National Advisor
I headed to LSU the Monday after the supposed “Game of the
Century” or whatever, in which Alabama and LSU bludgeoned each other for four
boring, sloppy quarters and a lackluster overtime. Sorry. Not impressed. But they’re supposedly the two
best teams in the nation right now, (unless of course you're into stats and, I don't know, facts, and you compare the number of ranked
opponents Oklahoma State has beaten to the number Bama has thus far), so this
broken system has given us a rematch. I won’t get on that soap box
though.
I was happy that the men of the Psi Chapter got to celebrate
such a huge win, even if their quarterback likes to play kicker when he goes to
the bars. But I digress. I was halfway expecting classes to be cancelled and Mardi Gras-sized parties to be going on on campus after the huge win. There was a ton of excitement, so it was a good time to
be on the campus of LSU.
I began working with the Psi Chapter last fall when I came
on staff. Their second officer corps was finishing up their term, so it was an
interesting time in the life of the chapter. They were still very much a young
chapter, but they didn’t necessarily act like it. They thought like a
well-established chapter with ambitious ideas and sound leadership. Over the
past year and some change, I’ve seen the men continue to build and refine those
ideas, as well as continue to set the bar higher. It’s exciting to see the
vision and ambition in the Psi Chapter.
With the early semesters as a measuring stick, it’s been fun
to see where the chapter is now compared to then. The men are learning how to
standardize things from semester to semester. Pledge Captain Daniel Manas
talked with me about how he has collected all his information for the next
pledge captain, Sam Alexander. We had a great talk about what he has learned in
office and why his job is so important. It’s clear to me that the chapter’s
understanding of the vision of BYX has grown, and they are carrying out the
day-to-day operations of BYX much more smoothly.
After meeting with Daniel and Vice President Conner Jenkins,
we got down to the serious business: Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64. It had
been a while since I picked up the sticks on N64, but Pikachu and I quickly
renewed our relationship as we lightning bolted our team to victory.
The visits at the back end of the fall semester are exciting
and exhausting at the same time. Exciting because I get to meet with both the
new and old officers, and exhausting because I get to meet with both the new
and old officers.
I had met with a few of the 2011 officers prior to meeting
with the new guys. They helped me to gain an understanding of the 2012 officers
before my meetings. On top of that, it was evident that the outgoing officers
want to remain involved. Conner told me he wants to hold every chair position,
including his newly created chair chair, who is responsible for setting up
chairs at chapter meeting. They hope to be available to counsel the new
officers in their position. They know that the progress made during their term
means nothing if the next guys come in and botch everything.
If I learned anything from the time I spent with the new
officers, it’s that they are hungry. Greg Flitter, the 2012 vice president,
flipped through page after page of his notebook as he, Sam, new Chaplain Joey
Kieffer and I had lunch on campus. It was clear the men had put a lot of
thought into the next semester already, and they did a great job of building up
and refining the ideas they already had. They were receptive of each other’s
ideas. I got to watch these officers develop their chemistry and bond as
brothers right in front of me.
The LSU Chapter keeps moving forward. I’m continually
impressed with the vision of the leaders. They still have plenty of work to do
to keep moving the chapter forward. I’m confident that between the leadership
of the current officers and the young men that are stepping into office, we’re
going to look up a year from now and see a far better version of the Psi
Chapter.
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