Award ceremonies are meant to reward the cream of the crop, the very best of the best in any category. For singers, there are the Grammys. For actors, there are the Oscars and the Emmys. For Florida State Panhellenic women, there are the Pursuit of Excellence Awards, a ceremonial banquet that takes place in April before the end of every school year. These awards reflect all of the hard work and dedication that all the Panhellenic executive boards put in throughout the year.
This year, Phi Mu took home a wide array of awards, including the illustrious Chapter of the Year trophy. Among other things, this trophy represents the immense amount of work the Phi Mu executive board put in to run their chapter. I sat down with 2022-2023 Phi Mu President, Madison Swain, to ask her advice on achieving the ultimate Panhellenic goal.
Her Campus (HC): First of all, congratulations on your big win! How does it feel to not only win Chapter of the Year but also be inducted into the Greek Hall of Fame and win President of the Year?
Madison Swain (MS): Thank you! I feel so incredibly honored to have been able to accept all of these awards. They’re a testament to all the hard work and dedication of everyone in our chapter, and I’m so lucky to be a part of something so special. These achievements symbolize the efforts of our members, advisors, and all of our supporters locally and nationally.
HC: What did it take for Phi Mu to win Chapter of the Year? What was the hardest obstacle to overcome?
MS: Winning chapter of the year took a combination of factors, including strong leadership, philanthropic efforts, community service, active involvement in campus activities, member development, academic excellence, and commitment to an inclusive sisterhood.
One of the hardest obstacles to overcome over the course of our term was balancing life, school, and being active in a sorority. As FSU students, our first priority is gaining an education. But for those holding executive board and cabinet positions, sometimes you can feel overwhelmed with your position acting as a full-time job. For me specifically, as Chapter President, I did feel at times that my role was a full-time job. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world, as I was able to grow exponentially during my time as president.
HC: What made you and your exec board decide to go after Chapter of the Year?
MS: At our first executive board meeting, we created a list of goals that we wanted to accomplish. Goal number five was winning Chapter of the Year, and we had tangible steps listed on how we were going to accomplish that. Ultimately, we wanted to commit ourselves to being the best leaders we could be and the application process for Chapter of the Year was the motivation that we needed. By committing ourselves to excellence, we were able to do a lot of self-reflection and strive for continuous growth within our chapter and our community.
HC: Why do you think Panhellenic has a Chapter of the Year? How does it encourage the different chapters to strive to be the best they can be?
MS: I think that the Panhellenic Chapter of the Year is meant to recognize the accomplishments and hard work put into each of our chapters every year. The idea of winning Chapter of the Year motivates chapters to set high standards for themselves and strive for excellence in all aspects of chapter operations. The Greek community can learn from each other and collectively raise the bar for the entirety of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) at FSU. It’s so validating to know that striving for excellence can lead to positive changes and improvements, creating a progressive future for FSL.
HC: What is your advice to future executive boards trying to win the Chapter of the Year award?
MS: My advice for future executive boards is to lean on one another and revisit your goals often. Leaning on FSL staff and having my chapter advisors in my corner is what I feel profoundly influenced my presidency. Reminding myself that, at the end of the day, nothing is that serious, and that we’re all students just trying to have fun in a sorority gave me a reality check that I needed at times.
As a leader, the lasting impact you leave is often defined by how you make others feel. Encouraging the leaders around me to strive for nothing less than greatness was what I felt catalyzed positive change within my chapter. Ultimately, I firmly believe that every chapter holds the potential to attain Chapter of the Year status due to the exceptional Greek community we’re a part of.
In addition to Chapter of the Year, Phi Mu took home the Panhellenic APEX: Distinction in Operational Excellence Award, Commitment to Service Award, Chapter President of the Year, Chapter Advisor of the Year, and Greek Hall of Fame for Madison Swain. Congratulations to Phi Mu for all of their outstanding accomplishments!
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