Hello for South Carolina!

Hi friends!

Currently, I am visiting Wofford College in Spartanberg, SC! After a much needed vacation home in which I got to visit Grand forks(!), I have once again hit the road on the longest stretch of visits that I have so far. Let me tell you what I have been up to lately...

Home was great! My mom picked me up from the airport in Bismarck late Friday night (Sept 5) and we stayed at Laura & Geralds. On Saturday we woke up early and drove to Portland to visit family and friends. There was a whole crew of family members visiting my aunt Shari and uncle Dennis' house in Portland! The following family members were in attendance at our festivities: my cousin April and her gorgeous baby Noah, my aunt Molly and uncle Glen, their daughter Angie, her daughter Lizzie, my cousin Kelsey, my cousin Sara and her daughter Colby, my cousins Jason, Samuel, and Wyatt, and of course Molly and Glen's kids a.k.a dogs Maddy and Rudy. We had so much fun having a mini family reunion! Noah is an absolute doll and it was great to hold him and give him big kisses! It has been so much fun watching him grow up!

Not only did I get to see my family, but I also traveled to Grand Forks and got to see my UND family! It was so so so much fun to see all of my friends and the renovations of Theta! The living room looks amazing and I know that the girls are going to rock recruitment! After GF and Portland, mom and I came home (on Monday Sept 8) and the sleep deprivation finally caught up with me as I got sick :( If my body could have planned a perfect time to get sick it was definitely then! I slept pretty much the rest of my vacation, so needless to say, I did not get much work done, but I did feel a lot better! On Wednesday night I drove back to Bismarck and Laura dropped me off at the airport bright and early Thursday (Sept. 10) morning so I could travel to Virginia.

I got to Williamsburg at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday night and started meetings right away! W & M was absolutely beautiful! It was so cool to literally be a stones through away from Colonial Williamsburg! The Theta house was a beautiful old colonial home (I know, weird huh?!) that had a lot of character. I assisted the women with recruitment and am proud to say that the Beta Lambda chapter has 28 new members! I had a great time and found an amazing coffee shop called Aromas that served the best vanilla lattes that I have ever had! Being Norwegian, it is my duty to find a coffee shop wherever I go. My UND Theta sister, Samantha Haz drove down to Williamsburg (her hometown of Richmond is only one hour away) on Saturday to visit me. It was so great to see her and to catch up! She is training for a triathlon and is looking so buff! It's always great to see someone from home!

I left Williamsberg on Tuesday (Sept 15) and traveled to South Carolina, where I am now. Everything has been going well here and all of the members are welcoming and nice. Southern hospitality is not just a saying. I am staying in the dorms with a couple of the Thetas because the chapter doesn't have a house. I can honestly say that I never thought I would be staying in the dorms at the age of 23, but it's been good!

I will be in Spartanberg until Sunday morning (September 20th) then I head back to the Midwest and visit Lawrence College in Appleton Wisconsin (September 20-24)! After Lawrence, I visit Hanover College in Hanover, IN (September 24-28). Then, I finally get a break and head to Minneapolis to chill with my favorite dental student Amy (September 28 - October6)! I can't wait to sleep in, work on reports, and literally do nothing! Amy and I are going to drive from the cities to Grand Forks for homecoming the first weekend of October! I'm excited to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Greek Life and catch a football game and the homecoming festivities! I cannot wait to see all of my Union friends and college peeps! Until then I better catch up on reports! I'm so far behind, I'm almost ahead! Hope things are going well wherever you may be!

Thanks for following me! :)

Heading Home

So, I"m sitting here in the Seattle airport getting ready to board a plane to fly to Denver then to Bismarck! I just finished up my 12 day visit at the University of Montana. The visit was great! Missoula is a beautiful city with its own unique flair. I highly suggest taking a vacation to Missoula if you haven't yet. There is so much to do in one little city; hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, shopping in the adorable shops downtown, and so much more! This is a place I could definetily see myself living someday!

I thought being in one spot for almost two weeks would be really difficult, but I found that it was actually more difficult for me to leave today. The women of Alpha Nu were so unbelievably welcoming and fun! They are a very driven group of women who really have come a long way this year. They took me around campus, hiked a mountain with me, took me to "out to lunch" at the park and made me feel at home. They reminded me so much of my own chapter! There was actually a girl named Anna who completely reminded me of my friend Jessie! It was uncanny! They are both so spunky, fun, and friendly!

While on my visit I helped the chapter with their pre-recruitment workshop last week then with recruitmen this week. The chapter did so well! They made quota plus one and will be COBing some amazing women who suicide bid Theta! (Pretty much they rocked at recruitment!) The chapter did the best out of the four chapters on campus...everyone wanted Theta!!! It was an amazing accomplishment for a chapter that really struggled with recruitment in years past.

While at Missoula, I got to catch up with my friend Shannon Burthold, who is from Bismarck. Shannon and I were in the same dorm my first year at UND. She transferred to the University of Montana last year. It was so great to see a friendly face from home and to walk around downtown Missoula on a Saturday morning checking out craft fairs, street fairs, live music, and open markets. It was a great time.

Another awesome thing that I got to do in Missoula is climb the 'M' Moutain. This is a very steep hill that has a great big M on it for the Univ. of Montana. It was a difficult hike that reminded me that I need to continue to run everyday, but was an amazing view of the campus and the city.

Today I am meeting my mom in Bismarck and tomorrow we are going to Portland to see my family which I am very excited about. I am also going to Grand Forks to see my family of friends and to reminisce about our college days :) I am so excited to see the renovations to Theta!!! I can't wait!

Well, I better go board my flight! See you all in ND!

Lyss ;)

Recent Travels

Hello my Blog Friends!

I have been informed by my very blunt friend Amy that it has been a while since I have blogged and she's right, it has been a while! I got caught up in all of my exciting adventures that I forgot to document them! Currently, I am at a visit at the University of Montana in Missoula. It has been an amazing two weeks and I am so so so glad that I have had the opportunity to visit this gorgeous part of the country. I have decided that Missoula is going on my list of places that I could live. I will fill you in about Missoula hopefully tomorrow, but for now, let me tell you about my last two visits.

My very first visit was to Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Justine, another ELC, and myself flew into Clemson on August 11th and stayed until the 16th. It was a really great first visit. The women of Delta Phi showed us hospitality at its finest.*

*Quick side-note for those of you who are not Thetas... each one of our Kappa Alpha Theta chapters are named by the Greek alphabet to differentiate one from another since we are all Kappa Alpha Theta. For example the first chapter of Theta established is known as the Alpha chapter. As chapters were added they continued down the Greek alphabet. Once they got to the end of the alphabet they started doubling letters, for example Alpha Pi chapter (UND). I hope this makes sense.

So anyway, we started our ELC adventures staying at the advisory board chairman's home. The ABC, Lynne, was an amazing woman who lived in a gorgeous house by the lake. Too bad we didn't have time to enjoy the view from the double decker dock! Instead, the next morning we jumped in a car with the Thetas and traveled to a retreat center in the woods of North Carolina for a recruitment retreat. The drive was absolutely beautiful, as we drove through the Appalachians the entire way.

The chapter hosted their recruitment retreat at this neat camp center in the middle of the woods (we were warned that their have been bear sightings and to ensure that we walk outside with a partner Eeeek!). It was 3 fun-filled days of learning all about recruitment, teaching songs, facilitating workshops, and much more. After the retreat, our visit continued on campus in Clemson. We met with the rest of the chapter officers and got to see the adorable parts of Clemson. The town is so cute! There are cobble-stone streets lining the "main drag" and the entire town is decorated in orange, as orange and purple are the school colors.

Football is to Clemson as Hockey is to UND... the entire town and the surrounding area goes absolutely crazy for Clemson football! In fact, it is almost impossible to get a game-day ticket as they are sold-out so far in advance! If students park their cars in any parking lot on campus they must be moved for gamedays (even students living on-campus) because fans rent out all of the parking spaces on campus for tailgaiting. It's insane! I really want to come back for a football game!

After Clemson, Justine and I had to part ways :( We had a great first visit together and we had so much fun trying to figure out what the heck we were doing! I wish we could travel together the entire year. Justine can easily go with the flow and she has a great sense of humor! Anyway, after Clemson I took a cross-country trip to Fresno, CA and the Gamma Chi chapter at Fresno State University.

Fresno was a completely different animal then Clemson. First of all it was sooooooo hot! Being a sweaty kid anyway, I did not fair well in the scorching heat, and do not see myself moving to CA anytime soon. I arrived at Gamma Chi on August 16 and stayed until the 20th. I had a challenging visit, but I learned a lot. It's crazy how different various Thetas are throughout the country. The women of Gamma Chi were great and even showed me their campus' vineyard and new bookstore! They were very welcoming and have been working hard to make their chapter better. I can't wait to find out how they did during recruitment!

One thing that surprised this little North Dakota gal was the rampant crime in California. It was insane to me that the chapter had to put up a fence around their parking lot to ensure that their cars wouldn't get broken into, as this is a daily occurrence! Also, there is gang activity in the city and the girls definitely informed me that you never walk alone by yourself at night. There was graffiti on some of the fraternitie's facilities and I felt like I was in a completely different world. This surely solidified my decision to never live in California. Anyway, it was a really great learning and growing experience!

After Fresno, I got to go home and spend a couple of days with my family! I pretty much washed clothes, caught up on the "What Not to Wear" that I had DVR'ed, wrote reports, ate my mom's delicious food, and slept! It was an eventful couple of days. A big thank you goes out to my aunt and uncle and cousin Emily for picking me up and dropping me off at the airport in Bismarck! You are so wonderful and I'm thankful for such an amazing family! :)

I will update you (hopefully tomorrow) about the Unversity of Montana (Woot!) but in the meantime, keep on keepin' on...

Love,
Alyssa

Delta Phi's Facility at Clemson University

It's on Clemson's campus and is very similar to a residence hall. None of the fraternities or sororities have houses instead they have halls. Theta has its own hall, the other sororities (excepte DZ) have one floor of a hall. All of the fraternity and sorority halls are in a semi-circle and in the middle is a lawn called the "Quad". On football game day all of the fraternities tailgate on the "Quad."

Gamma Chi's Facility at Calif. State Univ. Fresno

(also known as Fresno State)

The sororities at Gamma Chi also form a semi-circle and in the middle of all of the facilities is the Greek lawn. It's pretty neat! The women said that when it gets really hot (which for me would be 99.9% of the time) they pull out a slip-n-slide and all of the fraternities and sororities play in the water. Also, the facility's first floor was recently renovated and it looks so cool!

Meet the Educational Leadership Consultants!!

The 2009-2010 ELCs are an amazing group of women that I am so fortunate to get to work with! They are energetic, positive, encouraging, and so simply fabulous that I could scream! So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the '09-'10 ELCs!!!


Jennica Prescott
This California girl is absolutely nothing like the O.C. She is very little drama, she's a philanthropist, and an all around kind-hearted lady! Jennica grew up in Orange County but followed in her grandfather and her father's footsteps (or should I say Cougar paw tracks) to Washington State University! She served as VPPH and President in her Theta chapter, much like myself! Jennica has had a couple of amazing experiences traveling to Africa for service trips. She has helped families in Uganda and has also travelled to Rwanda. She has so many amazing stories and such a kind heart!








Lauren M-i-s-i-e-w-i-c-z...Misiewicz
Lauren is another complete and total sweetheart! She is the first to pat you on the back when you've done something well and the first to ask you if she can get you anything if you're having a rough day. Lauren is from Chicago (Go Sox!) and went to college at Purdue University in Indiana. She didn't have many positions within her Theta chapter but she sure was a strong leader on her campus' Panhellenic! Lauren knows so many student affairs personnel that you would think that she has been working in the field for years. She always knows someone at every conference that we attend! Although her name is hard to spell, and we often have contests to see who can do it, she is an all around kind soul! She can make anyone's day!










Hilary Holmes
Hilary, with one L NOT two, was probably the most surprising woman of the bunch. At interviews she was so quite and professional, but now that we know the real Hilary, we know she is super outgoing, incredibly fun, and LOVES adventure! Hil went to Ohio Wesleyan University, but grew up in New Hampshire. This wonderful lady has a true passion for none other than the late Michael Jackson (may he RIP). In fact, Hil is so passionate about MJ that she taught all of the ELCs the Thriller Dance, then went on to teach the entire crowd at our Risk Management on the Road Conference the dance as well. I see a future in choreography on the horizon!











Jill Werner
Jill is a southern bell with an absolutely adorable accent! This girl knows more about recruitment than Bettie Locke herself! She comes from a chapter with big frills and has managed putting together some amazing recruitments for the University of Kentucky! Jill is a Lou-a-Vulll, (Louisville) Kentucky native and is proud of her bluegrass roots. She is a HUGE and I mean HUGE Pittsburgh Steelers fan! She has jerseys and has even painted her face black and gold on game day! Little did we know, Jill can also rap! She is full of surprises! Jill can lighten any mood with her adorable giggle! This semester, Jill will be based at our new chapter at Auburn University with Whitney!










Whitney Scott
Whitney is a true beach babe! I don't think Jimmy Buffet is as beachy as her! In fact, her name means "from the sandy islands." She is the first to tell you that she is a HUGE Gator Football fan! This lady bleeds orange and blue! Go Gators! As a graduate of the University of Florida, Whitney has a lot to be proud about! Not only did her team win not one but two National Football Championships, but she also was an amazing VPA for her Theta chapter. Whitney has a bright disposition and could be best described as sunny. I honestly think that she has figure out how to bottle sunshine and bring with her wherever she goes. Whitney will be hanging out with Jill this semester based at Auburn University!








Taryn Dorfman
Taryn is the lone second year ELC, and with all of her knowledge, we immediately dubbed her our Mother Duck! She is often seen with her eight "ducklings" following her around ask her, "Taryn what do I do when..." or "Taryn how do you..." She has been so patient with us and we truly appreciate it! Taryn calls Fort Lauderdale, FL home and is a graduate for the University of Central Florida. This aspiring political analyst, loves American politics, despite being a Canadian citizen! Taryn was born in Montreal and moved to FL at a young age and grew up under the sun! Taryn served as VPE and Chapter President at UCF's Theta. We are so glad that she knows a ton about Theta and is more than willing to share all that she knows!








Mallory Butts
Mal-Gal is a native of Columbus, Ohio and attended college at the Ohio State University. Mallory is a first year ELC and is a social butterfly. She is never afraid to meet anyone and always makes new friends wherever we go! Mallory has been a leader since she first stepped foot on OSU's campus. As a sophomore, she served as chapter President and as a Junior served as Panhellenic President! She sure knows her stuff! Oh and I can't forget, she also served as the all important Music Chairman! She has an absolutely gorgeous voice and makes us all look bad when we sing in the car! :) Mallory is expecting her first niece this year and we are so excited to hear all about this future Greek lady!









Justine Fowler
I think this is soooo cool...Justine is a founding member of her chapter at Quinnipiac University! Isn't that neat!? She helped start her chapter and played important roles as VPE and VPD. Justine is from outside of Boston, Massachusetts but went to college in Connecticut at Quinnipiac. Justine is so much fun! She always knows how to make you laugh and sure can sport some sweet neon shades. Justine will be meeting me at Clemson University for our very first visit. I am so glad that she will be there to help me figure out what I am doing! Justine is very calm and easy going, which I think will certainly help on our first visit! She has told me that when she is home for a while she has a Boston accent, so I hope she shows up to Clemson with it! We will be quite the combo...ND accent and a Boston accent in South Carolina...hhhmmmm... I can't wait to see this lady tomorrow! Yay!




Well there you have it ladies and gentleman, the 2009-2010 ELC's! Aren't they amazing?!!!

~ A :)

Theta Love

It's crazy how fast time flies when you're having fun! ELC training in Indianapolis ended yesterday and all of the ELCs departed today. Some of us went home for a couple of days, while others hit the ground running and traveled to Auburn in Alabama to help with recruitment. It was a bittersweet moment because we all know how exciting this year is going to be, but we all were sad to see each other go. It is amazing how close you can get with people only after a month. We were reminiscing yesterday about how our relationships have grown over this past month and it is really amazing. The first night we got to Indy we had supper and didn't really have much to talk about, were trying to take in everything around us, still had our guards up, and weren't totally sure about one another. Last night we went out for our final dinner in Indy and we couldn't shut up! We know so much about one another and understand our strengths and weaknesses, and know how to make each other laugh, but also comfort each other when we are sad.

I am so fortunate to meet 8 absolutely amazing women who are going to make such a huge difference not only this year, but for the years to come. I know that we have developed friendships that are everlasting! The bonds of Theta never cease to amaze me. I know this sounds corny, but to know that no matter where you go, you will have support, not only from the sisters of the chapter you were initiated into, but from your sisters all over the US and Canada. I have learned so much about Theta this past month, but I think the greatest thing that I have learned is that Theta is not just about the individual chapters, but is about the organization as a whole. We are all in it together, no matter what.

Our Last night in Indy. I can't wait to come back and reminisce about all of our awesome experiences!

Theta Love,

Alyssa

P.S. ~ I promise I will post more blogs now that I have some time! :)

My Visits this Semester

I almost forgot to tell you where I am going this semester! Here are all of the chapters that I get to visit:

the University of Wisconsin in Madison,
Michigan State in East Lansing,
Ohio Northern in Ada,
Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA,
Allegheny in Meadsville, PA,
University of Deleware in Newark, Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC,
Lawrence College in Appleton, WI,
the Univ. of Iowa in Iowa City,
the University of Montana in Missoula,
Hanover College in Hanover, IN, Fresno State in Fresno, CA,
Clemson University in Clemson, SC!

I don't quite know the times or dates yet but I will keep you all updated! :)

Busy Busy Busy

Wow! It sure has been busy! We have yet to have an entire day off from training, so we are all pretty tired and our brains are on Theta overload. I really hope that I can remember all of this info! We did have this morning off and didn't have to go in to work until noon so we all took advantage of sleeping in! There has been a lot going on. I will give you the highlights:

On Friday (17), we had training at Headquarters on the Kappa Alpha Theta foundation and it was incredibly informative. It is so interesting to see how a non-profit organization functions. It is also amazing how much the Theta foundation does for the women of our fraternity. If it was not for the foundation, I would be unemployed, as the foundation funds 60% of our ELC program. I highly encourage everyone to check out the foundation's website, http://www.kappaalphathetafoundation.org/. Read about some of the ways in which the foundation helps assist members through troubling times, with money for college, and with funding to make a difference. It is truly amazing.

On Saturday (18), the District 5 Administration District Director, April Biddix flew to Indy all the way from Georgia to facilitate Administration training. We learned all that there is to know about Theta elections, bylaws, and officer structure. I feel like Administration information is seeping out of my ears.

From Sunday (19) until Tuesday (21) we attended the Fraternity Executives Association Field Staff Training Conference on the University of Miami campus in Miami, OH. Many sorority and fraternity field staff attended this conference. It was a great conference that covered pretty much everything there is to know about life on the road for a field consultant. The conference featured wonderful speakers on all things Greek. Not only was this conference informative, but it also gave us a wonderful opportunity to mingle with field staff from other organizations, specifically the male organizations :) Believe me, we all needed a little testosterone in our lives after spending every waking moment together for the last week! After the conference, some the Beta Theta Pi fraternity consultant gave us a tour of their headquarters in Oxford and let me tell you, it is amazing!!! They have a HUGE HQ with a gigantic front yard! We all want to marry a Beta, just so the wedding can be held at the HQ Estate. The yard is literally like a pasture surrounded by trees with a beautiful pond, a bridge, and a walkway that leads to the building! So Pretty!!!

On Wednesday (22), Ginny Carroll, who owns iNGinuity, facilitated professionalism training and gave us the DISC profile. She was a lot of fun and very energetic! Later in the afternoon the Fraternity Vice President College, Amy Kates flew to Indy from New Orleans and hung out with us for the afternoon. We all got to ask her questions about the chapters that we were visiting and about Grand Council. It was just so strange to be chillin' with a member of GC! It's incredible how much Theta knowledge she has!

On Thursday (23) we got an archives tour from Noraline, Theta's archivist! She showed us some really awesome stuff! I'll post some pics later! She also pulled stuff from our own chapters, so I got to make a copy of the first letter Pearle Monroe wrote to Grand Convention petitioning for a Theta chapter at UND. It was dated 1911! What a great piece of history!
Also on Thursday, we had Panhellenic training with Theta's Panhellenic delegate and former Fraternity President Mary Jane Beach. She is a peach of a gal and lives in Iowa City, so I am definitely going to visit her when I got to the University of Iowa! We also got a tour of National Panhellenic Conference's Headquarters in Indy. It was a shock to see how small it actually was! There are only 3 full-time ladies that work at NPC HQ and the office is so little! Never the less, it was so neat to see where all of the behind the scenes work goes down!

On Friday (24) we continued with Panhellenic training but we were all itching for the business day to be over because the Beta Theta Pi consultants came to Indy and we had a fun get together, with a neon/80's theme. Let me tell you, those Beta's sure know how to work a thrift store! In fact, some of their 80's gear was so unattractive that we were not allowed into 2 establishments in downtown Indy! :) It was a fun night and I have some really great pictures of our ridiculous costumes!

Today, we got to sleep in! Yay! Then, at noon we met with the District 5 Membership District Director, April Dupree, for Membership training. I actually really enjoy the Membership aspect of sorority life, mostly because I enjoy party planning! It was a lot of fun to hear her recruitment stories (District 5 is all of the frilly southern chapters) and to get some cool recruitment ideas to pass on! It was a fun day! Tonight, we are all glued to our computers trying to schedule flights, contact chapters, and update our friends and family about our lives. I really wish that there were 5 more hours in a day, believe me, I need them!

I will post some pictures up later of all of our amazing adventures! Things are busy but wonderful!
~A