities and sororities, as well as other organizations=
=20
on
>> campuses.=A0=A0Let's capitalize on this fairly unique aspect of our
>> organization.=A0=A0We also need to build upon our Service purpose.=A0=A0=
As=20
Steve
>> referenced, most social greeks have a committment to Philanthropy.
>> Translation---most sororities and fraternities are beginning to (or are
>> being forced to) participate in community service.=A0=A0Isn't this our
>> territory?=A0=A0Is it possible for service and social greeks to live=20
communally
>> on campuses?=A0=A0I think the answer is a resounding YES.=A0=A0Here is w=
here=20
we must
>> accept the fact that socials, in some form, will increasingly compete=20
with
>> us.
>>
>> So with this increased competition, how do we stay competetive?=A0=A0My=
=20
thought
>> is that we emphasize our co-ed nature.=A0=A0We also need to appreciate o=
ur
>> uniqueness of having both co-ed and all-male chapters.=A0=A0I don't know=
=20
of any
>> other organization that is similarly unique.=A0=A0Almost, if not all,=20
social
>> greeks are single-gender.
>>
>> Enough of my thoughts at the moment.=A0=A0I don't have all of the=20
answers--but
>> believe that with our talented brothers, we can continue to be the=20
premier
>> service fraternity.
>>
>> In leadership, friendship and service,
>>
>> Tedd Cogar
>> Section 62 Vice-Chair
>> Mu Chi--Indiana University of Pennsylvania
>> Sigma Xi--University of Maine
>> Alpha Epsilon Alpha--Alderson-Broaddus College
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Stephen Merrill" <samerrill@PREXAR.COM>
>> To: <APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU>
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 8:35 PM
>> Subject: [APO-L] Extension - Market Niche
>>
>>
>> > I wanted to enter into the discussion on extension, but also take it=
=20
in a
>> > different direction.
>> >
>> > I am not certain that approaching high school students is a wise=20
move for
>> > several reasons
>> >
>> > 1. Lack of focus.=A0=A0My high school year was more focused on the eve=
nts
>> > leading up to and immediately post graduation.
>> > 2. High school students not knowing what they want yet (often same=20
is true
>> > for first semester freshmen).
>> > 3. How is APO different from other groups (social greeks, Circle K,=20
Spring
>> > Break service projects, etc.)
>> >
>> > The latter is my real focus here.
>> >
>> > For many years, APO was genuinely unique.=A0=A0We offered (and still d=
o=20
offer)
>> a
>> > Fraternal experience focused around providing community service,=20
while
>> still
>> > maintaining a strong personal bond with the others in the chapter,=20
and
>> > providing social opportunities as well.=A0=A0As the Social Greek syste=
m=20
has
>> been
>> > looking for ways to evolve, and in some cases, survive, and redefine
>> > themselves, they have moved closer and closer to our model in Alpha=20
Phi
>> > Omega.
>> >
>> > There are many Social Greeks that can now tout a service program that
>> rivals
>> > that in Alpha Phi Omega at many chapters.=A0=A0Just this past May, I=
=20
attended
>> > the campus community service awards at U of Maine.=A0=A0Pi Kappa Alpha=
=20
was
>> > recognized for the top campus community service award this year,=20
with over
>> > 880 hours in a variety of different projects.=A0=A0Now, we in APO can=
=20
likely
>> > tout many more hours than this, (the chapter at U of Maine certainly=
=20
can),
>> > but I would hazard to say that 10 or 15 years ago, community service=
=20
was
>> not
>> > as strong a focus for the Social Greeks as it is today.=A0=A0(For the=
=20
record,
>> > APO swept these awards the previous year, and had high honors the=20
year
>> > before that, so not getting the award this year was as much a case of
>> > "sharing the wealth", as anything else.)=A0=A0Sigma Phi Epsilon is=20
touting
>> their
>> > "Balanced Man Program", which emphasizes such principles as service,
>> > scholarship, and leadership, and this is part of their up front=20
recruiting
>> > process.=A0=A0Whether or not the chapter implements it in this case is
>> > irrelevant.=A0=A0The point is, in my observation, the Social Greeks ha=
ve
>> > diversified by becoming more like Alpha Phi Omega, and we have not
>> changed.
>> >
>> > Now at most chapters of Alpha Phi Omega, one thing that can still be=
=20
said
>> > over Social Greeks is the option of co-ed membership.=A0=A0Here we are=
=20
also in
>> > direct competition with Circle K, other campus based community=20
service
>> > groups, and the ever growing popularity of Service Spring Breaks.
>> >
>> > You know we are different than these groups, and I know it as well,
>> question
>> > here to me is, how do we present it effectively to prospectives,=20
both in
>> > terms of new campuses, and on existing campuses.=A0=A0Our presentation=
=20
has
>> > changed very little, if at all, since I pledged back in the Fall of=20
1988.
>> > It has served us well for many, many years, and most if not everyone=
=20
who
>> > reads this post, will be a proud product of it.=A0=A0But truth be told=
, I
>> think
>> > we need to change it, both for extension efforts, and for existing
>> chapters.
>> > We need to not change what we do in terms of day to day chapter
>> operations,
>> > but how we market and present ourselves, and what we have to offer.
>> >
>> > When I started school, I had a typewriter, and computers were here,=20
but
>> not
>> > widespread.=A0=A0The Internet?=A0=A0Cell Phones, only for the very wea=
lthy,=20
and
>> > heck, college students of today have cell phones on a regular=20
basis.=A0=A0Our
>> > society has changed around us, and we have not changed our=20
perception in
>> > society.
>> >
>> > Every campus is very different, and not all approaches will work the=
=20
same
>> > everywhere, and I realize this.=A0=A0I learned this very well during m=
y=20
three
>> > years as Chair for Section 94, and any effort made on an individual
>> campus,
>> > needs to be reflective of that school's own personality.=A0=A0There ar=
e=20
some
>> > schools where you want to mention APO's connection to the BSA,=20
because it
>> > will attract quality new people, and other schools where it will=20
attract
>> > protests (BSA used only as an example, not wanting to debate this.)
>> >
>> > Now, I am not going to spout off here without offering at least one=20
area
>> > that we can market ourselves going forward.=A0=A0To me, Alpha Phi Omeg=
a=20
has
>> been
>> > a top provider of real world experience which can be directly=20
applied to
>> the
>> > business world.=A0=A0Managing people (service projects, project chairs=
,=20
exec
>> > boards), conflict resolution, recruitment, fundraising, and=20
interacting
>> with
>> > various groups on and off campus to name a few.=A0=A0What I just=20
mentioned is
>> > not unique to one chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, it is present at every
>> single
>> > one.=A0=A0This is something we can market and offer people, and most=
=20
other
>> > groups with whom we are in competition for people, don't present
>> themselves
>> > in this fashion.
>> >
>> > And in doing so, we have one other thing we can offer.=A0=A0Right afte=
r I
>> became
>> > a Brother, one of the graduating seniors made a great comment about=20
APO
>> > which has stuck with me for many years.=A0=A0He said, "Alpha Phi Omega=
=20
is a
>> > great group because it allows you to try new things, challenge=20
yourself,
>> and
>> > step outside of your comfort zone, and know that if you make a=20
mistake,
>> you
>> > have a safety net beneath you to catch you when you fall."=A0=A0To me,=
=20
this is
>> > one of the most profound statements I have ever heard regarding APO,=
=20
and
>> it
>> > sums up one way in which we can present ourselves to the right
>> individuals.
>> >
>> > I have ranted for way to long, and likely provided kindling for=20
flames.=A0=A0I
>> > will ask however that we all would do well to try and define APO's=20
market
>> > niche, and how we are unique from everyone else on campuses, trying=20
to
>> > attract quality people.
>> >
>> > YiLFS,
>> > Steve Merrill
>> > Advisory Chair, Sigma Xi, U of Maine (Orono)
>> > Past Section 94 Chair
>> >
