Beth Chapman holds a degree in political science from Union U in Jackson, Tennessee and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Eastern U in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Following two years as a national consultant for Chi Omega, she completed a nine-month leadership fellowship at the Trinity Forum Academy. She has served as a director for the Templeton Honors College at Eastern U and is now the director of outreach and advancement for the Trinity Forum in Washington, D.C. Volunteer activities include on-site coordinator for the Chi Omega National Recruitment Team, recruitment advisor for Phi Alpha Chapter at George Washington U, and fun captain/revelry emcee for recent Chi Omega Conventions. When she is not traveling, she is active with her church and enjoys kinda contemplating the world on her blog here.
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I am a Chi Omega
by Beth Chapman, Upsilon/Union U
Laugh. Have Fun. Make a Fool of Yourself!
My telephone rang.
“Do you wanna make a fool of yourself in front of a thousand
people?” the caller asked.
Now typically, normal people would answer this question
with a resounding NO! They would yell, “I spend most of
my life trying to prevent this very thing from happening.
That’s why I check my feet before I leave public bathrooms,
run screaming from any opportunities to speak publicly,
and never EVER allow my parents to be my friend on
Facebook.”
I, on the other hand, lifted an eyebrow, and said, “do tell
me more.”
The opportunity, as it turned out, was my first big break
in the “Fun World” of Chi Omega. You see, I had just
accepted a position as a Chi Omega national consultant
and my first assignment was traveling to Orlando, Florida
for Chi Omega’s biannual Convention. The caller was my
friend and new member educator from Upsilon Chapter
at Union U, Sarah Hackett Williams, who was working
at the Chi Omega Executive Headquarters. She had been
assigned the task of emceeing Convention’s traditional
Night of Revelry.
Sarah was calling to ask me to perform the Saturday Night
Live Spartan cheerleaders skit with her as the opening to
Revelry. “Yes,” she said, “more than 1,000 attendees will
see us dressed in cheerleading outfits from junior high,
perform the classic roll-call cheer, and, of course, they
will watch us dance “The Perfect Cheer.”
I listened carefully to her proposal, considered the consequences
to my reputation, gave a fist pump in the air and
answered, “ABSOLUTELY.”
It really shouldn’t be surprising that I jumped at this
offer. While growing up, instead of coming home and
watching Hey Dude on Nickelodeon like the rest of my
friends, I practiced making faces at myself in the mirror
and worked on perfecting my impersonations. I was fairly
convinced I could become the female Jim Carrey and
loved finding ways to make my friends laugh. When I left
for college, I made the life-changing decision to become a
member of Chi Omega. Beginning day one, one thing was
clear: Chi Omega is FUN.
From creating skits for recruitment and all-greek competitions
to laughing for hours with my sorority Sisters,
fun and humor were the air we breathed. It created the
memories I still recall fondly and provided the foundation
for my Sisters and I to build friendships that have
lasted a lifetime.
As I moved into leadership positions within my chapter,
I realized that humor and fun, when used strategically
and appropriately, are key leadership tools. As G.H., I saw
how humor, when it’s not done at the expense of others,
can break the ice, alleviate a tense situation, create positive
emotions during experiences that could otherwise be
draining, and serve as a key communication tool when
trying to grab or keep your audience’s attention.
Humor and fun are also key components to a successful
recruitment. When I speak with chapters as a member of
Chi Omega’s National Recruitment Team, I encourage
them to have fun and use appropriate humor as a way to
connect with potential new members (PNMs). Humor
and fun during recruitment also show PNMs that being
a part of Chi Omega, in addition to our other values, is
a blast. Finally, it can keep chapter members’ spirits up
during what can sometimes be a stressful week.
It was 10 years ago that I answered that phone call and
made the wonderful decision to “make a fool of myself
in front of 1,000 people.” In reality, I didn’t make a fool
of myself. We helped people laugh and have fun. We reminded
our Sisters that in addition to the values, friendships,
and purposes we share as Sisters in Chi Omega, we
also share the ability to laugh together, have fun together,
love life together. And that is one of the beautiful gifts of
being a member of Chi Omega.
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