#GammaISGiving

 

           You have never truly been happy until you’ve been the cause of someone else’s happiness.  It took a bit of planning and a lot of hard work: over 100 hours of service in one week.  

            We kicked off the Week of Service by taking over 20 members to Wesley Acres Nursing Home.  The students had a blast playing Bingo with senior citizens, and definitely had an impact on the elderly, the staff, and themselves.  The nursing home loved it so much that Gamma has been invited back for several events in the future. 

            The remainder of our week was devoted to helping the children.  We had 8 total volunteer projects at Children and Family Urban Movement (CFUM).  The activities ranged from reading with the kids to serving them food to playing games with them.  We had dozens of children hanging off of our members, begging them to come back to play with them.  I personally witnessed a second grader go from hating reading to wanting to grab another book and read through breakfast.  

            At Chapter on Thursday, the exciting Family Change Competition resulted in great results.  Over $100 was raised in loose change to donate to CFUM.  This, in addition to the money raised last semester, allowed me the wonderful opportunity to present a check for over $350 to CFUM.  They were ecstatic to have extra money to spend on books, games, and food for the kids.  

            Overall, the Week of Service resulted in 133 hours of service by Gamma members.  This is incredible for a single week.  I am very thankful for all the great work that our Chapter put into the week.  I’m proud of all our members!

With Gamma Love,

Mitchell Fabian

Director of Service

#GammaIS Hosting Recruitment!

Chi Chapter's Recruitment Chair, Kate McCoy (pictured right)

Recruitment week is officially over, and it could not have gone better! All of the stressing, running, and planning was completely worth it. When I was voted as the director of recruitment and ritual, I knew how hectic recruitment week would be, but I was excited to help with the process that made me want to be a member of Gamma Iota Sigma. I’d like to think that anyone can plan a successful week of events as long as one is passionate and organized, and have awesome committee members to assist you.

Gamma recruitment week began on Monday with a Meet and Greet. Right off the bat, I could see the prospective members’ excitement. Gamma Game Night was a hoot as the room roared with laughter, causing our neighbors to ask us to quiet down. Did we lower the volume? Not exactly. It’s difficult not to laugh when 30 Actuarial Science majors are attempting to have an arm wrestling competition. Our off-campus event was ice skating, and everyone had fun trying not to fall while in the midst of foam noodle fights.

Finally, we held interviews Saturday, and the EC was impressed with the quality of applicants. The prospective members showed a drive to be involved in Gamma Iota Sigma, and our chapter is interested to see these members contribute positively to our business fraternity.

I would like to give a shout-out to my amazing committee members, Shang Shin Gan and Matt Odum, for making this week run smoothly and for putting up with my craziness.

I can’t wait to start working with our pledges; they show great potential. Welcome, Epsilon Class!

Fraternally yours,

Kate McCoy

A Whirlwind Adventure

The "Wolf Pack" (2 years ago!)

Starting Gamma’s Drake chapter has been a whirlwind. There were many highs and lows and countless sleepless nights. It all started towards the end of my freshman year. I heard about the organization through a friend, so was handed an opportunity that I had no idea how far it would take me. I told a few others about this opportunity, and just for fun, we called ourselves the “wolf pack.” The wolf pack had many challenges bringing Gamma back to Drake’s campus, but the faith in the Wolf Pack never strayed; we just had to work harder to prove that Drake could greatly benefit from GIS. It took 10 months to get everything set up before we had our first recruitment class. I still remember the call I had with Noelle from Gamma Nationals over two years ago. She told me that it was going to be a long road ahead of me but all I could focus on was how much it was going to change a student’s Drake experience and how many people’s lives it would effect. After leading the re-chartering process and being president for one year, I was recently elected to serve as one of two International Student Representatives. My favorite part about being an ISR is not furthering Gamma as a whole, but working with chapter leaders individually and helping chapters live up to their full potential.

Our chapter has come a long way and I owe it all to the help and support of my close friends and family. Being a part of GIS has helped me realize that my passion is working with college students. I want to work in student affairs after I graduate. I made countless friends through the Drake chapter and the numerous leadership and international conferences I have attended. My relationship with them extends beyond Gamma, and that is something I am eternally grateful for. Being given this opportunity has changed me into who I am today and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Zach Vasseur