Jon Collier | Phi Delta Theta Fraternity

You Have Four Years – Make Them Count

Posted on November 16, 2012 by phidelt

By Jon Collier

Halfway through my fourth year out of college, it’s a perfect time for me to reflect on what my experience was like. I’m generally left with one thought; I could have done so much more. Sure I had a great time at Hanover, which in turn led to the perfect job working for our Fraternity. But now being a few months away from obtaining a master’s degree that will hopefully keep me working with college students for some time, I know that my experience could have been much greater. At this point, there’s nothing I can do. Many of you, however, have plenty of time! Working at a university every day has given me a far greater appreciation of the opportunities that college has to offer. I am continually overwhelmed by what I see students accomplish and equally disappointed when I see students, particularly fraternity men, waste their time and money. From what I’ve seen and what I could have done, here are a few suggestions that I have come up with on how you can make the most of your college experience.

Never discount an experience

You have no idea what’s in store for you at any campus event. Some of the best opportunities to expand yourself are waiting in places you would least expect. As fraternity men, we often feel like we have a reputation or image to uphold and are scared to try new things. The most impressive men I have come across are those that have the courage to not care what their brothers think of them. The best recruitment comes from making friends so why aren’t you out there trying to make as many friends as you can? Don’t be confined by the sometimes misguided opinions of your brothers. Rather, get to know as many people and experiences as you can before it’s too late.

There’s always time

So stop making excuses. The old football coach at my undergrad used to say “There are 168 hours in a week. Discounting 8 hours of sleep a night, what are you doing with the other 112?” Think about that for a minute. Never mind the fact that a lot of us probably aren’t getting 8 hours of sleep. We can talk all we want about class or work or fraternity, but chances are we still spend plenty of time watching Sportscenter or playing video games. I was guilty of this as anyone and trust me when I tell you that four years from now, no one is going to care what your killstreak was on Halo. Instead, why not grab a couple of your brothers and head to the organization fair or campus fest or whatever else your school calls it? I guarantee that your campus has something that will interest you. If not, start something. I haven’t met a student affairs professional yet who is going to stand in the way of a student getting involved.

Get to know your professors

These are the people that often know your campus the best. Not only will it make your classes more enjoyable, but these are some of the most interesting men and women with whom you’ll ever get a chance to speak. Regardless of your field of study, these are the experts and have dedicated their lives to making sure you can become an expert too…if you want. Stop by their office hours and chat with them, find out what they did before coming back to teach, ask them what they like to do on the weekend. The more you invest in getting to know them, the more they are going to invest in making sure you succeed.

The point is this, men: Before you know it, graduation is going to come whether you like it or not. What you do in these four years is going to set up the next several years of your life. Don’t waste it. I know I’m not the first person to tell you this and I assure you I won’t be the last. Hopefully, you listen to someone and don’t make the same mistakes I did. Your fraternity experience is great and will certainly provide you with numerous benefits. But there is so much more to the college experience. So put down the remote, get out of the house and make the best of it!

Jon is a second year masters student in the College Student Personnel program at Bowling Green State University. Before this, Jon spent two great years traveling for the Fraternity in the Southeast Region. At Bowling Green, Jon works as a graduate assistant in Fraternity & Sorority Life advising the Interfraternity Council among other things. Jon and his wife, Ellen (a former Delta Zeta consultant), actually live with the men of the Ohio Kappa Chapter of Phi Delta Theta where he additionally serves as the chapter advisor. Jon enjoys all things outdoors and likes to pretend he is a decent golfer from time to time.

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Top Ten Travelin’ Songs

Posted on August 31, 2010 by phidelt

By Jon Collier, Leadership Consultant

Just the other day I looked down at the odometer at my car and saw a scary sight – 40,000 miles. While this might not seem very high, understand that at this same exact time last year, my car had approximately 12,000 miles on it. Needless to say, I’ve done a bit of driving since I took the job leading to endless hours by myself in the car. While I highly recommend listening to audiobooks (just downloaded John Adams) to pass the time, there are certain songs that are always good to listen to while driving and even fewer that get at the true essence of what it’s like to be a “travelin’ man.” Below is my list of the top ten travelin’ songs. Love them or hate them, these play a part in keeping me sane and actually on the road during those many hours spent in between chapters.

10. I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash – Does this need explanation? It’s what I feel like after a long semester.

9. Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin – A good band to listen to in general while traveling for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that many of their songs are like ten minutes long.

8. Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty – All of Tom Petty is good to listen to while driving but this sums it up well…

7. Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama” is also a strong play if you happen to be driving through this enormous state.

6. Free and Easy – Dierks Bentley – I’m normally a big country guy, so I have to give Dierks some credit with this one. Fun song.

5. Carry On – Kansas – If you can listen to this and not sing along at the top of your lungs, we can no longer be friends.

4. Easy Rider – Jimi Hendrix – This song requires dark sunglasses and constant gentle head nod to get the full effect.

3. Midnight Rider – Allman Brothers - Close call between this and Ramblin’ Man but this is one is particularly good when I’m driving at night.

2. Take It Easy – The Eagles – “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” So much truth to that.

1. Travelin’ Man – Bob Seger - Trust me. Just listen to it on your next long drive. And to be perfectly honest, many of my drives are filled with nothing but Seger. The man knows how to speak to those of on the road.

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The Importance of SWAGGER in Your Chapter

Posted on February 23, 2010 by phidelt

With nearly five months of traveling and over thirty chapters visited, there has been one unifying theme emerging from what I consider to be my best and most successful chapters. For the sake of argument, let me first go ahead and define a successful chapter in my terms. I consider success to be based on a number of factors, all working together to create an excellent chapter. These are: strong recruitment that results in high retention rates, high academic achievement (chapter above a 3.0 cumulative), philanthropy and community service efforts that go well beyond the minimum required, and a friendship and bond that extends beyond Phikeia classes to include every chapter member for a true sense of the word “brotherhood.” Perhaps as important to any of these though, and what I have deemed as the unifying theme for all of the chapters that fit this bill is…swagger.

Now many of you may be smiling or even laughing at the notion of swagger having a great deal of importance but I digress. First off, swagger is a term thrown around entirely too loosely today. Swagger is not given, it is earned. Swagger is not an emotion but a characteristic. It can be had by all, but achieved by few. It goes beyond confidence but is not arrogance. It is a manner in which we carry ourselves that other fraternities may look at us and say, “I may not like him, but I want to be like him.” While there are many instances and cases where swagger is necessary and may apply, for the purposes of this blog I shall focus on two; individual swagger and chapter swagger. Both are equally important in a successful chapter.

Individual swagger can perhaps be the most important for a chapter that is struggling. For an individual to have swagger in a chapter, there must first be respect. This means that a person carries themselves at all time as if the eyes of the Founding Fathers are watching them. How much respect will there be for a president that tells his chapter not to drink in the house when he was belligerently drunk the night before? Remember, chapters have a memory and something done as a Phikeia may haunt you until you are a Senior. After respect, swagger can be achieved by believing in the right things. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, even though The Bond is one hundred and sixty-one years old, it is not an antiquated document. Friendship, sound learning and moral rectitude are as important now as they have ever been. Finally, for an individual to truly achieve swagger, he must stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of strong opposition. This is most often the case in a chapter lacking swagger. No good chapter leader ever did his job without pissing someone off. Too often “traditions” get in the way of a chapter doing what is right. Do we really believe the founding fathers got their little brothers drunk!? No! You each know what is right and what is wrong. Have the courage to stand up to your “brother” and tell him NO. They may not like you at the moment, but believe me when I say they will respect you later for it.

Once the chapter has established a few key individuals as having swagger, it is time to translate this in to chapter swagger. As members of Phi Delta Theta, you have a unique opportunity that most other fraternities on your campus do not. Ten years ago, we made the decision to return to our values and adopt the alcohol-free housing policy. This gives us the opportunity to recruit men who care about much more in their collegiate career than getting drunk every weekend. Identify these men and go after them! Easier said than done, I know. This is where swagger comes in to play. Walk around campus with your head held high. Let everyone know that we are men of character, of a higher purpose and of an objective that extends beyond the social aspects of fraternity life. Exude a confidence that lets men, particularly the unaffiliated, know that we stand for something. Believe that you are the best and others will see this. No one wants to join a mid-level or “tier two” fraternity. They want to be a part of the best. But believing it is not enough, you have to live it. Give up a couple weekends a year to build houses for habitat for humanity. Take the time out of your busy schedule to tutor those in need. Do a walk for ALS, become an Iron Phi, raise money for Haiti, the opportunities are endless! Study when others are partying, do activities as an entire chapter, be the fraternity that doesn’t need to haze to have brothers “earn” their way in to the chapter. Look, I’m not telling you not to drink or have fun, I’m asking that you find a balance. Once you are doing these things, make it known! It is OK to be the fraternity that doesn’t throw the sickest parties or rush events. Those aren’t the men we are looking to recruit anyway. Let your campus community know that Phi Delta Theta is an organization of truly elite men looking for other truly elite men. Embrace the fact that you are different and sell it.

I wouldn’t be telling you these things if I haven’t seen it in action. The Southeast Region along with the others regions are truly blessed to have some outstanding chapters. I’ve talked with chapters who turned away members with 3.0 GPA’s or incredible athletic skills because they didn’t have what it took to be a Phi Delta Theta man. Your chapter can get to this point too but it starts at home. Change your approach, change you best friends approach and in no time at all, you can exhibit the swagger that will draw men to you. Before long, the best and brightest at your school will be knocking down your door to join. Gain some swagger and I promise you, the results will come.

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