Since August, I've been appointed and served as the Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSU) Director of Community Affairs and an appointed member of the Pullman Chamber board of Directors. My sole purpose is to strengthen the relationship between the University and Pullman. In short, I liaise a lot.
With being an active leader in the Greek community I decided to build a relationship between a fraternity chapter and the Chamber for when they needed volunteers. I decided to use the chapter I am a member of, SigEp, as my testing chapter. The Chamber needed volunteers to help put up over 40 Coug flags all over downtown Main St., Bishop Boulevard and Grande Avenue to show Coug pride all across the city. We called upon SigEp for assitance and they delivered an army of flag wavers!
The men of SigEp helped put new flags on new poles, climbed up on ladders and put new holders on the street poles, and hung flags all over in just one day. This activity in the past only had 4-6 volunteers and usually took three days. With the help from the men of SigEp and other Greek members the flags have been kept up and replaced when damaged throughout the semester.
When ESPN Game Day came into Pullman, SigEps were out the afternoon before arrival and replaced all the flags with brand new ones that the WSU Athletics department gave us. ESPN video crew even captured some of the moments when the men where placing the flags in the pole holder. For Veterans Day, SigEps took down the Coug flags a few days before and put them back up after the Veteran's Committee removed the American Flag.
Looking to the future, SigEp and other Greek members from the WSU community will be putting up holiday wreathes and volunteering at the Holiday Fest-- Another Chamber event that is just around the corner.
At first, I didn't realize how much of an impact this was until the Chamber told me this the most efficient work they've seen and that the volunteer help has been crucial to their success. SigEps and other Greeks have benefited immensely because they feel more connected to the community when they volunteer for these events.
The bridge to a new community partner does not stop here though. With the new IFC and Pan-Hellenic Council leaders coming into power I plan on establishing a long relationship with the Greek Community and the Chamber that will continue to last when I graduate. And this is what hits deep, I am building a new foundation and opportunity for both communities.
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