Categories: Announcements, Blog
Theta Phi Alpha, 𝝧𝚽𝝖.…this is who we are. Our Founders chose our name for us in 1912. This is the name on our articles of incorporation and in our governing documents. As an organization, we protect our name, logo, and identity through trademarks. I am proud to be a Theta Phi Alpha…I wouldn’t want to be anything else! I know our members feel the same. As I’m scrolling through Facebook and Instagram and seeing pictures of recruitment and other events, sometimes I cringe a little. I see images with TPA on banners, balloons, and wooden letters. Sometimes, I see us referred to as Thetas. I would like to explain why this makes me cringe!
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Dear Theta Phi Alphas,
Happy Founding Day! Today marks 111 years since Theta Phi Alpha was founded!! I am thankful for our Founders’ and the commitment they had to our great Fraternity.
As the excitement of the new academic year falls upon us, I would like to use my blog this month to update you on what is happening at the national level of Theta Phi Alpha. We are halfway through the biennium and there are many exciting updates to share. That makes my blog a longer read than past months. I hope you find a positive return for the time it takes to read.
What fills your bucket? In other words, what fills your heart with joy and causes you to smile until your face hurts from smiling? For me, spending time with Theta Phi Alphas fills my bucket! My bucket is overflowing after attending Officer Leadership Training (OLT) at the University of Maryland and a gathering for alumnae in the Washington D.C. area this month.
Our chapters and collegians are the essences of Theta Phi Alpha. Without our chapters and collegians, there would be no Theta Phi Alpha. The past five years have been challenging times for these precious members. At the 2022 Convention in Memphis, our collegians showed us how much they value their membership in Theta Phi Alpha and how passionate they are about the success of our Fraternity.
Picture this. It’s August 1985. A freshman college student has just been moved into her dorm room by her parents. Her parents cried as they left campus as she is the first child they have taken to college. She doesn’t have a car or a phone in her dorm room, just a pay phone at the end of the hall. This is before the days of cell phones or personal computers. She is lucky that a few friends from her high school decided to go to the same college and they all made plans to find each other at freshman orientation. At freshman orientation, she sees her friends from high school and they all make sure they are in the same group for orientation.
One of the best parts of being a member of Theta Phi Alpha is meeting and collaborating with members from other chapters and associations. I have lived in Nebraska for all but five years, and those five years were in Missouri. As a collegian, my chapter was composed of members like me. I attended my first national event in 1987 during a summer Leadership Conference. While this was a fantastic experience, the most amazing part was meeting Theta Phi Alphas from other chapters. That was the first time I realized that not everyone was just like me, that there were Theta Phi Alphas of different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities. I remember being very happy about this and keeping in touch with several collegians and alumnae I met.
In December I returned to my alma mater, Wayne State College in Wayne, NE, for my son Nic’s graduation. This was such a proud parent moment for me! Wayne State is the home of our Alpha Pi chapter, my chapter, and while I was there I was able to connect with one of my chapter sisters, Regan Ott, who was also graduating that day. I am proud every time a sister from my chapter graduates and enters the alumna phase of membership.
Hello Theta Phi Alphas,
As I write my first National President’s blog, I can’t help but wonder where have the last three months gone? It feels like just yesterday we were gathered at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis for our 53rd National Convention. Reuniting with old friends, making new friends, conducting the business of the fraternity, gaining knowledge from speakers, hearing the voices of our collegian and alumnae members, and electing our leadership for the the next biennium felt so good after canceling convention in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Convention provided a compass to guide the 2022-2024 members of the Grand Council. I'd like to share with you where that compass is taking us.
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