Delta Zeta Continuous Learning Proposal

Raenee Patterson

15 May 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background
Background of Organization
Overview of Problem
Feasibility
Leadership Audience

Recommendation
Topic of Investigation & Recommendation
Supporting Evidence

Work Completed
Survey
Results & Analysis
Plans for Change

Summary

References

Appendix
BACKGROUND 1

Background of Organization

The Delta Zeta sorority was founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in

Oxford, Ohio by six women. Now, 117 years later there are 170 collegiate chapters across the

United States and Canada along with approximately 200 alumnae chapters globally. Each year

there are around 16,000 active collegiate members in Delta Zeta. The sorority is run on a

biennium, meaning we hold convention every other year and that is where all national business is

voted on. The national council is composed of eight women who work closely with current

active members, alumnae, Panhellenic and All-Greek delegates from across the nation. Under the

national council there are various volunteers and staff of the sorority who take care of day to day

tasks and act as consultants for collegiate chapters. The national philanthropy of Delta Zeta is

speech and hearing, and the national philanthropic partners are the Starkey Hearing Foundation

and Painted Turtle Camp. The aim of Delta Zeta is to grow women in sisterly love who are

empowered to learn and change the world in which they live.

On a smaller scale which my project will focus on is my collegiate chapter of Delta

Omega that was colonized on Fort Hays State University’s campus in 1925 and will be

celebrating 95 years next October. There are currently 35 active members in the chapter, with

eight women serving on the executive board advised by the Collegiate Chapter Director (CCD).

After being elected, the executive board appoints officers to other vital roles within the chapter to

delegate responsibilities. Each Monday the chapter holds meeting to stay updated on what is

going on and to conduct any business including voting or discussion. Outside of our specific

chapter, we also attend Panhellenic Council meetings which govern all sororities on campus.

Members from each sorority compose the Panhellenic executive board. Every fall formal

recruitment is conducted which allows women from campus to join one of the four sororities.
BACKGROUND 2

After this period, total is set which dictates the number of members a chapter can not exceed.

Total is reset each semester with the hopes of continuing to grow the community. Delta Zeta has

a chapter house on campus that houses 24 women and creates a welcoming space for all sisters.

Overview of Problem

As an outgoing member of the Delta Omega chapter I’ve seen a transition over the last

few years that has lead to a decrease in chapter learning opportunities and knowledge retention.

Because this is a collegiate organization, there is very consistent turn over in membership with

graduation each May, and welcoming new members in August and possibly throughout the

school year. This creates a culture where knowledge can easily be lost from one year to the next.

If members do not have a sound knowledge of the sorority, then how can they be expected to

lead the chapter to excellence? Not only do members need to know about Delta Zeta, they must

also be familiar with the campus Panhellenic and All Greek organizations and how they impact

the decisions that are made as a chapter.

Lack of knowledge about the sorority can quickly lead to members who are less active

and unwilling to give their time and energy to the sorority. When members do not understand

how meeting is ran then they do not voice their opinions or ideas. If members do not understand

how our election process works they may elect a less qualified executive board. When members

do not know the sorority’s history and values they may not understand why we do things a

certain way or what makes Delta Zeta unique. Greek life as a whole is on a downward trend

nationally with fewer collegiate students choosing to join Greek organizations. There is also

added pressure to be in Greek life and defy the stereotype commonly given to fraternity men and

sorority women. All of these added pressures lead to the need for a continuous learning plan in
BACKGROUND 3

which all members can grow and better themselves through their collegiate experience. They can

create the best version of themselves for their family, friends, and the future they dream of.

Feasibility

There are multiple ways a continuous learning plan could be implemented within Delta

Zeta. It must be kept in mind that the learning needs of one chapter may vary significantly from

the needs of a different chapter which is why my project focused mainly on my personal chapter.

When proposed, this plan was something I intended to start implementing during the spring

semester, but with the current obstacles of the pandemic, implementation was put on hold. With

this hold, there was more time to gather information from a greater section of women to allow

me to observe the systematic concerns versus local chapter concerns. All information gathered

along with this proposal will be sent to all chapters that participated in order for them to start

implementing changes within their organizations as they see fit moving forward.

Leadership Audience

Ultimately, the CCD and executive board have the power to determine if and how a

continuous learning plan is implemented into an individual chapter. One challenge may be

getting the executive board and CCD to admit there is a problem in learning that needs to be

addressed. As the leaders of the chapter it is hard to hear when something is being seen as a

failure or issue. For the executive board to own up to the issues and do what they can to improve

them will show their commitment to the chapter. Once the leaders feel comfortable admitting the

problem then they will be able to determine the best way for the chapter to move forward in a

continuous learning program. It may fall on different officers or advisors to conduct programs to

enhance the learning, but that would all be delegated by the executive board as they see fit.

Determining the specific areas chapter members struggle with or want more information about
BACKGROUND 4

will allow the executive board to make calculated choices about who would be best to present the

information.

Once the executive board decides to move forward with the plan, then comes the obstacle

of finding a way to help each member of the chapter learn in a way that does not lead to feelings

of embarrassment or shame for what members do not know. Each member learns at their own

pace and remembers different material better than others which provides a challenge in creating a

learning opportunity for all levels. If the opportunities for continuous learning are not presented

in a way that is accessible to each member then the chapter will not benefit from the plan. This

could mean taking the time prior to a learning opportunity to assess what each member already

knows and feels comfortable with in order to address any areas where there is discomfort.

Especially having a smaller member base it would be feasible for learning opportunities to be

geared specifically towards members who felt they needed it

RECOMMENDATION 1

Topics to Investigate

The main question that needs to be asked and answered is what do members of Delta Zeta

know in regards to their sorority and chapter? Every member of Delta Zeta should know the

history of the sorority and the symbols and meaning that makes this sorority stand out. They

should also know some history about their specific chapter and campus Greek community. I can

not create a continuous learning plan if I do not know what the women already know. By taking

the time to determine where each individual member is at then the chapter as a whole can start to

decide where they want to start learning more. This also allows for each member to take

something away through the learning process because the plan will be made with the specific

needs of chapter members as the driving force.

After determining the areas where members feel unsure with then I can present the

executive board and CCD with the information and recommendations of workshops or guest

speakers that could address the needs of the chapter. With members knowing and understanding

more about their sorority and how it interacts with the larger Greek community it is hopeful that

the chapter can start to excel and see a rise of leaders within the chapter who are confident in

their abilities and set challenging yet achievable goals for the chapter. It is also important to

recognize that this process should be repeated on a consistent basis because the membership is

changing each semester and the needs will be changing constantly.

Methods/Procedures

The main way I will obtain answers to the questions I have is through a survey I will send

out to my individual chapter. The survey allows members to offer their honest opinion and

information about what they do and do not know without the worry of embarrassment in front of

their siters. Keeping the survey confidential is extremely necessary in hopes of getting the most
RECOMMENDATION 2

accurate information to build a beneficial continuous learning plan. Along with the survey there

are various ideas that have been presented in course materials that would prove useful for this

project.

After reading Senge’s detailed summary of his book, I quickly realized that as a whole

the sorority was struggling to compete with other chapters because we were not taking advantage

of our learning opportunities. One idea that stuck out to me as fitting the needs of the sorority

was that of “team learning” which means that not only is the organization exceling, but its

members are also growing into better versions of themselves (Senge p. 2). There have always

been members who are able to learn and grow a great deal from the sorority, but there are also

members who question if it was worth it at the end. If the chapter could capitalize on the idea of

team learning it would allow them to meet, or even exceed, their goals as well as create well

prepared women.

One idea that will prove to make or break this project comes from Weisbord, and that is

the idea of meeting people where they are to do the work (p. 11). This project would be pointless

if I simply identified areas I thought needed improvement and went forward instead of consulting

the chapter members. Later on, Weisbord states “we are more likely to carry out decisions we

have helped make,” which emphasizes the fact that all members need to be involved in the

development of a continuous learning process (p. 98). If I want members to buy into the process

and dive into learning as much as they can then I need to know what they want to learn in order

to keep them engaged.

Kolb’s article put into words a great deal of what I was thinking behind the scenes of this

project. Quoting Bouwen and Overlaet in his article, Kolb expresses “People will experience

continuity when they can recognise the past in their present actions and intentions for the future”
RECOMMENDATION 3

(p. 181). Delta Zeta has been around for 117 years and with that has come great deals of change,

but also the carry through of important values and purpose. No chapter can hope to move

forward successfully without knowing where they came from and why they are all together. It is

also this appreciation of the past that can help solve problems we face or give reference to

struggles. I truly believe that without taking the time to know and understand the past there is no

positive future of Delta Zeta.

Lastly, Meadows identifies numerous leverage points that can be used when trying to

create change within a system. There were two leverage points that I think would play key roles

in a continuous learning plan for Delta Zeta. The first leverage point is that of goals and being

able to recognize the “whole-system goal they are serving” (Meadows p. 161). Because We are

one of 170 chapters scattered across North American it can be easy to get lost in the vastness of

the organization. However, if members can recognize what goals the organization has on a

national level, then they can create goals for the individual chapter that align with the larger

goals. Understanding why the sisterhood was created and what it hopes to accomplish is vital in

being able to carry out meaningful goals. The second leverage point that I saw as being

important in this project was that of information flows. Delta Zeta has a large scale and is very

deliberate in how they communicate with their chapter and members. Many times it is through

officers who are expected to pass information on to all members, and that does not always occur.

Sometimes the executive board thinks they did a great job explaining a new goal and leaves the

chapter confused. Making sure that information is flowing effectively through the whole system

is key to members knowing and understanding what is going on within their chapter and the

larger national organization. Both of these leverage points are areas where the chapter can

improve in hopes of increasing the learning of the whole membership.

WORK COMPLETED 1

Survey

The first and most important step of this project was to create a survey that could measure

what members knew or felt comfortable with and what areas they felt needed improvement

within their chapter or personally. Originally I was planning to only survey my specific chapter,

but after reading about some proposed alternative forms of research proposed by Yukl I decided

to send my survey to a few other Delta Zeta chapters. If I was wanting to create a proposal for

our National Council I would strategically pick chapters in different locations with varying sizes

to see if there were common threads within the data collected. For this survey I asked other Delta

Zeta interns I work with to give their chapters the survey and that is how I received results from

various chapters. Overall, I think the survey skimmed the basic knowledge bases of our

organization, but it would be interesting to create a more comprehensive study to see how

members felt about more in-depth topics.

Results & Analysis

I was pleased to have 52 women take my survey, with 34.6% of respondents being from

my personal chapter. I also feel that this meant I had a wide array of opinions because of the split

between women from other chapters who also took the survey. I also thought it was important to

gauge the length of membership of the respondents because it would make sense that those who

had been members longer may have more knowledge or be more comfortable with the

information being asked about. It was somewhat surprising that a large majority of the

respondents did not know who our six founders, our national president or councilwomen are. The

one area that the largest majority felt most comfortable with concerning our background was the

symbols which surprised me because those are not always addressed as much, at least in my

personal experience. This was a survey question that they were able to check all that applied in
WORK COMPLETED 2

order to gain the most insight to areas where members were struggling. Another question that

allowed respondents to check all that applied asked what general areas they felt their chapter

could improve in. The results were split pretty evenly throughout the seven options that were

given. I took that as evidence that all chapters have issues and need to improve. I want to take the

time to further analyze individual chapter results for this question to see if the split between

answers was similar for specific chapters or if the answers were still evenly distributed. Three of

the questions focused on three major events that take place each year for a chapter, recruitment,

elections and meeting. I wanted to know how comfortable women felt during these activities

because without them a chapter would not be able to function. I was happy that most said they

were at least somewhat comfortable, but there were a few in each question that said they were

completely lost. The last three questions were chances for members to express their feelings

about areas they feel comfortable in and what areas they think need growth. It was saddening to

see so many list that they felt unconfident when it came to the chapter history and ritual. These

are very important parts of the sorority that set us apart from other chapters, and in my opinion,

something that every member should be comfortable with.

Plans for Change

Because of the pandemic and being off campus for the second half of the semester the

project did not go as I originally imagined. Instead of giving the survey and then working to start

implementation with my chapter I started working with the executive board. I showed them the

results of the survey from the large level with all four chapters, and then on an individual level.

We were able to discuss areas where the executive board thought they could start making

adjustments to start the continuous learning program while finishing out the last half of this

uncertain semester. We also took the time to start planning workshops that could be implemented
WORK COMPLETED 3

in the fall semester to target some of the larger issues the chapter was facing. Because of how

this semester worked, the executive board is prepared for members to come back with less

knowledge or understanding about certain things, especially those which normally happen in the

second half of the spring semester. After working with my individual chapter I also contacted the

other three chapters who had members take the survey in an effort to share the information that I

was able to obtain. I think each chapter is aware there are areas that they need to work on to

continue developing their members and I wanted to share with them how their members felt.
SUMMARY 1

Overall, this has been a wonderful learning experience for me and has allowed me to take

a deeper look into an organization that has changed my life over the last four years. I know that

the research and proposal I am submitting barely scratches the surface of what is going on within

the organization. I hope as I continue to study organizational systems that I can add more

knowledge and theory to this project in an enhancing way. As I move forward through this

program I hope to continue growing this research and finding ways to help chapters implement

continuous learning plans to fully develop their members. I want to know if all chapters are

facing the same issues or if individual chapters have their own areas where they struggle. I want

to be able to expand this proposal and take it to our National Council and show them how we can

continue improving the membership experience for our women across North America. I’m

anxious to see how a plan like this plays out within my chapter and if they are able to find ways

to help each member continue learning from the day they join the chapter until the day they

graduate. I want to see success in this project, but I also want to continue learning and helping

others to learn and feel comfortable in the sisterhood they have chosen. I’ve been touched by

this organization and I want to continue that legacy for years to come.
REFERENCES 1

References

Kolb, D. G. (2003). Seeking continuity amidst organizational change a storytelling approach.

Journal of Management Inquiry, 12(2), 180. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/203315238?accountid=27424.

Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in systems. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Seng, P. M.(2011).Executive book summaries: The fifth discipline. Bristol,VT: Soundview.

Retrieved

from http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/151185_Xna4lAblaAP5dGi

kJURgL5stL.pdf.

Weisbord, M. (2012) Productive workplaces: Dignity, meaning, and community in the 21st

century (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Yukl,G. (2009). Leading organizational learning: Reflections on theory and research. Leadership

Quarterly, 20(1), 49-53. doi:10.1016/j.leadqua.2008.11.006

APPENDIX 1

Survey Results
APPENDIX 2
APPENDIX 3
APPENDIX 4
APPENDIX 5

What is one way you think your chapter could improve for the benefit of all members?
(adding a new program, focusing on a certain area, better communication, etc.)
As a senior there are things I forgot learning as a freshman in our new member class. I think the
whole chapter could benefit having lessons throughout the year over basic history and
knowledge of Delta Zeta. I'm lucky that I remember most but I know some girls, who are
seniors or juniors, and don't remember anything. Our history is so important and there should be
more focus on that.
More programs and history lessons
Wanting the same focus and understanding the better for the chapter, along with communication
Focusing on the rules and cracking down on them
Conflict resolution could be better. I also think that firm rules need to be implemented during
meetings because discussion can get out of hand and comments can occasionally be
inappropriate at times.
N/A
Good communication
Better communication and overall attitude and participation
teaching everybody the founders!
Better communication on rules and by laws for new members
Better communication
BETTER COMMUNICATION
Being more adherent to what nationals recommends
More inter-Pledge Class bonding or activities. As an upperclassman I don’t know many of the
younger members well or at all.
n/a
Making rules/policies more clear
Realizing they can't please everyone
Better communication in general
Communication , support , participation
We tend to over program
Better communication
Making things more efficient and figuring out ways to make sure there’s less drama
Adding a t-shirt chair, that way officers/execs wouldn’t have to worry about designing shirts.
It’d just be one person.
Better communication and trust
Better communication
Less elitism from the officers. We aren’t subjects. We are all sisters.
Better communication
Focusing more on sisterhoods and bonding
APPENDIX 6

none!
Better communication between exec and everyone else. It feels a little bit like exec is more
more important than the rest of us
Better communication and help for bad standing
Focusing more on creating a welcoming environment
better communication
I think we need better communication between everyone. Sometimes people take things the
wrong way.
Have the first meeting with new members start early so they can be debriefed after check in on
proper behavior, acronyms, events, and other types of things they haven’t learned yet
better education for the new members
I think we should focus on simple ways to raise more money & get involved with the campus.
We really get caught up in drama between other chapters and Panhellenic meeting, when the
focus should be making our chapter stronger.
More sisterhood events that a majority will attend.
Maybe just making sure our new members understand what they need to do and the financial
agreement they are signing up for
better communication
Focusing on academics again
Focus more on the history and knowing where DZ really came from:)
Better communication
I think we could communicate issues better and create a judge free zone, where we could all be
direct and honest.
More active positions (not all but some)
Better communication, I learn more from gossip than facebook posts.
Incorporating the out of house girls in hanging out, holding small casual events at the house
better communication, improving current rules
better communication from exec board
I think during the new member period, history should be more heavily influenced
Better communication
better communication, improving current rules

What is one thing or area you feel confident in within your chapter? (something you know
and understand well, could be how meeting runs, recruitment, planning an event, etc.)
The process we take to elect our new exec board and officers
How meetings run and recruitment
Planning an event and distributing responsibility. Asking for help when needed.
APPENDIX 7

Our officers communicate with the rest of the chapter really well
How meeting runs and events
Socials & recruitment!
Sisterhood
Recruitment and philanthropy
meetings
Meetings
nothing
Philanthropy
How meeting runs
Event planning
meetings run
Chapter meetings are done in an efficient manner
Sisterhood
Planning events and getting the whole chapter together often
Bonding
Our sisterhood is strong
Sisterhood
I feel confident planning events or helping out at them
How a meeting is ran
Chapter meetings
Sisterhood
How meetings run
Sisterhood
Don’t know
how meetings go
history and meetings
How the meetings are run
Our sisterhoods
how the meetings run
I feel comfortable with how meeting runs or recruitment. It went really well this last year.
Recruitment, meeting, badge attire, ritual
how meetings run
Tabling, t-shirt process, planning an event
how meetings run
meetings and planning events
APPENDIX 8

how a meeting runs

we have a solid recruitment
Planning events
Planning events such as philanthropy events
Events are well planned and chapter meetings tend to always run smooth and be productive.
planning events
Intramural Sports
Meeting runs smoothly
recruitment process, foundation of chapters
strong sisterhood
Recruitment
Meetings run well
recruitment process, foundation of chapters
APPENDIX 9

What is one thing or area where you feel you need more information or knowledge? (what
area do you not feel confident in, but maybe feel embarrassed to ask for help, could be par
law, policies, history, recruitment, etc.)
I think that we need more information from our officer advisors and not just our CCD. It's
important that officer positions build a relationship with their advisors so that they can help them
specifically.
Policies
Policies and history. I feel like I know very bare minimum about delta zeta or Greek community
in general
History, par law
Par law is confusing to me and history can be vague
History & par law
Recruitment
History and ritual
Recruitment and history
Policies
Rituals, laws, history,
Rules and policies and history
Bylaws
I felt least confident in recruitment, but I also only went through our side of recruitment once.
policies, how to plan events
The creed
Founders
Recruitment
History
N/a
History
I don’t know the sign language to the creed very well
Recruitment
Remembering the history I know it but no photographic memory
Recruitment
I know nothing about nationals really
History
Policies, history
none
policies/ standing rules and bylaws and standards process
Everything, it would be helpful if we could have access to things like the history or rules without
having to ask someone
APPENDIX 10

Standards
the bylaws
I don’t know the founding ladies so I think the history part is something big we should focus on.
Par law and specific election processes
recruitment
Par Law, history, and recruitment
par law and history
recruitment (but our workshops were sadly canceled😓) so it’s understandable
par law
Par Law
Recruitment
policies and recruitment
Recruitment
par law
N/A
How/when to talk in meeting?
ritual knowledge
history & recruitment
History
Event planning
ritual knowledge