This document outlines the learning goals and agenda for a Greek Leadership Retreat at Loyola University in 2012. The goals were to promote unity among Greek chapters, remember why students joined Greek life, understand the strengths of different chapters, and assess needs on campus. Students participated in an activity to collaboratively plan programs around the core values of service, social, and scholarship. They were instructed to involve the right people, have attainable goals, clearly communicate, and execute the programs during their term. The overall aim was to better connect Greek life to the wider campus community through joint programming efforts.

1. Maximized Experiences
Greek Leadership Retreat 2012
Jimmy McLeod Jr.
Sorority & Fraternity Life

2. Overview

3. Learning Goals
• Identify ideas that unify different Greek chapters on campus.
• Remember why they chose to "Go Greek" at Loyola.
• Connect the values of their national organizations with those of Loyola
University Chicago.
• Understand the functions and strengths of the three major Greek councils at
Loyola.
• Understand their own strengths and be able to identify the areas that they
excel in
• Students will then use these strengths to maximize their chapter/councils
potential
• Analyze the strengths represented by different Greek chapters and councils
on campus.

4. Learning Goals
• Frame useful questions around what needs should be addressed in relation
to the student body at Loyola, Greek and non-Greek
• Assess Greek student organizational needs on campus and create a
programming agenda to address those needs.
• Make decisions about why programming is needed and what audience the
programs should serve
• Use mainly creative thinking when the students imagine and create
collaborative programs that are beneficial to the growth of the Loyola
student body
• Coordinate seminars and workshop to challenge the Greek population to be
progressive and purposeful in its thinking

5. Learning Goals
• Identify the interaction between the general student body and
the Greek community to determine areas of improvement
• Integrate key components from the Greek Leadership Retreat
with daily chapter and council activities
• Come to see themselves as leaders within the Loyola
community.
• Get excited about promoting "going Greek" to new Loyolans.

7. Our Community: What We Do

8. What Are We Missing?
• Unity
– Chapters are OVER
PROGRAMMING
– There is not much
support at events other
than members of host
chapters
– Chapters are not aware
of happenings outside of
their chapters or councils

9. What Can We Do Now?
• Recreate the expectations for External VPs or
the similar position
– Currently the positions require communication
only within their respective council
– We will now expect communication across
councils
• COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMMING

10. Keys To Collaboration
• Clarify the Purpose
– True collaboration requires a commitment to
shared goals, a jointly developed structure and
shared responsibility, mutual authority and
accountability for success, and sharing of
resources, risks, and rewards.

11. Clarify the Purpose
• Winer & Ray 1994

12. Have Attainable Goals
• Make sure that all plans, goals, and intended
outcomes are realistic
– Pie in the sky ideas get the creativity started, but
make sure the final product is not too difficult
• Find the medium between outlandish and lazy
• Always understand limitations about a
program idea of structure and plan in the best
way to minimize them

13. Involve the Right People
• As a rule, work with as few people as necessary to get the job
done. The more people involved, the greater the number of
communications; the greater the intensity; and the greater the
difficulty of learning about each other, balancing power, and
coordinating your work.
• Try to limit the participants to the officers serving in
programming positions
– i.e., For academic programs, Academic officers on
executive boards should be involved

14. Communicate & Execute
• The most common reason for a collaboration
meltdown is disagreements and uncertainty
about operating norms.
• Communicate the programs progress regularly
– Weekly or more as needed
• Revisit goals and ensure that everything is in
order for the goals to be met.

15. Plan of Action
• Split into your cluster
groups
– Each group should designate
one scribe
• Each group will create a
program for the core value
assigned
• Program Assignments
– Group 1 & 2 Service
– Group 3 & 4 Social
– Group 5 & 6 Scholarship

16. Plan of Action
• First Steps
– What is our community missing?
– Who is your audience?
– What would you like the audience who attended to
leave with? What should they remember one year
from the date of the program?
– What materials/resources will be needed?
– Who will be involved in
planning/facilitating/marketing ?

17. Activity
• Take the next 45 mins to plan an effective program
that you would want to implement
– Reference the previous questions posed
– Think about what challenges you may face during the
execution of the program
– Make sure that the program is unique
• We will share the program content and logistics from
each group, immediately following the activity

18. Connecting the Dots
• Did anyone notice what
happened?
– We used the other 3 core
values to gain unity and
collaboration
• Where there any group
dynamic themes that
emerged from this
activity?

19. Final Task
• These programs must now be implemented
within your term as council executive board
members
• Organize a committee of who will be
responsible for the execution of the program
• CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE