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| LEAD
Phase I -- Training our Newest Members
Sigma Nu's LEAD Institutes are being held
on Saturdays this spring in a number of
locations across the country. The LEAD
Institute is Sigma Nu's training program
for LEAD Chairmen, Commanders, Marshals
and Alumni Volunteers. Its purpose is
to give participants the knowledge and
skills to effectively facilitate the LEAD
Program in their chapters. The institutes
provide a positive learning environment
where leaders can grow and improve their
facilitation skills through hands-on training,
become familiar with the four phases of
the LEAD Program, and get tips to help
them coordinate a successful LEAD Program
when they return to their chapter.
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Phase I of the LEAD Program is Sigma Nu's official
Candidate Education Program. It was revised
in 2000 and includes sessions on leadership, values,
ethics, teamwork and Sigma Nu History. The purpose
of Phase I is to give Candidates a solid foundation
of Sigma Nu knowledge combined with the mission
of building brothers who will become contributing
members of their chapter and campus community.
This is a deviation from the 1980's paradigm of
member education, when the primary focus of the
Candidate program was on memorization and building
an outstanding pledge.
All of the Phase I sessions introduce Candidates
to concepts they will revisit in future phases.
Phase I has 10 sessions and 2 optional sessions.
Most chapters require that Candidates complete
all sessions prior to Initiation. During each
session, Candidates participate in experiential
learning activities to reinforce the topic being
discussed. In addition to the LEAD sessions, chapters
may include other positive chapter traditions
from their Candidate Education Program.
The sessions in LEAD Phase I include:
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Orientation |
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Fraternity |
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Leadership: The Basics |
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Ethics: Challenges and Choices |
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Values |
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Leadership and Working in Groups |
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Ritual: The End. . . The Beginning |
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Project Planning |
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International and Chapter Organization |
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Risk Reduction |
Additional highlights from Phase I include two
Candidate Class Retreats. Each of the retreats
has a specific focus which includes teambuilding
and brotherhood building activities. Candidates
particularly enjoy one of the brotherhood building
activities called the "Unity Circle"
in which, one at a time, brothers share answers
to questions and then other brothers relate a
common experience back to the brother that is
sharing.
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Another
feature of Phase I is Application Ideas.
These are ideas that individual Candidates
or a Candidate Class can use to learn
more about a specific topic and apply
what they've learned through LEAD.
Reflection is also an important part of
Phase I. After each session the Marshal
will have the |
Candidates
respond to reflection questions about what they
have learned in order to help them process their
experiences.
This has been an effective method of encouraging
Candidates to take responsibility for their own
learning.
In its entirety, Phase I and its focus on Candidates
helps build character, improve communication skills
and set appropriate expectations for new chapter
members. As Dan Mendoza, a member of the Beta
Beta chapter at DePauw University, explained "Having
Phase I as the Candidate Education Program helped
me realize what was expected of me as an individual
and what I could expect of the chapter."
To learn more about Phase I, visit the LEAD section
of the Sigma Nu website at http://www.sigmanu.org/lead/.
The remaining three phases of the LEAD program
will be shared in upcoming issues of this e-newsletter.
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