Victoria Riddle
As a small child, the first thing most people would notice about me was that I never stopped asking questions. Every time I learned something new, I always asked why. I did not realize how valuable that skill would become, especially as I started my journey at USC and created a place for myself at such a large institution. Some of the first experiences I had at Carolina were when I moved into Capstone. The Capstone Scholars program was rewarding because of the friends I gained but also through the pillars it is based upon. The most memorable part of the program for me was the idea of Leaving a Legacy. As a freshman, it seemed hard to picture leaving a legacy at such a large school with so many Southern traditions.
Leaving a Legacy is Attainable
In Fall 2015 I took a philosophy class as part of my Medical Humanities minor entitled Contemporary Moral Issues, Philosophy 211. We learned about multiple ethical theories but the one I resonated most closely with was Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative. Here is an assignment that describes Kant's Deontological Ethics. The Categorical Imperative states that you would only do an act which you would will to be a universal law. So basically, before any action you would ask yourself: Would I want everyone to act this way every time they are in this situation for the rest of time? This maxim not only challenges one to always commit actions that positively affect others, but also demands a constant striving for change. If you could leave a student organization stronger than you found it, then the Categorical Imperative demands that you strive for more, because that would be what you want everyone to do forever. If everyone participated in an organization by attending meetings and accepting protocol at face value, then there would be no change or growth. If the Categorical Imperative is followed as a way of life, then a legacy is naturally created by those acts deemed to be a universal law. The idea of the Categorical Imperative made me realize that the experiences I have had through the Professional & Civic Engagement Pathway have lead me to learn that you should always challenge yourself and ask questions in order to leave a legacy.
The first opportunity that I had to leave a legacy at Carolina was with my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. In my freshman year I was walking past Russell House one day and I noticed there were people outside of a tent asking girls if they were interested in joining a sorority. Even though both of my parents were Greeks, I really had no desire to join a sorority. However, for some reason I decided to stop and talk to the woman about Alpha Gamma Delta. She convinced me to at least go have an interview even if I was not sure about joining. I agreed and then went to the interview. I was so nervous and I had no idea what to expect. I ended up interviewing with an International Officer for the Fraternity and we had a great conversation. I realized that Alpha Gam’s philanthropy is the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, which helps fund diabetes research as well as programs for empowering women. I connected personally with the philanthropy as multiple people in my family have diabetes, including my dad. I became personally invested and was excited to help colonize a brand new sorority on USC’s campus. It was a lot of work but I was constantly wondering how we could make a great foundation so that our chapter could not only get a charter, but also last for years to come. In the back of my head was the categorical imperative: Do I want this to be the expectation for every woman who decides to join Alpha Gamma Delta in our chapter? It ended up being months of work as there are many qualifications to get a charter; we implemented many rules and formulated our Bylaws and Chapter Vision. After a few months, the day finally came that we were going to learn if we received our charter and then we would be initiated into the Alpha Gamma Delta sisterhood. I will never forget the moment when the International Officer presented us our hard-earned charter and revealed to us our chapter name-Theta Omega! It was then that I realized that I was leaving a legacy as a member of the Alpha pledge class of Alpha Gamma Delta at the University of South Carolina. Alpha Gamma Delta International Headquarters produces a Quarterly magazine with updates on Alpha Gam chapters across the country. Attached is a link to the Quarterly from Winter 2013, which features the USC chapter on page 4. By constantly asking questions about how we could improve our chapter and recruit members, we are still growing and making changes that are building upon the foundation I created along with my other sisters in the Alpha pledge class. The Categorical Imperative was a cornerstone of this process, as we were creating a universal law for our chapter through the bylaws that will be in effect for many years. Alpha Gamma Delta has allowed me to leave a legacy as a founding member of the largest colonization of the sorority to date.
The queries that I am somewhat famous for did not end with being a founding member at Alpha Gamma Delta. My junior year I decided to apply for an officer position within Sigma Alpha Lambda, an academic honor society. Sigma Alpha Lambda is an academic honors organization, and therefore requires a minimum GPA for admission. The goals of the organization include promoting academic achievement, completing service events and enhancing leadership skills for members. The position I accepted was the Vice President of Leadership Development, which not only integrates the officer team and helps challenge them to become better leaders, but also helps the chapter to find resources to further their leadership development through resume workshops and other guest speakers. As I started to meet with my officer team, we soon realized that we had bigger problems to face: chapter attendance. There were over 200 members in the chapter but only 10-20 people would show up for chapter meetings. We were left wondering why members did not feel the need to be involved. The conditional imperative came into play as we realized we wanted every single member to be involved in Sigma Alpha Lambda and become passionate about our mission of academics, leadership and service. Because of this, we started incentivizing meetings and implementing more volunteer opportunities, especially within Sigma Alpha Lambda’s national event Food Fight against Hunger. We started to see an increase in chapter attendance, but as with many long-term goals the growth was not exponential. I felt as if my role in the organization was not over, so I applied to be Secretary for my senior year. The change in the officer team was great for the organization, as we brainstormed many new ideas and implemented more volunteer opportunities in the first semester of this year as we had in almost the entire school year previously. Since the beginning of this school year, we have already seen an increase in interest, as we filled the entire officer team (which is over 10 positions) and many people email in with questions for dates and times of events. In order to keep members informed, part of my responsibilities as secretary are to type meeting minutes for each chapter meeting. Attached is an example of the meeting minutes I completed for a scheduled chapter meeting. Additionally, I have created Google Documents and Doodle polls to plan events that are convenient for everyone. Even though we do not have full chapter involvement, I am excited that I have helped pave the way as an officer towards an increased interest in Sigma Alpha Lambda and the values that it upholds such as excellence in academics and service. It was through persistent questioning and improvement of our policies that we have found success and without asking questions and constantly striving to improve, we would not be where we are today within our chapter. My hope is to leave a legacy of improved participation and attendance as I graduate from USC within the Sigma Alpha Lambda chapter.
SAL Officer Photo and Logo
Source: http://sigmaalphalambda.org/wp-content/themes/SALTheme/images/SALLogo.png
Capstone House at USC
Installation Banquet and Initiation Photos
Philosophy helped me learn that being a moral person is not a selective process, but rather a lifetime of constant improvement. The Categorical Imperative provides a template for everyday decisions that can be as simple as whether you hold the door open for someone else or as important as defining chapter bylaws that will be implemented for the lifetime of the chapter. Becoming a founding member of Alpha Gamma Delta taught me how to build up a strong foundation for an organization, while being an officer in Sigma Alpha Lambda taught me how to promote membership within an existing organization. These experiences were similar in that I learned about group dynamics and what values the organizations upheld. Learning about these values helped me to understand how to promote the organizations and articulate to others why I joined each of them myself in order to increase interest and membership. My leadership experience through the Professional & Civic Engagement Pathway has helped me leave a legacy at Carolina through asking questions and following the Categorical Imperative. If we are always looking to be not only the best versions of ourselves, but also leaving the best legacy for others, then Carolina will continue to grow and flourish with many traditions both past and present.