This week, we celebrate President’s Day and earlier this semester, the SLICE Office got to sit down with four former fraternity and sorority chapter leaders who just finished a year of service leading their respective organizations. Over the winter season, 19% of UNL’s RSOs transitioned leadership and these four outstanding leaders provided some great advice for new and continuing officers as they progress through the spring semester.
It is obviously a great honor to be elected to the president role and all four students shared their favorite parts. For Nick Anderson, the best part of serving as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon was working with a group of guys who also wanted to make a change. Everyone on SigEp’s executive board wanted to contribute to chapter development in some way and this passion made leading a collaborative effort. Madison Bezousek of Kappa Alpha Theta, really enjoyed watching the development of her individual sisters, especially after the impacts and restrictions of the pandemic. Nyarial Nyoak really enjoyed representing her chapter, Zeta Phi Beta, by meeting new people and sharing her organization with the UNL community. Finally, Helena Tran emphasized the benefit of learning business operations of running her organization, Delta Phi Lambda.
Leading an organization does come with challenges however, and RSO leadership can often be blindsided by growing pains, chapter struggles, impacts of pandemics, and other stressors. Though she enjoyed learning the business aspects of running her sorority, Tran mentioned that logistics were tough at times when things didn’t work out the way she had hoped and while patience is important, it can be a tough skill to develop. Nyoak struggled in the beginning when things started to pile on her. Suddenly, it wasn’t just her academics that she had to manage, it was an entire organization. For Anderson, having to hold members accountable for infractions was difficult. One day, you’re brothers and the next day, you’re having to be the bad guy. Sometimes serving as president required him to have difficult conversations and make difficult decision.
When asked about the best piece of advice they could give to new leadership, their own successors and to other RSOs, all four students all took a moment, presumably reflecting on what the last year had taught them. Bezousek encourages leaders to “treat everyone fairly and to make every member feel valued.” Nyoak stressed the importance of being organized, while Tran urged having an open mind and not being afraid to jump right in. She stated, “We are hesitant of our own skill level, and we undermine what we are capable of.” Anderson found incredible value in listening to members of his chapter. “While the [E-Board] is there to lead and direct and organize everything, it’s really the [members] that govern the house. There are more of them that there are executive members. While the [E-Board] make the final decision at the end of the day, make sure you’re meeting the needs of your members and what they expect to get out of this.”
Each past-president shared that serving in fraternity and sorority leadership positively impacted their UNL experience. For Tran, she is now much more confident as a Husker on campus. Before joining her sorority, she was shy, but joining Delta Phi Lambda and being in chapter leadership has pushed her to reach for new heights, not letting timidness hinder her. Anderson, Bezousek and Nyoak enjoyed their ability to meet other people within, not just Fraternity and Sorority Life, but other RSOs and academic departments. For Bezousek, specifically, she found a lot of solidarity through other sorority presidents. She was not only able to share ideas with other presidents, but she was also “able to talk as students and as women and just where we were in our lives. It was really cool to have those kind of colleagues, in a situation where sometimes you might feel alone, because you’re kind of the only person in your organization that’s facing some things. .
Finally, when asked about transferrable skills learned from leading their chapter, all four agreed that this position, despite its challenges, helped them prepare for life after college. For Anderson, who plans to go into business sales, being president helped him coach his peers and better understand the perspectives and backgrounds of others. His communication improved as did his experience with planning and organization. Bezousek became better at making decisions, especially tough ones. Her level of self-confidence also improved. Tran commented on her ability to recognize the difference in how people operate. For Nyoak, who hopes to one day work in government at the federal level, her ability to adapt has been key to her success on campus and knows this will help her in her career.
The SLICE Office wishes all RSO presidents a Happy President’s Day and Week as well as success throughout the spring semester.
Nick Anderson is a senior, marketing and management major from Omaha, Nebraska and is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, an Interfraternity Council chapter.
Madison Bezousek is a senior, biological sciences major from Omaha, Nebraska and is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, a Panhellenic Association chapter.
Nyarial Nyoak is a junior, political sciences major from Omaha, Nebraska and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta, a National Pan-Hellenic Council chapter.
Helena Tran is a junior, graphic design major from Lincoln, Nebraska and is a member of Delta Phi Lambda, a Multicultural Greek Council chapter.