~Spooky~ Chapter
Happy Halloween, Theta Zeta! Today's Chapter was themed to match the spooky season, and Exec addressed some common feedback and questions received in the Mid-Semester Evals. We also had a few cool presentations on the Alternative Break Challenge and two Passion Projects! Without further ado, let's get right into it!
Action Items đ
Pull up calendar and APO Online, sign up for Service & Fellowship events
Littles- complete Brother interviews
Bigs- get letters in hand by December 8th
Passion Projects- create presentations (or at least start)
Just a quick reminder- please be safe at Halloween this weekend! We want you all safe, so know your limits and don't post anything with alcohol if you have letters in your Bio.
Three main themes arose in Mid-Semester Evals. The first feedback was that Exec, talk a lot about the rules- especially the no alcohol policies. The reasoning for this is that we want all of the members to be safe, and if these rules are broken for them not to be a surprise. The second feedback was regarding the requirements to be an Associate Member of APO. This is something that Exec alone cannot change and has to be done through changes to our Chapter's Bylaws. If you want something to change, go to Bylaws Committee next Tuesday and find what you would like to change! Any changes are voted on by the Chapter so nothing at all happens without input from Actives, Associates, and PNMs. Third, there were a considerable number of complaints about Exec being slow to respond or act. Please remember that we are still undergraduate students at UNH, and our school work has to come first! There is no pay for the work we do and sometimes it has to take a backseat to studying and assignments, so please be patient and if it has been a day or so feel free to email again to check up on the progress.
At the request of Bros in the Mid-Semester Evals, we will be bringing Mental Health Minute back to Chapter! Each week, a Brother or PNM will share their favorite method of maintaining positive mental health, especially during college. President Julia started us off with sharing her favorite way to relax- reading books! Reading- when it's not for classes- is a great way to recenter yourself. If you ever feel too down to do anything, please contact anyone on Exec as we want you all to succeed!
PNM Projects are coming up this week, so go support our wonderful PNMs and sign up on APO Online! Some of the other events include UNH Serves this Saturday, which will include people from other orgs on campus and multiple project opportunities, and the Best Buddies Fashion Show!
Molly and Anika addressed some of the responses they received in the Evals. When it comes to crediting hours, Service can only credit what has been submitted for attendance, so it falls to the Brother who is taking attendance for an event to send it in ASAP. From now on, everyone will be docked after 24 hours if attendance has not been sent in to speed up the submissions.
Reiterating what Julia said, our super Service chairs reminded the chapter that they have to complete their schoolwork first before they are able to concentrate on APO. Some emailed inquiries also require discussion with other Exec positions, outside organizations, or the person who asked, so the response may take a bit longer. Academics have to come before the 30 or so emails Service gets every day, so please be patient!
Projects at nighttime have been requested, but due to the strict MUB room policies these will have to take place in academic buildings (if nobody shows up to a MUB room that's reserved, we lose the right as an organization to use the MUB- even for Banquet). Keep an eye out as evening projects will be coming soon.
Finally, if you are concerned about reaching your requirements for Service Hours, please reach out and let Molly and Anika know! They want to help you succeed but cannot do so if they don't know what's going on! Make sure you're looking on APO Online and signing up for events in free times that work for you.
A few more announcements: please take the Meal Packing Task Force survey if you are interested but haven't yet expressed interest, and if you have, emails will be sent out soon to begin the process! Service is also looking for a Waysmeet Liaison- either a Brother or a PNM- who either has or can establish a strong connection to Waysmeet and Larry so that APO can work more closely with them (email if interested). Molly and Anika heard that Brothers and PNMs from APO stayed late at the SCOPE concert last weekend and even helped clean up afterwards, going above and beyond, and are quite proud of these members! Finally, if you have requested that an ongoing Passion Project be counted as Service Hours beyond the usual cap of 5 external hours, an email will be coming soon asking what your presentation format and optimal time would be, so start thinking about how and what you would like to present to the Chapter!
Banquet Committee is every other Tuesday, but is not happening today (it will be next week on November 5th). If you want to help make decisions for Banquet and know the theme early, go to the Committee! You will also get Fellowship hours for attending.
Worried about getting enough Fellowship Hours? Email apothetazeta.fellowship@gmail.com and host a fellowship at a time that works for you in your own apartment or dorm! We will also be looking for people to host Baking Fellowships for the Riff Off bake sale- supplies will be provided, all you have to do is email Fellowship or Fundraising to ask for them and then bake away with some Bros and PNMs! Banquet and Riff Off are also Fellowships, so attending either (or both!) will give you an hour of Fellowship.
If you already have all 5 of the required Fellowship Hours, please don't sign up for capped events! Your name will be removed so that other members can get the hours that they need, but feel free to sign up for non-capped events if you want more time with your Bros.
Last but not least, Maddie and Tim received some feedback that Brothers are still signing attendance and promptly leaving Fellowship events. This is unacceptable and makes Tim cry, so please hold to the values of the organization you committed to joining, have integrity, and stay for the events you have signed up for.
Next week is Big-Little Appreciation Week, so Bigs and Littles make sure you show each other that you appreciate them! PNMs- make sure you're doing Brother Interviews, especially at events like Chapter, Retreat, or any Fellowship or Service events, and study for your quiz this Sunday! Bigs- get letters ASAP, as sometimes they take awhile to come in. Check the Bigs Facebook page or email Kelly and Shayna at apounhnewmember@gmail.com if you need help.
Our Fundraising co-chairs Emily and Jamie have put together two events, the proceeds of which will go towards APO's Relay for Life team! The first event is Riff-Off, for which we need people to advertise (writing on whiteboards around academic buildings, handing out flyers at Hoco, sharing the Facebook post, and tabling in the MUB), Bros and PNMs to host baking socials (if you have an oven and can follow a recipe, the supplies will be provided, just email Fundraising at apothetazeta.fundraising@gmail.com), take photos (if you have a camera and can take photos even at a beginning level please email Fundraising), and go to Riff Off! The tickets are available in the MUB Ticket Office for $4 for students or $7 for non-students, and going to the event counts as a Fellowship!
The second fundraising event is the LinkedIn Photo event which will take place in the Fishbowl (next to Smith Hall, the Admissions building). Anyone can come and for $2 in cash have their photo taken for LinkedIn, as well as eat some food and hang out with friends. There will be 30 minute time slots soon on APO Online, where Bros and PNMs can sign up to attend and get their photos taken together.
There are Service opportunities for this event as well: advertising (writing on whiteboards around academic buildings, and handing out flyers at Hoco and hanging them around campus), helping at the event (collecting the $2 donations, manning the snack/food table, directing people), and being a photographer (again, if you have a good camera and some decent skills, please email Fundraising!). Check APO Online for more details!
Retreat is coming up in a few weeks! Please take the Survey (in Action Items) if you haven't already. If you did do the Survey and said "yes" or "maybe" to leading a workshop, emails will be coming out shortly to confirm and arrange times that work with your schedule. Get ready and mark your calendars, because while Retreat is not mandatory, it is a good time!
Leadership Development Day happened this past weekend at the University of Vermont, and there will be more info on that next week!
Our Historian Meg was dressed up as Harry Potter for Chapter, and asked that everyone send her photos for the Scrapbook! The Scrapbook is a collection of photos and memories that the Historian puts together for each semester and is a wholesome way to look back at previous semesters going back decades, so send in photos of Bros and PNMs of APO!
Congrats to our Brother of the Week, Ailish, and our PNM of the Week, Ally!
Here's your ~Spooky~ Sunshine News for this week!
Sara and Sophia found and amazing Halloween GIF featured at the top of this Newsletter, and responded to Eval feedback requesting different apparel and more Takeovers. They explained that the survey at the beginning of the semester was made to find what the most people wanted, as bulk orders cost less per item, but that going to the APO Apparel Swap Page on Facebook or designing your own apparel is totally allowed-just no Greek Letters worn if you are still a PNM until you become a Brother! They also agreed that they'd like more Takeovers...but Bros and PNMs have to offer to take it over! Slide into the DMs, email thetazeta.apo.pr@gmail.com, send a carrier pigeon, or text them if you want to do a Takeover, and be patient as they may have multiple requests for one day and have to give priority to whoever asks first.
Here is the winner of the Brother-designed apparel for this semester!
Payton Taylor's T-Hall design received the most votes and will be on the long-sleeve t-shirts! More info will be available in the coming weeks.
For those who want to influence how our Chapter is run, go to Bylaws Committee next Tuesday from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, right after the Union Court fellowship! If you are unable to make it, email Cam at apothetazeta.saa@gmail.com to find a time that works best for you.
The PNMs are just ahead of the Brothers in the competition for points! Don't forget all of the outside-of-Chapter things you can do, such as going to Office Hours and taking a photo with Exec (2 Points total!), answering the weekly question of the Newsletter (the last two weeks are unclaimed!), going to Committees (Banquet, Bylaws, Meal-Packing, you name it!), doing an Instagram Takeover, or anything else listed below!
Megan Brabec, one of our Advisors this semester, is also and Advisor for the Alternative Break Challenge. She was unfortunately ill this Chapter, but our President Julia presented for her! If you want to go on a memorable spring break trip that costs less than your typical trip, spend a week doing community service and visiting cool locations along the way, and don't mind riding in a van to do so, then check out their page on Wildcat Link! All deadlines and info are in the above presentation, but feel free to email them at abcunh@gmail.com with any questions.
Julie and Cara presented their Passion Project as Tour Guides for UNH! They explained that they primarily receive questions about housing, dining, and Greek life, but have also been asked some unique ones- such as whether or not Scott Hall was a *real* dorm (answer: yes, yes it is). The interview process is low-key and fun, and applications will open again next semester so feel free to email either of them with questions!
Abby also presented her Passion Project, which includes a Service' importunity for today! Check APO Online for the Girls on the Run 5K help- you don't have to run, just cheer them on! Sign up soon to coordinate rides, as this is an off-campus event.
Open Forum đ
Taking attendance at a PNM Project? Send it to the NMEs, not Service!
apounhnewmember@gmail.com
Go to the Fierce and Fabulous Expo, this Thursday from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Hamel Rec Center! APO Brother Sarah will be there from noon to 1:00pm, so definitely go say hi if you are free!
Want to lead a Mental Health Minute in Chapter? Email Julia at alphaphiomegaunh@gmail.com with your request for a date and general idea!
Spooky Black Cat Section đ
Here are some feel-good photos of the cats of APO members to match the season! I will be alternating between cat and dog photos to represent more pets of APO, so please send me pictures of your precious pooches and fabulous felines!
That's all for this week, until the next, have a good one you guys!
LFS â€
-Mikayla
P.S. Question of the week- when is the next Banquet Committee? Email the answer to mmm1123@wildcats.unh.edu before anyone else does to earn points for your house!