Inauguration Day

- January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day)


Sunday I returned from Los Angeles having finished an ICDC planning and membership development trip and as the very full plane touched down in Washington D.C. there was a huge cheer and boisterous clapping from all of its occupants. On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and this history making Inauguration Day, the crowd, the energy and the excitement was palpable. Regardless of your politics, it is new energy in the people that this change is inspiring that inspires me to find new ways of contributing to the drive, the purpose and the vision of our collective future.

There are moments when I am coaching start-up chapters and answering questions from would-be new members that I become crest-fallen by what seems to be an attitude of, “if it exists I’ll join… if it doesn’t then its not going to happen for me.” Is it a generation who’s attitude is controlled by a need for instant gratification and a sense of entitlement? Somehow, I don’t think that can be the pervasive expression of the generation but it certainly is a prominent message that I hear. Personally, I was raised believing that anything worth having is worth working for and that it is my own responsibility to create a future worth having. The idea of instant gratification is a farce; delayed and earned gratification however, the reward that follows the sometimes-tedious labor, is truly what living a life of purpose, ambition and success is all about.

There are also moments however when I hear from start-up chapters asking very specific questions because they’ve already done the hard work to get started. These are stories like Indiana University that grew in its first semester of existence from a single individual’s desire to continue his DECA experience to a chapter of 35 members. Which brought a large group to the Collegiate Leadership Academy and just today called to ask for help connecting with DECA alumni on each of the “Big 10” campuses for their newly conceived idea of hosting a “Big 10 Delta Epsilon Chi Competition” in preparation for the international conference. Other stories like the University of New Haven also a brand new chapter that already has 28 members and is taking on the task of working with Connecticut DECA to bring in the future generations to their emerging chapter.

It is in these moments that I am inspired by what should define the next generation of business leaders and visionaries. These are individuals who embrace hard work as a necessary and valuable motivator for accomplishing their goals. These are individuals who ask, “how do I overcome?” instead of reaching a barrier and stopping in their tracks.

It is individuals like these that shape stories of a new generation who understand that they must work and contribute in order to receive personal reward. These people inspire me and give me hope that what little I do to support their efforts, to answer their questions, and to continue to create Delta Epsilon Chi programming that may teach them new lessons and connect them with other soon-to-be business leaders, brings value to the community that I care so much about.

Whether you work to serve your own chapter, your own campus, your own community, or reach higher and perhaps taken on the mantle of state or national leader, I hope that you are also inspired by the actions of your peers to come away from an attitude that expects instant gratification and move instead towards the understanding that you alone are in control of your destiny and that you alone can make a difference by serving the needs of your Delta Epsilon Chi community through hard work, dedication and steadfastness.

Today, be inspired. Today, build on the energy of those around you. Today, embrace a new beginning, a new attitude, and work hard and long to achieve a new purpose. You alone can turn vision into reality by embracing the opportunities afforded to you through your education and your membership in organizations like ours.

Kyle Walton
Assistant Director, Delta Epsilon Chi

Teamwork is what Delta Needs!

Recently I was put in a situation working with someone who really pushed my buttons because he came into a work area that I had been in for about four years and acted as if he knew more than I did about the entire company. My father had been running another chain of this same restaurant throughout my whole life and I had been going and helping him at work since I could walk. When someone else tried to come in, and not only tell me what to do, but tell me how to do my job, I was not only threatened but highly agitated. This person’s confidence had brought a whole new meaning to the saying “fake it til’ you make it”. As I continued to work with this new person, I realized that he was just as threatened by me, as I was by him. He knew all the textbook rules and regulations, but had no idea how to put them into practice without offending people who had been with the company for many years. After a while, the new person realized that he was not getting anywhere by bossing people around with textbook answers and that he just needed to go with the flow and remind people of the regulations every once in a while.
This relates to Delta Epsilon Chi every day. There are those people who come into your chapter that know all the rules and regulations from either high school DECA or from researching Delta Epsilon Chi, but they don’t know how to handle the chapter, because chapters are made up of people, not robots. They don’t always do what you want or what they say they are going to, but they have been there for a while, so you need to go with the flow and remember they do have feelings. Members of Delta Epsilon Chi don’t take kindly to pushing and shoving (much like people in the business world). By adding everyone’s strengths and weaknesses together, you gain an entire entity that we call a chapter. This is what the leaders of Delta Epsilon Chi have come together to do – create a chapter where everyone has a chance to contribute. So remember to give everyone a chance, help them out when they need it, and take help when someone gives it.
-Samantha NARVP

Money, money, money... what do you do when low on funds?

Hello everyone!
I was talking to Steve today and realized that there is so much to do in the start of the new year. Steve talked about setting goals and keeping old ones. My biggest challenge starting this new semester in school will be keeping up the enthusiasm that everyone had for Delta Epsilon Chi and their chapters in the fall. Yes, ICDC is getting closer and people are getting pumped up about that, but they are also getting bummed out because of the money situation.
I am trying to brainstorm ways of helping people out with their fundraising issues. The members from across the country are extremely creative in the ways that they raise money. They take different spins on the old faithful fundraisers, like adding in new themes to their bake sales or car washes. They also think of new ways to raise money like indoor mini golf courses with each hole sponsored by a different company. These inventive ideas can be spread by just talking to people from across the country.
So, go onto facebook or send emails to different schools. Swap ideas and raise money. I guarantee you it will be worth all of the hard work to get to Anaheim.
-Samantha NARVP