Friday, October 7, 2011

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ

By Megan Grasty, Account Executive

Some might say that my involvement in a sorority won’t help me in my search for a public relations job, but I disagree.

From serving as president of Alpha Gamma Delta, to interacting with Panhellenic -- the governing board of the nationally recognized sororities on campus -- to communicating with chapters on other campuses, I have applied many of the lessons I have learned in my PR classes to my experience in my sorority.

As president I have to utilize internal and external communication skills to interact effectively with not only 100 members, but also advisers, Panhellenic and other figures on campus.

My chapter creates annual goals that we strive to meet with different strategies created by our Executive Council with budgets to follow and a calendar that acts as our timeline.

Increased community outreach and service in addition to our national philanthropy fundraiser, was a goal that was met by participating in local community events such as Bidwell Park Cleanup, volunteering at the Butte Humane Society and participating in a community walk.

Other goals include incentives for girls with high GPAs, increased sisterhood bonding activities and relations with other organizations on campus.

Conducting research to meet these goals includes reaching out to other AGD and Panhellenic chapters in order to see how they are succeeding in areas where we may need improvement.

I use reputation management to help fix the negative stereotypes associated with Greek life. Many of the overlooked positives that our Greek adviser, Jennifer Halford, points out, include the countless ways we give back to the community, the invaluable leadership and social communicating experience we obtain, and the fact that the all sorority average GPA (2.95) is higher than Chico State’s all women’s average GPA (2.89).

Social media and PR play a big role in how we portray ourselves as a chapter and as Panhellenic. Panhellenic and our chapter realize the importance of being present on Facebook, as well as the potential negative side effects to warn members about.

Ethical dilemmas often arise when dealing with sorority politics. I’ve learned that my method is similar to virtue ethics where every situation is different and actions to be taken may change depending on the person or the situation as long as actions do not become hypocritical.

If we are successful in our “PR Campaign,” our evaluation occurs during recruitment. When we have accomplished all of our goals and objectives to put our chapter in a positive light, the girls we want to join our chapter will.

So tell me again how being in a sorority hasn’t given me skill-enhancing public relations experience?

1 comment:

  1. Megan, it honestly sounds like you've gotten the experience equivalent to several internships through your involvement in Greek life. I love that you address reputation issues here. Awesome blog!

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