Citizenship

Definition: The state of being vested with the rights, priveledges, and duties of a citizen.

This definition seems about right. The only thing I wonder is why when i type the word citizenship into google applications for citizenship are the first thing to come up? To me being a citizen is not something you should have to be tested on or study for. To me, if you are placed in a society you should have the rights and responsibilities of everyone else around you.

The other thing that really bothers me about America's policy of making immigrants citizens is that they actually want to be able to vote, to work, to help their families friends & community.... but those who were born citizens typically take it for granted. So why should anyone who want's to be a part of this be denied? Just because they dont know every president in order?

For my sociology class we were asked to watch the documentary SICKO by Michael Moore. What I thought was going to be a boring documentary paired with a boring assignment brought tears to my eyes. The documentary is about health care in the United States. You may wonder what this has to do with citizenship? Well the thing is, in the US, as you all know, we do not have universal healthcare. This was something i was totally okay with until i watched this movie. Other countries such as France, Britian, Cuba, and Canada all do. Thier justification on why it's better? Your taxes pay in with the amount you make, but the care you gain is whether you need it or not. Here in America people are against that becuase why should they be paying to help sick people if they arent sick? I'll tell you why, becuase we are ALL citizens of this country and it is a priveledge, a right, and a duty to better your community and help a fellow neighbor! Haven't we all been brought up that we should be kind, helpful, and giving to those in need? Well apparently we arent being conguent with those values of being an american citizen becuase things like this occur ever day....

This is why i have such a problem denying people the right to come here, the right to be citizens here, becuase if we go to their country and are in need of help we dont have high bills, we dont have rediculous fees, and we wont be kicked out of their hostpitals...

I may be ranting about healthcare but tis not the actual reform that i care about, it's the problem behinde why the American citizens do not want to work for a better communty, a better country, and a better world!

It's sad to think that we pride ourselfs on our citizenship so much that we force others to take a test, when we are taking for granted every day what it means to live in America, and how we should work to help others.

What I took away from the pannel

The thing I took away the most from the guest speakers was the need to speak up.  NO matter how hard it may be, or what problems it may cause we need to speak up. Speak up against sisters who are making us worry, and things that are going on that are not congruent with our values and standards. Speak up against things that are wrong and people who are not putting their all into our organization. Speak up for what you believe in…

It’s interesting to realize how much each of us tiptoe around the problems we see in our own organizations. I call all of these girls my sisters, meaning that I should be comfortable with them, at least comfortable enough to tell them how I feel right?

….Well not always. But not because I don’t love them, or care about what they have to say, I guess it’s because I care about them and our bond so much I’m so afraid to damage it. But then I wonder, is my bond with them that fragile? I never thought so… It raises so many thoughts in my mind when I think about why I sometimes keep my mouth shut about the things that bother or worry me. Usually I use the excuse that I don’t want to upset anyone, but does it mean that I’m just too afraid?

The thing is, like I said before, these are my sisters. They are my family here at school. We do everything together; we share secrets, stories, memories, a house, and many other things so I think it’s important that we do bring up the controversial issues even if it can cause a temporary problem. I mean we should be able to over come it, we are sisters, we did make a promise to each other to always be loyal….

The reason this comment hit me the hardest is earlier this month I began to worry about one of my sisters. She was not acing like herself, and frankly I was not the only person who had noticed. A few girls had approached me about talking to her about the concern but I brushed it off, and basically said that she would “come around” and I “wasn’t the right person to bring it up”. Thankfully someone else did and I’m so happy that they did, but during our guest speaker last week I couldn’t help but think what if no one had? At that point I knew I should have spoken up, and since I have decided to make it my goal for the year, to speak up to all of my sisters when it is necessary. I now know that my organization is only as strong as it’s weakest member, and to change and improve my organization and my community we ALL need to learn to use our voice.

Oath....

An oath…

Definitions:

1.     A statement or promise strengthened by such and appeal.

2.     The form of words in which such a statement or promise is made.

Synonyms:

Promise

Pledge

Vow

Word

By looking at these two definitions and these four synonyms the word oath carries a lot of weight and importance.

When I first became a new member of Alpha Gamma Delta and the Greek Community at The Ohio State University the last thing on my mind was the importance of the oath I was about to take. In reality I had never really thought about oaths. I knew that you took one in court, and that the president took one right before he was inducted but why did it matter? How can saying words have that much meaning behind them? I mean I had made promises before but  nothing as intense as an oath…

People take things like promises and vows too lightly. Think about how many get married and recite vows, but then turn around and get divorced, or you make a promise and then break it. Words are so powerful when really think about it. They are the core means of communication, so without feeling and truth behind them what do they mean at all? What is even the purpose of communication at that point? But to get back on topic without meaning and understanding behind an oath there is not point in taking it. Especially when it comes to Greek life, I feel that it is really important to know what your pledging to, so that you know what action are and are not congruent with the vows you are taking.

I think that the meaning of an oath, the importance of it, and the things that it is related to should be stressed more before someone goes to take one. 

Incongruencies...

When I think about my sorority and the values and beliefs that we hold ourselves to be true to its sometimes hard for me to remember that we do not always act the same way that we say we do. This would be considered an incongruency and when you say it like that, it makes me a lot more disappointed in my actions as well as those of my sorority.

Although the actions we are taking are not necessarily hurting anyone it is hurting the image of our community as a whole, something that we all want to change.

“To covet beauty in environment, manner, word and thought…”

This is a phrase from the Alpha Gamma Delta purpose that I believe my sisters and I seem to neglect sometimes.

Obviously we are all in college and that means that we like to party. And if you ask me there is nothing wrong with going out on the weekends and having a good time with your friends. The problem is that if we are going to get crazy and out of control it doesn’t exactly look good for your self image, the image of the sorority, or reflect that particular line of our purpose.

If we are to be congruent with this particular line we need to act, and think like upstanding polite women. This does not mean we cannot have fun, it just means we need to be more careful about the way we act, and what we think is acceptable. We need to watch what we say online and in public forums. By doing this we as a sorority and as a community will be able to better the image that we have.