This year, the AFLV Conference was held in

Indianapolis from Thursday February 8th through Sunday

February 11th. While at the conference, I was able to be a
part of various small group educational sessions, formal
meals, and featured key note speakers. The topics of the
sessions varied greatly but all were educational and served
a similar goal, give students the resources and knowledge
necessary to go back to campus and create positive change.
Being selected to attend this conference gave me a lot of
confidence because I know that my peers in the community
believe in me and the contributions I can make. Attending
this conference has added knowledge to my outlook on
Greek life and ways to improve it.
Some of the many people attending
AFLV

During the conference, participants could decide which small group educational sessions they wanted to
attend. Typically, 10-20 various sessions happened every hour focusing on ranging topics. I wanted to make the
most out of my time at AFLV, so I decided to attend sessions that would help me professionally, as a leader in
the National Panhellenic Council and the Greek community as a while, and as a person. Below, I will highlight
a few sessions that I went to throughout the long weekend.

The speaker at the first session I went to, gave his talk a very eye-catching name: “Networking Life a
Boss: Shaking Hands & Kissing Babies.” I picked this one not only because of the fun title, but because one of
the biggest things I have learned in every area of my college experience is that networking is critical in every
professional and personal experience. What I appreciated most about this session was how the speaker broke
networking down into advice for different personality types. For example, extroverted me despises going up to a
random person for my own personal gain, specifically career fairs. I have listened to many people give me
networking advice and it is always the same: “you need to do it so do it.” They never break it down into steps
and discuss ways to get over hesitations. This was exactly what this speaker did. First, he talked about the
generic “extrovert” then he focused on “introverts” while recognizing that no one can be classified 100% as one
of these vague categories. Two points that stuck with me most are that (1) bring a talker and (2) it’s all about the
other person. Never would I have thought that it would be okay to bring an “extroverted” person with me to
help facilitate conversation or that the conversation is actually about showing the other person that they are
special and heard through active listening rather than trying to prove yourself. Since the conference, I have used
his tips to make networking and reaching out to people a little more comfortable. Confidence is key.

Another session I attended discussed a completely different yet equally important topic: inclusion. It was
titled “Let’s Be Honest: Aren’t We All a Little Bit Prejudice” and touched on sensitive and relative topics
including bias, identity, privilege, culture and oppression then related them all back to the “intake” or
“recruitment” process. I took many notes during this session but the simple phrase I circled, underlined and
bolded was “don’t contribute to the problem by not contributing.” To break this down, if you see something
happened that can affect people in a negative way…do something about it! During the recruitment process, it is
the goal to make everyone feel comfortable, included and wanted yet prospective participants are often
discouraged because of things that happen or ways or organizations promote themselves. For example, post
pictures of service rather than the stereotypical perfect sorority girl. A greater mass of people will connect more
with the act you are performing for society rather than just another picture of a girl at the beach holding up her
letters. I thought this was important because not often are services shown. Showcase the good being done in the
world!

I also chose another session that would hopefully benefit me personally and professionally. I have
always seen myself as a person who wants to do good and contribute to a cause, but I never know exactly how
to approach it. The “Leader by Choice” session gave me confidence and target points to focus on while trying to
build my stance as a leader in this community. During development, everything contributes either positively or
negatively to the end goal. If my end goal is to hold a board position, my daily habits and choices are going to
impact to my success. The session leader introduced the concept of the “3 R’s Habit Formation.” Reminder,
routine and reward make up the three R’s. Reminder refers to any form of alert a person uses to make sure they
complete a task whether it be written in an agenda, an alarm or even sticky notes on a mirror. The portion that I
need to work on most is routine. I always complete tasks that need to be done but I do not set a time to complete
daily tasks. For example, it would be smart for me to schedule practicing my saxophone into my day similar to
how classes are scheduled. If I blocked out a time to only practice, I would be much more efficient than just
practicing whenever I find time. Lastly, reward is an important factor because it gives motivation to complete
an unwanted task. I often do the third R, probably too often. I reward myself with breaks, food I’ve been
craving, a fun activity, a shopping trip, or even simply some TV time to name a few. What I need to take away
from this session is that it is okay to reward yourself, but it must be regulated. Too often do I give myself a half
hour break and it turns into an hour or more.

A few sessions into the day, I decided to change it up a bit and go to a Social Justice Advocacy session
held by NPHC. It was very interesting to sit in there because I was one of the only people who did not know
anyone. About 10 minutes after the session was supposed to start nothing had happened. Eventually people got
tired of waiting and one bold girl stood up and said that she was here to learn and talk to people so let’s talk.
She lead discussions on topics chosen by the people in the room. Most were related to instances that occurred at
their school and discussion on efforts made to overcome those instances. I really enjoyed learning from the
group. There were stories of campus incidences that have never happened at UC; I got the chance to learn from
other campus struggles in hopes to prevent similar issues.

Another session that stood out to me was Your Major Doesn’t Matter. I have been struggling with this concept
for my college career. Picking a major has been one of my biggest conflictions. Every year I have had a
different one. Thankfully they have all been within the same college, but I am still not 100 percent confident
with my choice. By attending this session, I feel a little more comfortable not knowing my path yet. I gained
some tips on how to sell myself in an interview, the first one being confidence. First impressions will never
change which is why I need to go in with confidence, have eye contact, and give a firm hand shake.
Interviewers are looking to see if you can think critically, are self-aware, have good communication skills, add
diversity to the current work force, focus on citizenship (whole group
participation), show leadership, and will develop relationships with the
current people. I plan on focusing on these things by doing mock
interviews so that I feel more comfortable going into real interviews.

Aside from educational sessions, where the entire AFLV group

broke up into small areas, everyone came together a couple times a day to
hear key note speakers. To open the conference, a stand-up comedian gave The crowd making its way in
for the first Key Speaker
a speech and lead an activity. The concept was about creating a “Yes, And” team culture. “Yes, And” is a stand-
up moto, meaning you accept what the other comedian says (“yes”) then you add something of your own
(“and”). Before doing an activity, he made five key points. 1) say yes to things (not all things) 2) be excited 3)
listen and be present 4) make each other look good 5) embrace change. In total, these add up to mean “creating
can only exist by accepting…together.” With that, we started an activity. We divided into hundred of small
groups. To set the scene, the group is preparing for a picnic and everyone in the group has to make a suggestion
on what to bring. During the first round, no matter how good the idea may be, every group member had to put
the suggestion down and tell the person they were dumb for suggesting it. The first round was very difficult.
Even though we all knew we had to be mean to each other, it still was hard to be told you’re stupid and
shouldn’t talk. The second round was full of passive aggressive comments. Everyone had to reply with a
comment lacking interest, for example “sure whatever” or “I guess if you want.” That round was a little better
because people were not directly putting each other down but they weren’t being supportive.
The final round was all about enthusiasm. Even if someone suggested
something that wouldn’t be good for a picnic, the group would reply with
interest and excitement for how amazing the idea was. The entire atmosphere of
the room changed. The groups seemed more comfortable with each other and
the room was booming with acceptance. It’s amazing what a small bit of
acceptance will do for a crowd. Most people in the room, myself included, are
afraid of speaking up due to what other people may think of us. This activity
gave people like me an outlet to say anything without concern especially since
the hundreds of people in the room were doing the same thing. I think it was a
great way to start the conference because the exercise and speech broke barriers
between strangers and allowed us to create a comfortable space. Biden “It’s On Us”
presentation
Joe Biden was another key note speaker. He presented on sexual
assault and his “It’s On Us” campaign. “Silence is Compliance. Silence is
Consent” was a key phrase that hit me. It means that though you may not
be physically assaulting someone, so sit back and let these things happen
is consenting to them. We as a community have to come together to
increase awareness, prevention and survivor support. The UC campus has
made great strides towards these points but there are always factors that
slip through the cracks and ways to improve. Many students applied to
stand on stage with him. One of the students from UC was accepted. She
was given a T-shirt, a sign and was full of excitement because of her love
for Joe Biden.
The man himself

Some meals during the conference were on your own while others were hosted by different people from
the conference. During these meals, everyone attending the conference came together to bond over food and
conversation. Each meal had different assigned seats. For example, one meal was “sit with your school” and
another was “sit with your chapter.” Sit with your chapter meant that everyone in the same Greek chapter would
sit together no matter what school they were from. These meals were fun because I got the opportunity to sit
with people I had a connection to but did not know. We then talked about life at our schools and what we were
planning for the future.
 Awards were also presented during all group gatherings. Students and teachers
from different schools won awards based on their achievements the past school year.
The University of Cincinnati was very excited when Maggie won the Fraternal Values
Outstanding Undergraduate Award. She has put a lot of time and dedication into our
community and it was amazing to see her work be recognized.

The long weekend was also full of fun activities outside of sessions and dinners.
For a couple dinners, all the UC students either went out to a nearby restaurant or ordered pizza to the hotel.
This was a fun time to get to know and bond with members of my community that I will be working with in the
future. The 20 students at AFLV from UC are key players in the community or hopefully will be. These dinners
gave us a chance to not only learn a bit about each other, but also discuss what we have been learning in the
different sessions. Since not everyone went to the same sessions, this was an opportunity to share any gained
knowledge with others in the community.
One of my favorite activities during the conference was attending the
NBGLC Stroll Competition. Going into this, I did not know what Stroll was or
what to expect. After this experience, I was disappointed in myself about how
little I know about the other Greek Councils. National Pan-Hellenic Council
(NPHC) and the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) have so much unique
history that is often not known by members in other councils. Stroll originated in
the NPHC community, but they have shared their tradition with other councils to
create the Stroll Competition at the conference. NPHC organizations participated as well as groups of all four
councils from different campuses. Each team competed by performing routines consisting of dancing, stepping,
acting, etc. Between each competing group, the emcee and DJ played fun songs for the audience to dance to and
also gave the NPHC and MGC organizations a chance to form a line. Before this conference, I did not know
that each of chapters have their own signature stroll full of history and significance.
It was so cool to see each chapter’s members stroll at the same time. Whistles lead
the lines as members strolled throughout the room.
Maggie had a very special weekend at the conference. On top of winning
the award, it was her birthday! I am glad we got to celebrate the special day with
her. She is my grandbig in my sorority, Pi Beta Phi, which made it extra special to
be able to be there during her celebrations. During one of the group gatherings, the
emcee announced that it was her birthday and the whole room sang to her. She was
blown away.
Maggie’s birthday
moment

I enjoyed AFLV and walked away with many learnings and plans for the future. I spoke with a woman
who used to be in charge of marketing for the AFLV conference. She was enthusiastic about my interest in the
inner workings of AFLV. I asked her about what is gone through to put on such a huge conference. We spoke
for a period of time and during she told me about internships that AFLV offers. In particular, one internship
spoke to me. It focused mainly on the execution of AFLV during the conference. Such a big conference requires
 large amounts of workers. The internship takes place during the conference and holds many responsibilities.
Interns are trained before the conference takes place then work as coordinators and ambassadors during the
conference to ensure everything runs smoothly. I think that this could be a good opportunity for me. It would
provide me experience working in something I enjoy and can connect back to my leadership roles in Cincinnati.
The biggest thing I noticed I lacked personally was general education on
our community. I was disappointed in how little I knew about the other councils,
their traditions and stories. I believe that if we are all to work as one towards a
stronger community, we need to first understand each other. My favorite part of
the conference was attending sessions and events held by a council not my own.
Here I walked out with more knowledge that can be used during my time as a Rho
Gamma and as a Panhellenic leader. Another member of the council I am on,
Taylor, and I were talking during the conference on ways to make our council
meetings worth while. After attending the conference the council and I decided to
try and revamp our meetings to be more educational rather than informative.
Currently the meetings are us telling members events that are going on in the
community. We are hoping to change it in the fall so meetings are now
educational sessions about other councils and topics in the community that new
members, and even older members, may not know about. We think it is important
Maggie Me Taylor for the community to be educated which is why we plan on focusing our efforts
towards than rather than telling them upcoming dates they probably know already.