A lETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
If you know me, you know how much I love this organization. You’ve heard me sing its praises while maintaining a healthy dose of critical observation because there’s always room for improvement. Maybe it’s the feeling of starting off a Saturday with an early morning lake clean up or visit to the animal shelter. Maybe it’s being absolutely rejuvenated by our passionate, diverse membership every Tuesday from 8-9 PM. Maybe it’s the excitement of watching each new Peep Class select a philanthropy to partner with and make real, productive contributions to the cause of their collective choice. Whatever the stimulus may be, I find myself grateful for the opportunities I’ve had within this organization, and despite an overwhelming eagerness to graduate, I find myself uncharacteristically sentimental about leaving the 40 acres and saying goodbye to a group of people I’ve come to love.
It’s nearly impossible to live in Austin and claim ignorance to the numerous communities in need, but it’s quite possible and even probable to acknowledge that need and carry on under a false sense of helplessness. Within Chi Kappa Phi, our desire to serve is driven by both pragmatic social responsibility and, arguably more importantly, genuine compassion. And an atmosphere of concern and responsibility is only fostered by diverse membership from Chickadees pursuing a career within policy making to tackle structural inequalities, to tree hugging Chickadees studying sustainability and energy politics, to socially conscious Chickadees with broad passions aspiring to be doctors or engineers or investment bankers. Regardless of where they’ve come from or where they’re going, our members care and commit to improving our community. And there is no doubt that they will take what they’ve learned from this wacky city and enact real, positive change wherever life takes them.
So when you’re traipsing through campus, keep an eye out for our lace, white bows and bow ties with a delicate Chickadee charm hanging off one of the wings. We’ll be the folks tabling, fundraising, and raising awareness for a slew of philanthropies in the Austin area. We’ll be hosting Bunny Edu Day, celebrating National Volunteering Day, and making sure campus is as excited as we are for our Theta Class’s Peep Project next spring. We’ll be the ones reminding you to acknowledge and say hello to some of the homeless population on Guadalupe and take your refillable travel mugs to Lucky Lab. So if you see us, come say hi and ask about our initiatives because we’d love to share our lifelong dedication to service with anyone and everyone.
FLY,
Shruthi Avantsa