Leaders with Letters: Recap of the Greek Leadership Conference

Hofstra held its first Greek Leadership Conference this past weekend. We had over 180 fraternity and sorority members, an outstanding turnout for a new tradition. The purpose of the conference was to provide our members with the skills needed to excel within the Hofstra community and beyond. With hopes to provide our Greek Community with leadership development, intentional dialogue, and a sense of unity, the participants were exposed to sessions about risk management, using their affiliations to network, programming, recruitment, taking the next step towards leadership, and bystander intervention. The Greeks, despite not wanting to wake up by 10am on a Saturday, found the Conference to be fulfilling.

The Conference started with a keynote from Don C. Sawyer III, M.S., M.A., a doctoral candidate and instructor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, who spoke about his experience in Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and rising to challenge stereotypes of Greek Life on college campuses. Hofstra administrators facilitated the next two rounds of sessions, and the Conference closed with an alumni panel. Five alumni, ranging in graduation years from 1980 to 2009, spoke about their experience of being a member of Greek Life at Hofstra University and how it helped them mature into the successful men and women they are today.

I would like to thank Gerard Brogdon, Joseph Gebbie, Robyn Kaplan, Sarah Young, and Jackson George for being presenters throughout this conference. All in all, we had a lot of positive remarks from students about the experience, and we are hoping that we have paved the road for an annual leadership development opportunity for our fraternities and sororities. We hope to involve more members from the Hofstra community in the future, so if you’re interested in getting more involved, contact Mario Bolanos (Assistant Director for the Office of Student Leadership and Activities).

Posted by Mario Bolanos, Assistant Director for the Office of Student Leadership and Activities