Finals Week is Here

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Omicron

Studying for finals got you overwhelmed? Take some advice from the brightest of the bright, our Director of Academics and our mentors!

1. Reward yourself for making it through certain chunks of studying that you get done. Ex. After making it through a chapter reward yourself with a snack.
2. A few days before studying organize all your material so you don’t waste time the day you are studying with just organizing.
3. Start studying by simply reviewing the material, then figure out what you know and don’t know and study the material you don’t know the most
4. Go through all the assigned chapters and make a study guide of all the important information
5. Make a study guide and read through it until you feel like you’ve mastered the material. Then get a blank sheet of paper and only show yourself the main categories on the study guide and try to write down everything you can remember about that topic. What you don’t remember to write down is what you need to study more.
6. For classes that aren’t conceptually based, like a math class, work through a bunch of different problems. It’s easy to think you know how to do different equations when you’re reading through examples, but the real test is working through problems on your own. Struggle a little before giving up and looking at the solutions.
7. If your teacher posts practice exams, go through the exam and if you have any uncertainty about the answer then don’t answer the question, but circle the question number. At the end of the practice test go through the questions that you couldn’t answer and review those topics, and then answer them.
8. Write your notes out again after lecture or before the exam in the same environment that you will be taking the exam in
9. Use flashcards when you have a lot of memorization

Finally, remember to breathe. Keep your chin up and just take a deep breathe, everything will be great.

Greek Week 2013 Results!

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Omicron

We’re proud of the great work that we and the men of Alpha Gamma Rho put into this year’s Greek Week! Last night was announcements and we are thrilled with the results!

Alpha Phi and Alpha Gamma Rho place 1st in Service and Banner!

We placed 2nd in Blood!

We placed 3rd in Fling! Winning Best Choreography!

And finally, overall, we placed 5th for Greek Week 2013!

Check Out the Video Links Below:

Greek Week 2013 Recap!

Fling Finals!

Thank you to the men of Alpha Gamma Rho and to everyone who participated for such a successful Greek Week! A-Team!

Greek Week 2013: Easter Bunny style!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Omicron

Greek Week is underway, and we couldn’t be more excited! With soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football and this year’s surprise game: “steal the bacon”, there was something for just about everyone! Our “A-Team” made up of Alpha Gamma Rho and ourselves has been playing hard on the courts and the fields! If an Alpha Phi wasn’t participating in a sport, we were easily spotted on the sidelines with our signature bunny ears for our theme of Myths and Legends: the Easter Bunny! Alpha Phi isn’t only participating in sports, we also have had the chance to volunteer and donate blood for the Spring Blood Drive and participate in a variety of service events for the community. Our beneficiary that we supported this year was the Central Missouri Dream Factory who grants dreams to critically and chronically ill children in the mid-Missouri area. Through their poker tournament fundraiser (sound familiar?) the Dream Factory raised $111,000, which means they are able to send over 20 kids on a dream! What an incredible accomplishment, we were honored to be able to take part in such an awesome organization! Tonight is our night to perform our skit for Greek Week Fling! Our skit and dance teams have been working hard to make sure that this performance is great so make your way to Jesse Auditorium tonight at 6 PM to see our Easter Bunny performance! Good luck skit and dance!

Check out more pictures on our Facebook: Mizzou Alpha Phi or our Instagram: @MizzouAlphaPhi!

Alpha Phis Hand-to-Hand with the Food Bank!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Omicron

Opting for a “paper chapter” this Monday, our Alpha Phis took to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri instead! “The Food Bank is a regional disaster and hunger relief network that acquires and distributes millions of pounds of donated food annually,” according to their website.They are unique in the fact that they are one of the only food banks nationwide that send their food to soup kitchens, emergency food pantries, shelters for the abused and homeless, programs for low-income children and senior citizens, and rehabilitation centers, all free of charge.

About 35 Alpha Phi girls headed to the food bank to lend a hand! We were assigned to large bins of potatoes where we would dispose of the inedible and bag the good. Though the job was not difficult, being able to give back to the community in a small way was very rewarding. Freshman, Caitlin Johnson, said that she was glad that she was able to give to people who are not as well-off, and that it was ten times more enjoyable because she was able to laugh and have fun with her sisters. How great did we look in hair nets?

Alpha Phi could not have done this without the workers and volunteers at the Food Bank who were extremely friendly and helpful during our visit. It was great to see the residents of Columbia and Alpha Phi come together to give back to those in the area who are less fortunate. We encourage everyone to give a small amount of time, money or food to this wonderful organization! With our help, the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri can continue to thrive and feed those in need. We had a great time volunteering and the Food Bank can be sure that Alpha Phi will be back again soon!

How Sweet It Is To Be An Alpha Phi!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Omicron

We are so excited to have welcomed 12 new members to Alpha Phi this past Sunday, March 3rd! We held our annual COB Bid Day with the very adorable theme of “How Sweet It Is To Be An Alpha Phi!” Our current members joined our new ladies at the house for a day of fun activities! The freshmen and the COBs wore their new pink Bid Day v-neck t-shirts while the rest wore yellow amongst our pastel colored decorations. COBs were able to spend time with their first Ivy Linker, and get to know many of their new sisters. Luckily we had a photographer to catch all of the fun! Our sweet activities included caricature drawings, a photo booth set up with fun props like colorful picture frames and feathered boas, and a lot of candy and cupcake decorating! The day wouldn’t be complete, however, without the cotton candy machine! What a sugar rush!

We love all of our new ladies and are excited for them to start their journeys as Alpha Phis! Our beautiful new members are: Michelle Jacobson, Maddie Rodbro, Taylor Harrison, Reed Geekie, Kristin Rawie, Meghan Conway, Mandie Phipps, Erin Bommersbach, Kelly Walsh, Ashley Killough, Abby Uhlar and Monique Beird! Please welcome them and make sure to show them just how sweet it is to be a part of Alpha Phi!

Alpha Phi In NYC!

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Omicron

Our Alpha Phi ladies rocked it once again, at RAMS Rock-It Finals on Friday, February 22. Our theme for the lip-sync competition this year was Alpha Phi in NYC, a collaboration of numerous famous New York songs ranging from Frank Sinatra to Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. Equipped with elaborate backdrops of “old-school” New York and the New York City skyline, Alpha Phi danced their way into a second place finish in Rock-It. It was an unbelievable performance, choreographed by Dana Humphrey and Debi Jacquin. A lot of help went into creating the backdrops, props, and costumes to create the illusion of being in New York City!

RAMs however isn’t only about the dancing, it is more importantly about raising money and awareness to benefit the local MS Institute. Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis is a campus-wide philanthropy that uses the funds raised to help people in the mid-Missouri area living with Multiple Sclerosis. Alpha Phis who weren’t in the lip-sync competition were still able to be a part of the fun! RAMS also has a Service Day, Mic Night, Speaker Night, Jail N’ Bail, Comedy Night, a night of bowling, and a Banner competition. Each of these events gave the ladies of Alpha Phi an opportunity to have a great time while raising money and learning more about Multiple Sclerosis.

We are also pleased to say that we had an Alpha Phi on the RAMS Steering Committee for her second year, Vanessa Hayes. Vanessa was a part of the Promotions Committee. Her job included helping judge the banner competition, designing the shirts, and organizing the t-shirt orders. Great job, Vanessa!

This year’s RAMS will be donating a grand total of $65,000 to the MS Institute of Mid-Missouri, and has officially surpassed one million dollars donated in their 20th year! We are very proud of our Alpha Phis and their accomplishments in RAMS!

Phi-nominal Alumna: ELC, Nora Baker

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Omicron

Alumna, Nora Baker, tells us about her time as an Alpha Phi Educational Leadership Consultant!

“As my time as an ELC is rapidly coming to a close, I will always look back on this year as the most rewarding, but also most challenging, year of my life. The life of an ELC is one full of surprises and adaptability- ELC’s don’t work your typical Monday-Friday, 9-5 schedule. We are available 24/7! As an ELC, being flexible with collegians and alumnae from all different backgrounds and thinking quickly on your feet when things go awry (as they often do, especially during recruitment!) fast becomes second nature.

Many think my job only works during recruitment season, which couldn’t be further from the truth! While I do make recruitment visits, I also spent time on extension with one of our newest chapters, Clemson, while also making chapter operations and general chapter visits.

I’ve had the incredible opportunity to visit the University of Oklahoma, the University of Arizona, Clemson University, the University of Rhode Island, Penn State, Northern Illinois University, George Washington University, MIT, SUNY Buffalo, the University of Delaware, Towson University, Christopher Newport University, Shippensburg University, Lake Forest College, U Penn, Miami University of Ohio, WPI, Bentley University, SUNY Cortland, and will be visiting Hofstra, U Conn, Dartmouth, Tufts, the University of South Dakota, the University of North Dakota, and Ball State University before I’m finished.

I was originally encouraged to apply for the position by two alumnae of Omicron, and I cannot imagine having done anything different with my life my first year out of college. My time as an ELC has allowed me to give back to the sorority that originally challenged me and taught me more about myself than any college experience could have. The girls I work with have become family, and every chapter I’ve visited holds a special memory. Whether it’s a night out in Chicago with the rest of the ELC team, staying up with a recruitment team until 3 in the morning for nights in a row, or working with chapter officers to change the chapter culture and move forward, it’s been an unforgettable year.

Since July 2012, I’ve taken over 100 flights, been to 26 colleges, worked with over 200 officers, and facilitated workshops for over 1,000 collegians. As a full-time traveler, I’ve quickly learned to step out of my comfort zone, that coffee is a girl’s best friend, and that living out of a 50 pound suitcase and 1 carry on is not only completely possible, but not quite as difficult as I thought it’d be.”

Back in Bloom

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Omicron

Our Forget Me Not Field is blooming once again at Alpha Phi’s Upper Midwest/North Central Midwest Leadership Conference this weekend. Whether you’re attending Leadership Conference or not, you can join in the celebration. With the purchase of a $10 Forget Me Not, you honor a special woman in your life…and you let Alpha Phis in need know that their sisters care and are always there to help.

Each woman you honor will receive an email letting her know you’ve donated to the Foundation on her behalf. The names of these special sisters will also be displayed in our Field Of Dreams on the Forget Me Not Field website. If your honoree is attending Leadership Conference this weekend, she will receive a Forget Me Not button to wear proudly indicating that she’s been recognized.

Alpha Phi Foundation’s Forget Me Not Fund provides aid to our sisters facing crisis situations such as natural disasters, illness, and unforeseen financial difficulties. Choose to plant it forward today to ensure these women get back on their feet tomorrow. Make your gift now and join me in celebrating our commitment to always remember our sisters, remember Alpha Phi.

Loyally,

Leesa Havel (Delta Mu—Purdue)
Special Events and Program Manager

Alpha Phi leading the way in Jamaica

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Omicron

While winter break is used for many to catch up on sleep and eat their way into a food coma over the holidays, this was not the case for at least one Alpha Phi! Senior, Joanie Stream led a group of 61 sorority men and women on a week-long mission trip to Jamaica through the Won by One organization. After months of planning, running information sessions, conducting interviews and finally choosing their team, on January 13 they said goodbye to the United States and hello to Harmons, Jamaica.

A typical day in Jamaica started with waking up in the Harmony House, where they were staying for the week. Following breakfast and morning worship, the group would head to their various assigned service opportunity sites for the day. The sites were an assortment between assisting in schools and the local donation “thrift” store, constructing houses and foundations, and hauling a sand/rock substance called marl that the Jamaicans use to make concrete. Along with the Jamaicans hired by the Harmony House, the group worked all day ending with the final total of two built houses and three foundation sites laid. Work that would usually take months for these families to finish was being completed in a week. One woman with five kids and multiple grandkids had been on a waiting list for a home for four years. She had never owned her own house, and the students from Mizzou were able to fulfill that prayer for her.

What Joanie called her “wow” moment, was the day that she was able to visit patients in the infirmary. Patients had been hospitalized in the infirmary due to medical reasons, physical disabilities, or simply old age. The students would bring worship songs, paint girls nails, read to the patients, or just sit and visit. Joanie said that it was extremely inspiring seeing the patients’ steadfast faith and contagious joy given their living conditions, and feeling the sincere thankfulness they had for the students’ short visits.

This was Joanie’s third year on the Won by One mission trip, but it was sophomore Alpha Phi, Brittany Speckhart’s first experience. Regarding having a fellow sister there, Joanie said that she loved being able to share the experience with a younger Sister, breaking pledge class barriers and getting to know her better.

“It is unlike any other feeling to serve someone who cannot do anything back for you…it’s incredibly humbling” Joanie said.

These 61 members of the Greek community dropped their affiliations for the week and united as one for the greater good. The letters faded away, and they became one body. Though the trip was only a week, Joanie will definitely have these memories for a lifetime. We are so proud of both of our Alpha Phi sisters, Joanie Stream and Brittany Speckhart!