Council Connections – October 2015
Like branches of a tree, our lives grow in different directions. Yet our roots remain with Alpha Sigma Tau.
By National Vice President Beth Carney Ebberman, Phi
Fall is usually associated with falling leaves, cooler days, pumpkins, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. For many of us, fall also brings Homecoming, that annual rite of reconnecting with our college experiences, and with those who made it great! Homecoming is a wonderful opportunity to build and maintain meaningful, sincere, and lasting relationships with your Sisters, your alma mater, and your community.
This year, take the opportunity to connect with your college or university during their Homecoming festivities. Even if you left years ago, or just last semester, you will find it is worth the effort through the new connections you will make. If you can, go beyond just visiting your alma mater – get involved, serve the community, and make a true connection.
On November 4, Alpha Sigma Tau will celebrate our own Homecoming: Founders Day. This year marks 116 years since the founding of our Alpha Chapter at Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. While that may seem like a long time ago, Alpha Sigma Tau is still true to the values and connections we launched all those years ago.
Celebrating our Homecoming is a bit different than celebrating a college’s Homecoming. It’s not necessarily about football and parties, but rather connecting with our Sisters. When we make those connections, we honor our Founders and the values they lived and established for us. There are many ways to get involved – many collegiate and alumna chapters have celebrations and events. If there is a celebration close to you, please attend! But if there isn’t one close to you, you can still celebrate Founders Day. Reach out to a Sister nearby and go out for coffee. Email a Sister or message her on Facebook, just to let her know that you’re thinking of her. Take one day and connect with your Alpha Sigma Tau roots.
I’ve spoken with many members who have reconnected with Sisters they haven’t seen in years, and other Sisters that have made new connections at Founders Day events and chapter anniversaries. Many of us have found each other on Facebook or Twitter, after losing contact years before. Social media is such a quick and easy way to reconnect with old friends and with Alpha Sigma Tau. No matter where we have gone in life, we all have one thing in common – the bonds of our Alpha Sigma Tau Sisterhood.
Many women think that our connections with the Sorority end when we graduate college, although we sing about lifelong bonds of friendship. Keep the promise you made when you sang those songs, and keep the connections with your Sisters, because those are the connections that last a lifetime. After all, there’s a reason connections is one of Alpha Sigma Tau’s core values!