Diggin Deep..

Soo What Happened Last Friday?



We'll we had a nice little activity that consumed most of class time. Not gonna lie I didn't mind doing it.



It was a values based activity, one in which we had to seek out other members of the fraternity and sorority community, and talk with them about values. The question topics related to the individuals fraternity/sorority focus, their values within the sorority/fraternity, and what ritual means to them.



Its always interesting, at least to me, to see how people answer that last one.... Some people are straight laced and just say its a ceremony. Others really like to dig and tell me how personal it is to them.



I personally relate to the latter. The Ritual is the most meaningful part of my Fraternity Experience. I'm not sure how much more I can emphasize that last point... I mean, how can individuals overlook its importance?



Ritual is the one thing that makes a different from every other student group/club/team/organization/ect!



The Ritual is where we pledge to uphold our values, not just for our years here at Ohio State, but for Life! During Ritual I am constantly reminded of the higher standards in which I have committed to living. Each time I take part in the ritual, I am that much more inspirted to live it out.



At least for me, thats what happened last Friday. Just talking about the ritual anymore gets me excited to be a Brother in the Fraternal Community. And I was inspired to tackle a week which seemed like it would never end.... But I am strong and I will succeed in my endevours. Not because I am cocky, but because I have been blessed with support anf experiences from my Fraternity Experience which will be to my benefit in all of life's tricky little obstacles.

I hope you feel the same, because our community is not a joke, and we will make a positive impact.

So let me buy this round.. ( I tried to post a song here by ACDC, have a drink on me, but it didn't work, still figuring out blogging I guess.....)

And let's toast to the wonderful opportunity that we

have in front of us. It's time to do some work.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Mark Twain said it best..."The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations and resentments slip away and the sunny spirit takes their place."

We could all use a little laughter to keep our spirits high. So please enjoy the little clip below and try and regenerate after a long week with a little laughter.

http://www.thelaughtermovie.com/land.php

God Bless

Let's talk about values.

What are your values and how do they define you? Where do they fit in terms of your council’s values? In terms of the community’s values.

I like to think that I am the type of person who acts off of his values... even if at times I think of them as a little bit... constricting. Now I will be the first to admit that in previous situations I may have strayed from the straight and narrow path that is layed out to me by my religion (I am a fairly religious young man), but overall I think that I like to think I'm doing a good job.

I know that I am a very fortunate young man, and that the Good Lord has blessed me in more ways than I realize, as I find more and more reasons to be thankful each and everyday. So that is the primary reason I love doing service to others and the community. Going back to the "Paying it Forward" idea, I truly get enjoy helping other people.. all coming from the idea that it is my duty as a blessed individual to give back to those less fortunate... So that is how my values define me. I use them on a daily basis to guide my decisions and as resources when I face obstacles.

As far for my council and my community, I believe I am in the perfect setting to apply my values. I am in a position where I am thankful to have the opporunity, as well as the resources, to make a difference and to give back to those less fortunate.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was really my first attempt at changing the community. I value the lessons I learned, and the friendships I gained from the experience. Meeting all the other individuals who share my same values has been invaluable to future progress for our cause.

Once again that is why I believe my Council, as well as my community is a perfect setting. I am surrounded by individuals who made a pledge to live a life of purpose and high standards. Whether our values are the same, or completely different, it is obvious that we are all passionate about the things we want to do. Our councils are coming together to form one community, one in which we can all work together to accomplish our goals, and hopefully get others as passionate as we are to join the cause. In my opinion, the cause is nothing more than giving back and moving forward.


In an effort to spice up my blog. I decided to add a little video showing that everyone has values... even the little guys. And when we come together, we can make a difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOWz80ldD24&feature=related

Class Lessons on Fraternal Change

Why did we choose to start a class about Fraternal Change with a service project, and what did you learn about yourself and your peers as a result of our shared experiences today?

It was my original understanding that we were starting a class for our all four of our councils so that we could have the opportunity to meet with one another on a weekly basis, get to know one another and discuss/collaborate on sorority and fraternity ideas and programs, as well as meet with our individual councils in place of a weekly exec board meeting that we would have scheduled anyway... all while earning a little bit of class credit.

Granted, the only differences between that structure and the one we had previously would be meeting with other councils on a regular basis, and extending the meeting by an hour or so... So we can't expect that to boost our GPA... However I would have liked to have an opportunity to meet with my Council.

While I most assuredly enjoyed meeting everyone, especially around the PB&J's.. I was hoping to get a solid foundation with the individuals I which I will be working most closely.

Like I said, I enjoyed learning a little bit about everyone, and I really enjoy doing community service work. I get a great deal of satisfaction from "Paying it Forward". I know I am truly blessed to be in the position that I am today, mostly do to the sacrifices of those who came before me. While I almost feel obligated at times to make a difference, it is not a burden I'm unwilling to carry. Its an honor to know that I can make a difference, and I value new opportunities to do so.

After only one class, I realized that I am surrounded by individuals who are already inspired to make a difference, and I very much look forward to our opportunity to promote change.

I will end this post with a comment by my Fraternity Brother, and incoming Chief Justice, Ryan Wilson, which pretty much sums up my thoughts.

"I have felt for quite some time that our community as a whole does not have the same drive or passion as we do. I hope that we will be able to challenge the community to better itself, as our brothers have challenged us."

who am I, why am I in my Fraternity/Sorority, and how do I feel after reading this Blogabus in its entirely?

My name is Benjamin Charles Huebener. I am a third year student majoring in Human Nutrition, with the specialization of Nutrition in Industry... essentially this means Business Nutrition but Fisher will not let any other College use the word business.

I joined my Fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, on January 12th 2008 and experienced my first ritual 3 days later on my 19th birthday. Two years later I still call myself a Fraternity Man and am more than PROUD to do so.

I have many theories about the benefits of the Fraternity and Sorority Community, especially about our Community here at The Ohio State University, and most of them speak for themselves based off of our statistics... such as a higher GPA than the all undergraduate average.. but my overall opinion of Fraternity and Sorority life has been shaped over my many experiences with the community, and cannot be shown in just one statistic.

You see, I see my involvement with the Fraternity and Sorority Community to be an investment.

An investment of one of my time, money, and talents. I did not join Sigma Phi Epsilon because I needed friends; I made plenty of friendships during Autumn Quarter. I did not join because I am wealthy and had money to throw away... that is FAR from the truth. And I sure as hell didn't join to be a Frat Boy with a popped collar, spray on tan, and an attitude that I am better than every other GDI.

I decided to become apart of a rich tradition of young men who made a pledge to themselves, as well as to their peers, that they would live a life dedicated to higher principles, to which they would hold each other accountable for life. These are the principles of Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love.

I wanted to join an organization in which I surrounded myself with others whom I thought were better than me. Not because I enjoy feeling inferior, but because I wanted to be in a situation which constantly challenged me to strive for more out of life, which constantly made me try to improve, and which constantly keeps me trying to grow and learn as an individual.

I will be the first to admit I like keeping my classes and my organizations separate. The fact that I am taking a class for one of my organizations did not make me necessarily happy. I have dedicated the vast majority of my free time to the Fraternity and Sorority community over the past two years and I was not forced to because I had a Fraternity Exam or Reflection Paper to write. I Did it because I truly believe that I am getting a great return on my Fraternal Investment.

however, I also understand that we live in a time of change, and after reading Tyler and Maggie’s Post, I am excited to run with this opportunity to promote to the profound benefits that come from the Fraternity and Sorority Community.

And just like any investment... the more you put into it, the more you can get out of it.