New Members Benefit from The Road
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
There will never be a magic green light indicating it is time for your chapter to start The Road. Membership education is just as important as new member education, but for some reason, many chapters just can’t get started. If implementing The Road for your entire chapter seems too great of a challenge, consider starting this fall by adding a Road program to your new member education program.
Here are some programs you could offer each week to complement what you are teaching with the Life of Excellence manual.
Week Two – You and Delta Tau Delta
- Personal values assessment
- Leadership styles inventory
Week Three – Your Commitment and Obligations
- Personal finances
- Time management
- Healthy life-style choices
Week Four – Opportunities Available to You
- Leadership styles inventory
- Social media etiquette
- Communication styles
Week Five – The history of Delta Tau Delta
- Ethical decision making
- Goal setting
Week Six – How the Fraternity Works
- Conflict resolution
- Assertiveness
Week Seven – The Road: Lifelong Learning and Growth
- New members select a topic
- Organize a program with a sorority like an etiquette dinner, dance lessons or cooking lessons
- Networking or resume writing
These programs can be facilitated by alumni, volunteers or campus professionals. Be creative and try to make the programs fun. Here are some benefits of having new members attend a Road program versus homecoming float building.
- You are teaching new members the leadership skills to succeed personally which translates into better chapter officers.
- You bragged about alumni involvement during recruitment, this is an easy way to connect members with alumni.
- Your new members will have the confidence and skills to help with recruitment.
- New members can meet and interact with the campus fraternity and sorority advisor, leadership advisor or academic advisor. Most freshmen and sophomores don’t know these people and this will help them get involved beyond Delta Tau Delta.
- You have started your Road program and next semester you can add a program or two for the entire chapter.
For more Road resources, go to www.deltsconnect.org.