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Theta Theta Hosts SEDC 2019 by Atia Aroonsakulwongse Theta Theta - ΚΚΨ University of Alabama at Birmingham
I
f you were to tell me that Theta Theta would be hosting SEDC 2019 two years ago, I would have laughed and never believed you.
Prior to hosting SEDC, we were never really involved in the district level. We attended district events and had some contact with other chapters in our district. Other than that, that’s all we did. At SEDC 2018 in Charleston, SC, Birmingham, AL was selected as the host site for SEDC 2019, the Brothers of Theta Theta that attended SEDC with me looked at each other in shock. We were extremely timid to host this convention. We avoided having this conversation until the following school year. As president, one of my goals was to encourage the chapter to participate in more district activities. We started the school year participating in district programs and began reaching out to more chapters around our state. When the SEDC host chapter applications were released, we sat down in a classroom
28 - Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma
and talked about it. We wanted to do it because our university was really close to the convention site. However, the biggest concern we had was that we might not have enough Brothers and Sisters to help. Then we thought about our membership candidate class from both organizations and that thought helped ease that concern. After serious consideration, the chapter decided to vote on submitting an application to host SEDC. I talked to our Tau Beta Sigma chapter (Eta Lambda) and they agreed to submit an application as well. I was taking an exam when an email was sent to me that the Theta Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Eta Lambda Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma were selected as host chapters for SEDC 2019. We were all excited and a little scared, but mostly excited. If anyone tells you that hosting a convention where roughly 700 Brothers and Sisters will be attending is easy, don’t believe them. Hosting this convention was no walk in the park, but it wasn’t as
bad as our chapter anticipated. There were days where we were stressed out of our minds, but it was completing those stressful tasks that bought our chapter closer to each other. The time spent we spend together preparing for the convention bought the Brothers of our chapter closer to each other. The conflicts we had were resolved quickly because how efficiently the Brothers and Sisters worked. The event strengthened our bond with our TBS chapter as well, which has been something both chapters have been working on for years. This experience has taught Theta Theta many lessons. Some of the lessons include to stay organized, always plan ahead, communication is key and that anything is possible with a little hard work and passion. Hosting SEDC 2019 was a rewarding experience for everyone. In the past, we would have to explain where we are from. Now, everyone in the Southeast District of Kappa Kappa Psi knows Theta Theta and Eta Lambda, and that’s what makes hosting SEDC worth every second.
