Though the EMPOWER retreat will not happen for two weeks, Greek officials are busy making important changes in an effort to improve the retreat’s effectiveness.
Starting this year, retreat participants will not just identify problems within their organizations — they will develop plans of action.
EMPOWER is meant to gather members of fraternities and sororities to discuss issues in the Greek community, Felts said.
These issues may include the values of the Greek system, the sense of community among its members and the need for positive change, said Victor Felts, assistant dean of students.
Fraternities and sororities will decide which issues they must address and implement a plan to solve their problems, he added.
To ensure accountability, Felts said, EMPOWER participants will meet a month after the retreat at an “EMPOWER reunion” to assess progress.
Since last year’s retreat, EMPOWER recruitment efforts have focused on younger members of the Greek community, specifically those who have joined their organization within the past year.
“We want to equip them to be effective leaders,” Felts said.
Before last year, most of the participants were juniors and seniors who did not have much time left at the University to use what they learned at the retreat.
EMPOWER consists of team-building activities to build trust among participants, which is imperative for the group discussions, Felts said.
This year, Felts and Student Coordinator Robin Penzato chose 117 students and 19 facilitators — older members who lead discussions — to attend EMPOWER.
This is the first year Greek Affairs has worked with a student coordinator.
Katie Pflug, a biological sciences sophomore and a member of Chi Omega sorority, attended the retreat last year and is a facilitator this year.
She said she enjoyed meeting other students who are eager for positive change.
“We were all there for the same purpose,” Pflug said. “It was just a great way to meet different people and make connections I wouldn’t have been able to make otherwise.”
Felts estimated that 90 percent of the 200 applicants were freshmen.
Penzato said she hopes the younger members will bring more to the retreat.
“The new members are ambitious, with fresh ideas,” Penzato said.
The facilitators must complete training sessions prior to the retreat, Penzato said.
Felts said the small group discussions are especially beneficial to participants.
“They really open up and see that they can make a difference,” Felts said.
Every fraternity and sorority sends at least one person on the retreat, Felts said. This is not required, but the organizations whose members do attend receive points for the event on their end-of-the-year assessments.