2019 AFLV Central

I got the distinct honor this year to be the first person to keynote the Multicultural Greek Luncheon (first time event). This year nearly 400 MGC members attended and they decided it was time for a separate luncheon and asked me to run it. What an honor.

It was in 2001 that I attended my first conference. At that time, MGC members couldn’t even fill one entire table (8 seats) at the affiliation luncheon. Over the years we grew and grew, I remember the first year when we had more than 8 Betas (my affiliation) so we filled a table…

While it was awesome to see the turn out. It hurt, it hurt when I facilitated the town hall meeting on Thursday night and heard over and over… that they feel invisible, ignored, not funded, mocked, tokenized, and just not included, and basically, not respected. Wow. Thats how I felt as a student twenty years ago. How have we not improved? Have the past two years set us back that much? Or did we just never really make progress?

I presented several programs and spent all my downtime meeting with students about the issues on their campuses. I know most of their schools won’t spend money to bring someone like me to campus, we know they will spend money for other speakers, but not one for them… its part of the problem. Its why I always have to work for 50% less than other speakers, why I get less gigs, why our students are told “next year”, every year.

To the students that came to my sessions, took all my business cards, and followed me on social media. Ask me questions, ask me for help, I will do all I can remotely if your school won’t pay me to come to campus. I got you.

To be clear, I am not complaining that I am not speaking and consulting more. I am mad that schools continue to not provide equity to our students, and to actually be inclusive of their needs. They continue to hire IFC/PHC speakers, and force MGC students to go to those, and then wonder why they aren’t engaging like the other students. Well their needs aren’t being met.

I am not sure the perfect solution, but I think being vocal is a start.

Schools: Your MGC students are going to come back from AFLV and ask to bring someone like me, and IFC/PHC students are going to ask to bring a rah-rah Greek Week speaker… or a funny alcohol educator… Who are you going to pick? Who are going to fund?

Advisors: Your students see you spending all weekend at Panhellenic Recruitment. They don’t see you at their new member presentation, and you told them it was too late at night. How late were you up at formal recruitment? Is that fair?

Dean of Students: You made campus Greek Life policies based on the actions and activities of your IFC/PHC. You are trying to hold the MGC groups to that same standard. You know that isn’t fair, and when they don’t succeed you clamp down more. You learned better in grad school and you know you need to do better.

I am not sure my next steps… but I remember at AFA in Orlando several years ago when I swore I couldn’t go back to an AFA meeting cause they just keep looking the other away on these types of issues. Well, let’s put AFA back on my calendar, and the weather will be nice there this year so its worth a trip I think. Open to ideas and help and support.