National Ritual Celebration Week!

To wrap NRCW up, here's what our DG rituals mean to two Empower participants!

I feel so blessed to have been one of the few girls to represent Delta Gamma at the EMPOWER retreat this past weekend. It was so amazing to see the shared values between all chapters in the Greek community, no matter what council. After our ritual talk, I realized that when I say the words of Delta Gamma ritual that our past sisters left before me, I sometimes neglect to understand the significance of what I am exactly saying. As a chapter, I believe a majority of us recite Article II and talk about the things expected from us as Delta Gamma women, but we often say the words without realizing that in 1873, three women had no idea what their little group would become. They did not imagine three hundred women in a chapter, social events, and t-shirts with frockets sporting our letters, which often distract us from the real meaning of why we belong to Delta Gamma. This weekend, the participants at EMPOWER were encouraged to remember that our founders left behind a legacy that is now in our hands. The ritual that Eva Webb Dodd, Anna Boyd Ellington, and Mary Comfort Leonard left for us is significant and meaningful to only the amazing women internationally whom we call sisters of Delta Gamma. It is easy to forget that this is what separates us from any other sorority or fraternity. I was reminded this weekend that our ritual and secret knowledge of the words we recite at meeting are what makes us unique and binds us to each other for life. We all bear the name of Delta Gamma, and we will all have that bond for the rest of our lives. 
-Geena Marano

Empower 2013 was a truly amazing experience for me. One thing I learned at Empower is that we are honestly the best chapter on campus, not to be biased. Sitting in my small group and listening to the other PHC members talk about their leaders, and their girls, and their way of doing things, I realized this: there is not one thing I wish to drastically change about our chapter. The leaders we have were picked for a reason, not by popularity, but by the prior leaders who believed in them. I believe that the advisors are the best at what they do, and we have some great leaders and they have shaped this chapter of Delta Gamma. Empower made me realize just how proud I am to be a Delta Gamma. I wear my letters with pride and joy and I will tell the world what sorority I am in.

Being ritual week, the talk that Angela Guillory made, truly made an impact on us all. Coincidentally, rituals week followed this speech… I wonder if they did that on purpose…hmm. Anyway, she challenged each and every one of us to go deeper. As a new member, I do not fully understand the rituals of Delta Gamma, and that may be just young ignorance and the fact that I have never seen it from the other side. One thing I would work on is fully understanding how much our ritual means to us and fully understanding the words Angela spoke. She left with “Close your eyes and think about your founders. If they were to show up right this second on the front door step of your sorority of fraternity house, what would they think?” This got me thinking that I don’t think they would be disappointed in me, but they would probably want me to fully understand what that Article II means, and what “strength, hope, and life” stand for. Empower truly had an impact on me, and I cannot wait to start sharing this in everything I do in the future for Delta Gamma.

-Victoria Chustz

Freshman DG Karah Bergeron shares how she feels ritual is important to Delta Gamma and all Greek organizations!

Empower was an amazing experience! I really learned a lot about Greek Life and was reminded why I wanted to become a Delta Gamma in the first place. Our ritual is really what sets us apart from every other chapter at LSU, and this experience has made me even more excited to dig deeper into it. Through this weekend I came to realize that because our ritual is what sets us apart from every other Greek organization, while keeping us connected to all Delta Gammas. We should strive to live out the values stated in that ritual in our everyday lives. I can honestly say that this experience has made me love Delta Gamma more than I already did, which I didn't even think was possible! 
-Karah Bergeron

Another one of our Empower participants, Emily Guidroz talks on the topic of rituals:

At Empower this weekend, the thought was reinforced to us how special our ritual is. One of the main things I, personally, took away from Empower was the importance of our ritual, which was something I hadn't really thought too much about before. In order to live our ritual as a chapter, I think we should make an effort to know it a little better. Our ritual is important to our chapter because it really is what sets us apart and gives us our fraternity and our own unique connection with one another. Ritual is also so important to the entire Greek system because it is what bonds us all together and makes us different from the hundreds of other clubs and organizations on campus.
-Emily Guidroz

8 Gamma Zeta Freshmen went on a Greek leadership trip this weekend called EMPOWER where they discussed many aspects of Greek Life, including rituals! Here's what Katherine Dugas, one of the sisters on the trip had to say about our rituals:

“I had an awesome experience at EMPOWER this past weekend! I did not want to leave. One thing that was definitely a take away for me was from the ritual speech that we had. It is SO important that we as members of Delta Gamma know our creed and live by it. This is one thing that connects us to those in our sorority. It can bring us together as a group. Something that was mentioned is that everyone down the row has the same kind of events and activities throughout the week that go on, but what sets us a part from all of the other sororities/fraternities is our ritual. I want to actually read The Shield now. I know as new members, we were just kind of going through the motions of everything. Now, is the time to start growing from that, really live our ritual, and know what it really means to be a Delta Gamma.”
 -Katherine Dugas


This week marks the 3rd Annual National Ritual Celebration week started by Phi Mu Fraternity in 2011. Rituals are very important to all Greeks, and mean so much to Delta Gamma. We've asked some GZ Delta Gamma's about what our rituals mean to them. Our first response will be from our very own Director of Rituals:

“National Rituals Week is an incredible reminder about what it means to be a Delta Gamma. When I sat down to think about what it means to be a Delta Gamma and what sets Delta Gamma apart from everyone else, I had a hard time defining what that one thing actually was. It was a question which the answer was so obvious it was hard to answer. But as I really thought about it, I was reminded our ritual is what sets us apart. Delta Gamma as a whole is only as good as its members. To me, the way we live our ritual day to day sets DG apart from everyone else. By setting out to live up to the ideals set by our founders over one hundred years ago, we inherently become better people and better our community. Our ritual is what separates DG from all other teams, social clubs, or organizations. We should be proud to remember it daily."

-Hope Whitsell, Director of Rituals