Category: Events

campus events

This Is Iowa

2017 was another amazing year to be called a Hawkeye. It’s was a year of new traditions that have become just as close to our hearts as the old ones. It’s was a year of new beginnings after the floods of ’07 tested Iowa’s strength. A year where we welcomed a number of new Hawks, but continue to be a close knit family. Personally, it was another year of personal growth and development, a year where I found a passion for something and finally got to pursue it. It was another year of unforgettable memories with the people I don’t consider friends, but instead consider family. Because that’s what this place is, a home. A home where we find family. Where we all come together for the strongest kiddos to create a tradition for something so much bigger than us. A place where we absolutely dominate Ohio State in a way that only Hawkeyes can do (and turn around two weeks later and lose to Purdue the only way Hawkeyes can do). A place where we learn that hard work and determination can get you pretty far in life. And where we learn that the people around us will be the ones we lean on when it doesn’t quite work out. This place is a community that stretches far beyond the 30,000 current university students or the boundaries of Iowa City. It goes to New York, California, Texas and far beyond. It’s the place we are proud to call ours. It’s a place in the middle of the country that has become our whole world. This place is Iowa, its people are the Hawkeyes and we are family.

So as the first few weeks of the semester come to a close. Here’s to 2018

 

Go Hawks!

Going Greek. Trust the System

Going Greek can seem like a huge part of your college life, and recruitment can sound like the scariest thing. There are crazy videos online of girls popping out of doors and chanting at you, and let’s be real, the idea of having to stand in heels for hours on end never sounds like fun. But the two weeks of running around Iowa City in the humidity of late August/early September is all worth it when you get your bid.

Although it seems a while a way, we all know that if you want to go Greek the minute you figure out which college you are going to attend (hopefully it’s Iowa), you will be doing all the research you can to see which house will be right for you. And although google seems to know all, let me tell you that the anonymous rankings and the endless recruitment videos on Youtube don’t really help at all. Sure, they can tell you who has a nice house or who seems to love blowing glitter at the camera most, but it doesn’t tell you where you are going to fit in. It doesn’t tell you that the house you have never even heard of may be the one that makes you feel most at home. It doesn’t tell you that you could find a new best friend in the newest and smallest house on campus, it will tell you none of this. The only thing that can actually answer these questions is the process itself. It’s the long days going from house to house meeting hundreds of people until you find someone who you can spend 30 minutes with talking about finding spiders in your shower instead of telling the story of why you came to Iowa for the 50th time (shout out to my little).

So with all of this in mind the best advice I can give you, is advice I got before I came to school. Trust the system. That can sound really crazy and almost like a scifi book when you pick your district or faction but it is so accurate. The girls who are recruiting you know their house better than you think. They know who would fit in and if you don’t get invited back to the house that you were head over heels in love with, it isn’t because they don’t think you are an amazing girl; it is because they know that you will find a better fit, you will find your home somewhere else. Everyone I have talked to who ends up getting dropped or taking a bid from a house that wasn’t their top choice, always talks about how they are so glad they ended up in the house they did because it is where they belong. So go in with an open mind, sure do some research if it will put you at ease. Plan your outfits for each round six months in advance, or sign up the day before the deadline. But either way, trust that you will end up where you are supposed to be.

Take it from the girl who found a home in the sorority she didn’t even know was available on Iowa’s campus, because that girl is still at home there over a year later. That girl knows that it is the best fit for her and that girl is going to be forever grateful that she found people who love her for just being her.

 

Until Next Time…

Go Hawks!

I Found a Forever Home

“Oh you’re in sorority? So basically you are paying for your friends.” More times than not I have heard this when I tell people I am in a sorority. After being in a sorority for almost a year now, and after completing recruitment where I welcomed 57 amazing women home to Alpha Chi Omega, I know this is so far from the truth.

I am the first to admit that Greek life has a certain stigma that surrounds it, and often those who aren’t a part of it never quite understand it. But that’s ok, because, before I joined the community I really didn’t understand it either. Truth is, Greek life is so much more than the Instagram pictures or the socials. It is a family of students who want to find a home, a place where they can give back to the community while meeting some kick-ass people.

Being in Alpha Chi I have realized just what an effect it has had on me as a person. Because of the 150 ladies I was able to surround myself with, I have become an independent woman, who is comfortable in who she is, but I have also become someone who isn’t afraid to take risks. I have become a woman who knows so much more about the underlying issues of unhealthy relationships and domestic violence. Instead of sitting around, I have become a woman, like all my sisters, who is doing everything she can to put an end to it. I have seen us as we all sit in one room for 10 hours during sisterhood week laughing until we cry, but I have also seen us all stand by a sister when she experiences a devastating loss. You see, these are the girls I want to share every good and bad moment with, because these are the people that have become my family.

Now I sit here writing this post after two very long weeks of recruitment and I can say that more girls than you can imagine have experienced this too. Yesterday I was lucky enough to welcome 57 Real Strong Women home to a place where they are accepted for all their amazingly crazy personalities. A place where they can get support during the good and the bad. I have watched their faces as they walked, actually ran, off the bus into the arms of those who love them unconditionally today and tomorrow. I have seen them burst into tears when they connect with a girl they met only 15 minutes earlier on so much more than a surface level.

You see these places we call “srats” can become a college student’s whole life. They can be the reason someone stays when they are thousands of miles from home. They can be the connection a woman needs to get that job they have always dreamed about or just a place they can laugh until they cry and make unforgettable memories, and sure, have some good Instagram posts while they are at it.

So yes, I went Greek. Yes I am a sorority woman but no, I have not bought my friends, and I can proudly say I’m in this for life, because this forever home is something I am proud to be a part of .

Until Next Time… Go Hawks!

Love Is…

Hey there, I hope everyone’s super bowl weekend went well! This week is very special for me and my sisters. As you may know I am in Alpha Chi Omega. Like everyone involved in Greek life we have a philanthropy that is close to our hearts. Alpha Chi Omega supports Domestic Violence Awareness. As a way for us to spread the word and help end domestic violence we are participating in healthy relationships week.

This week Alpha Chi is focusing on fostering healthy relationships in the hopes of ending domestic violence and sexual assault. All of this week we will be sharing pictures telling the world what love is to us. If you are currently at the University of Iowa I would highly recommend stopping by the Hubbard Commons in the IMU on Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 for our “Donut Let Love Hurt” event. You will be supporting a great cause, and what college student doesn’t want free donuts? If you are not at the University of Iowa, which I hope one day you will be, you can still participate in this amazing week. Using any social media platform of your preference, post a photo describing what “Love Is” to you and hashtag it with the #loveis and #healthyAXOrelationships

If you feel as strongly about ending this horrible thing as I do, then I hope you join Alpha Chi Omega in spreading the world.

Hope you continue to have an amazing week filled with love and joy.

Love Is

 

Until Next Time

Go Hawks!

 

Football is my Favorite Season

In my head Saturday was to go like this: I would wake in the morning completely rested and recovered from a Friday night of pizza and movies. Spend the morning relaxing and then prepare for the long day of tailgating and game watching ahead. The game wouldn’t start until just after the sun had gone down, allowing the stadium lights to shine down onto the field. The temperature would be a perfect high 60s to low 70s and there would be room to move and breathe. In reality, it was at least 90 degrees, the sun was shining down instead of the lights and there was a sea of gold everywhere.

Having to get up at six in the morning and walk to the west side required a Starbucks.  Before heading to the game we went to a friend’s house to tailgate which was a good way to start the day and get even more excited. About 45 minutes before kick-off, a group of friends and I walked to Kinnick. The entire block was filled with food, drinks, and people. So even if you didn’t want to go tailgating you could easily spend the entire morning right outside of Kinnick just trying different food and meeting new people. I think walking to Kinnick was probably one of my favorite parts of the day just because everywhere you looked someone was wearing gold and ready to cheer on the Hawkeyes.

Once we arrived inside the stadium we grabbed some bottles of water, because on a day like yesterday you’ve got to stay hydrated. Then we headed towards the student section. I have never actually stood in the stands at a football game before, in high school I was always on the sidelines cheering. As much as a loved being down on the field watching the game, the atmosphere in the stands was one of the most amazing I have ever experienced. Unlike my prediction we weren’t jammed in, which means there was actually room to breathe and move which made the experience even better. Because I am such a football fan, I had watched YouTube videos of Iowa football game day before so I had a small idea of some of the traditions to expect. My favorite tradition to watch was the tunnel walk while ACDC’s Back in Black was blaring throughout the stadium. As the boys ran out onto the field, I knew it was going to be a good game. With a touchdown within the first few minutes the crowd was becoming even more passionate. The game continued, with more touchdowns and cheers to follow. At halftime we enjoyed watching marching band and the dance team perform while giving our feet a rest before standing for the second half. The game ended with the Hawkeyes winning 31 to 14 which was definitely the cherry on top.

Even if you aren’t a football fan, I highly suggest going to at least a few games a season. Yes it can be hot, and yes it can be long, but the atmosphere is what makes the game so amazing. I had friends that went with me that had no clue about the rules of football and they enjoyed it just as much as I did. I think it should be on everyone’s college bucket list and who doesn’t want to cheer on their fellow hawks?

 

Iowa vs Illinois State

Thanks for reading and Go Hawks!