My College of Chapters Journal (Auburn)
College of Chapters
Editor's Note - Over the duration of the 2019 College of Chapters, we enlisted several attendees to journal their four-day experience through Sigma Nu's premier leadership training program. Participants chose from several prompts provided and answered their selections at the end of each day.
This journal comes from Beta Theta Chapter (Auburn) Commander, Thomas Birchfield.
Day 1 - Arrival
What was your journey like to Roanoke for College of Chapters?
It started with a six o’clock flight Thursday morning out of Birmingham, Ala. with a connecting flight in Charlotte. We arrived in Roanoke around noon on Thursday.
Coming into College of Chapters, what are some of the challenges that your chapter faces? What do you want to improve on this semester?
I think our chapter faces two big challenges, recruiting the right men that fit the values of Sigma Nu and philanthropy. I want to improve the way we go about recruitment and find philanthropy events that our chapter can get behind.
What was your first chapter meeting like at College of Chapters? What chapters were represented in your chapter group? Who were your chapter facilitators?
The first chapter meeting went really well. We laid out some ground rules and what we wanted to learn from each other during the week. The chapters from Ole Miss, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, and LSU were in our group. Our facilitators were Scott Smith of Central Arkansas and Joel Stern of Georgia.
Day 2 - Curriculum
What were your chapter meetings like today? What was the focus of the chapter meetings? What did you work on? What were your “Ah Ha’s?”
Chapter meetings today went very well and contained a lot of great dialogue between chapters. The first meeting focused on finding our most important values and how we carry those out. The second meeting of the day focused on developing another strategy that satisfies our vision. My “Ah Ha” moment was when we discussed Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena quote. I realized that sometimes you have to be the one that makes the tough decisions that may receive push-back from the whole chapter, but you know it is the right decision to uphold the values of Love, Honor, and Truth.
What ideas have you picked up from other Commanders at College of Chapters?
I specifically reached out for ideas on recruitment, and received one great piece of advice from the Commander at Case Western Reserve University. They have an app that allows you to create a profile for each potential new member and allows brothers to comment and discuss what the PNMs values are and if they are a good fit.
What do you want to see your chapter become? How did the session on Vision help you create a compelling vision for the chapter?
I want to see my chapter become a perennial rock chapter that develops responsible, respectful, and ethical leaders in modern society. The session on Vision helped me create this vision because it really put a focus on Love, Honor, and Truth and how it is relevant to the world today.
Day 3 - Pilgrimage to Lexington, Va.
What was it like to visit Sigma Nu Headquarters? What stood out to you from the visit and tours of HQ and VMI? What did you learn about Sigma Nu?
The Headquarters campus was incredible. I had never been before and I loved the property and the house itself, it was beautiful. The two things that stood out to me most were the heroes of Sigma Nu who had served in the military, honored with a brick and the parade grounds of VMI where we were founded. I also learned that Sigma Nu set ourselves above the other fraternity men at the time of our founding by committing their lives to Love, Honor, and Truth and were looked down on when they made the ethical decision.
What is one thing you didn't know coming into College of Chapters that you feel will make an impact on the success of your chapter in the upcoming semester?
It was stressed greatly to us to make chapter meetings a discussion and conversation allowing all the brothers to be involved. Currently our chapter is poor at this and uses these meetings primarily for announcements. I believe we can improve this very easily.
What are three words that you would use to describe your College of Chapters experience?
Impactful, Progressive, and Fun.
Day 4 - Departure
What have you realized about your role as Commander from your time at College of Chapters? What have you learned about yourself?
As Commander I am tasked with leading a group of men to realize their potential as leaders in whatever capacity they are in while guiding them by the values of Love, Honor, and Truth. I learned that I am responsible for the development of my chapter while also realizing I am fit for the job and educated on how to do it properly.
What did you expect College of Chapters would be like coming into Roanoke on Thursday? How were your expectations correct? Incorrect?
I was expecting it to be a lot more lecturing than actual dialogue about issues we face as chapters. My expectations were very much incorrect because I had extremely positive and helpful conversations with Commanders across the country.
What kind of network did you build from attending College of Chapters?
I feel as if I developed a network for personal, fraternal, and professional issues I will face in my life. As we are all knights of the same legion of honor, we owe to each other to help in any capacity we are able to.