The Six Big Questions About Cornerstones: #3: WHEN do we participate?

The next six posts on this blog will be dedicated to stimulating discussion about the program, and clarifying the intent of program activities.  In this blog, I will focus on the question "WHEN do we participate in Cornerstones?"  
This post will be the shortest of all of the posts, because the answer is pretty simple.  


We get started on participating in the Cornerstones Program when we are pledges, we continue our development and education as active members, and we continue to support the program and the fraternity during our alumni years. 


To take a different viewpoint - we participate in the Cornerstones Program when we talk to a potential member and set the expectation that his personal development will continue after the pledge period.  We participate in the program when we host a speaker at a chapter meeting, when we learn proper dinner etiquette, and when we have a conversation with a new pledge about how to balance his weekly time management.    


To take yet another viewpoint - we participate in the Cornerstones Program when we take the first action steps toward applying to graduate school, or when we decide on a specific physical fitness goal we want to achieve and begin a new exercise routine.  


To sum it up simply, as a participating member in the Cornerstones Program, you should always be able to answer the question, "What are you working on today/this week/this month/this year to move you further along toward the goals you have in your life?" 

The Six Big Questions About Cornerstones: #2: WHY do we participate?

The next six posts on this blog will be dedicated to stimulating discussion about the program, and clarifying the intent of program activities.  In this blog, I will focus on the question "Why do we participate in Cornerstones?"  


The following list of reasons is not in a particular order, and it spans the entire spectrum of what we do as a fraternity.  The list will be divided into two categories - why do we participate organizationally, and why do we participate individually:


Organizationally  

• as a member fraternity of the NIC (North-American Interfraternity Conference), we are a part of a larger community that includes all other fraternities & sororities, and that larger community is committed to initiatives such as the Fraternal Values Movement, the NIC Standards, and the The Case for Fraternity Rights; and having a membership development program that reaches beyond the pledge education experience is a part of what the larger community is all about
• as Acacians, the stated purposes of our organization (from the Laws of Acacia) include the following: Fraternal, Scientific, Literate, & Educational; so in order to continue to fulfill our purposes, it is important that our members hold themselves to high standards of achievement in these areas of focus
• as Acacians, our vision statement is "Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders", and in order to fulfill that vision, we must continuously be striving to evolve and adapt to the changing world around us

Individually

• this section is a little more difficult to define because the reason WHY can really be different for each person - 
• from wanting to make the most of your limited time in college, to desiring a great job upon graduation so that you can begin to plan for family life; 
• or from wanting to feel a sense of involvement with your peers as everyone grows and matures, to recognizing that there are lots of skills that you will need to learn to reach the high level of success that you aspire to
• what is consistent in this category is simply HAVING AN IDEA of what your WHY is
• the following list has been compiled from statements made by members of Acacia as to "why it's a good idea to engage in the Cornerstones Program"
• it provides a clear picture of "what we do as a fraternity" to a potential member, or a parent
• it ensures that with all of the things competing for our attention during our time in college, we are focused on moving toward our goals as individuals
• by simply taking the time to reflect on the things that I do, I always gain a fresh insight into my own nature, and therefore I feel like I've grown
• at the end of the semester, or year, you can look back at everything that you did, and feel pretty darn good about the past year

If you haven't ever taken the time to reflect on the following question, do so now: "Why is it that I do all of the things that I do?"  Feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments section. 

The Six Big Questions About Cornerstones: #1: WHAT is it?

The next six posts on this blog will be dedicated to stimulating discussion about the program, and clarifying the intent of program activities.  In this blog, I will focus on the question "What is Cornerstones?"

This topic will be split into two groups of statements: "Cornerstones Is" & "Cornerstones Is Not".  With these statements, I intend to clarify a number of points about the program in its current state.

Cornerstones is ... a 'catalyst' for improvement of the chapter and the individual member of Acacia.
Cornerstones is not ... a 'status'.  In other words, a chapter can't "be Cornerstones", but they can attain a certain level of proficiency in implementing the guidelines for the program.

Cornerstones is ... an attitude or mindset or willingness to seek continuous personal development.
Cornerstones is not ... something you do once, and you're done.

Cornerstones is ... based on personal choice and commitment.
Cornerstones is not ... based on top-down compliance.

Cornerstones is ... a set of guidelines for personal growth and development.
Cornerstones is not ... capable of developing those who don't already want to improve themselves.

Cornerstones is ... at the basic level, about having written goals, a personal vision for the future that is based on individual strengths, and being a productive and positive contributor to your community.
Cornerstones is not ... capable of ensuring that 100% of our members will "do better" simply because they "know better".  In other words, teaching the ideals of Cornerstones will certainly help members "know more about the world and about himself", but when it comes to their actual behavior, there are more factors at play than just this program.

Cornerstones is ... a worthy challenge for active members.
Cornerstones is not ... difficult to understand.  Having the discipline and perseverance to always be developing as an individual is not a difficult concept to understand, but is is a difficult thing to do, at first.

Cornerstones is ... having a willingness to reflect on the activities that we do in terms of 3 questions:
1) "What?" What activity or developmental opportunity did you just do?
2) "So What?" How is it relevant to your life?
3) "Now What?" What will you do now that you have this new knowledge, attitude, or experience.

In closing, the Cornerstones Program is for you, the individual member.  Our promise as fraternity men is stated in our vision statement - "Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders".  We must remain open and receptive to the always changing world, always paying attention to what is happening around us to identify opportunities to make a positive impact.

Acacia Fraternity intends to partner with you to propel you toward success in your life - however you would like to define success, and as long as you are willing to answer the call...

Post #1 - 11/8/10

This is basically a test post to see what it looks like.  The vision is to incorporate this blog into a Google Site, or link them together somehow to begin to share relevant educational/developmental articles & ideas that chapters and individual members can use to facilitate the development process that accompanies the Cornerstones Program.
More posts soon...