2023 NGLA Lectorials on C.H.A.N.G.E.

Our Lectorials on C.H.A.N.G.E. program is a series of lectorials focused on Cancel Culture, Hazardous Behavior, Accessibility, Navigating Title IX, Generating Buy-in, and Emotional Intelligence.

A lectorial is a large-scale educational program that:

  • is underpinned by active student-centered learning,
  • utilizes inquiry-based and adult learning as methodologies of teaching and learning, and
  • involves collaborative and interactive activities in place of traditional didactic lectures and tutorials.

The program format is approximately 40 minutes of content, 40 minutes of facilitated breakouts, and 10 minutes for closing. The breakouts will include activities like reflection exercises and peer-to-peer interaction and will be facilitated by professionals.

The Lectorials on C.H.A.N.G.E. are on Saturday, February 25 at 2:15pm ET.

 


 

Cancel Culture | Doing More than “Agree to Disagree”:
Practicing Conflict Communication to Prioritize Productive Relationships

presented by Meghan Grace and Brieanna Criscione

What do you do when “agree to disagree” is simply not a reality? Members of fraternities and sororities have shared organizational values, but it is not realistic that every member will share the same personal values, beliefs, and opinions on issues. Just because we don’t always see eye to eye on an issue doesn’t mean we should shy away from having important conversations. This session will help attendees get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations when we disagree with others. This experiential session will engage attendees in activities to develop and practice conflict communication and civil discourse skills to successfully navigate conversations when tensions are tough and emotions are high. Attendees will learn strategies they can use to engage in difficult conversations, productively use differences in opinions, and prioritize the important relationships between chapter members.

Presenter Biography - Dr. Meghan Grace:

Dr. Meghan Grace is a researcher, consultant, author, and podcast host. Through her work as a consultant with Plaid, LLC., she helps others with their pursuits of being better by creating innovative and thought-provoking learning experiences. Meghan is a leading generational researcher with a current focus on Generation Z. Her other research interests include student life, campus and organizational culture, mental health, and student safety and risk.

As an undergraduate at Chapman University, Meghan became a member of Phi Sigma Sigma, served two terms on Panhellenic executive council, worked both on and off-campus jobs, and was a member of the cheerleading team. Her friends often joked that she majored in "being involved on campus" with a minor in "school spirit," which ultimately led her to pursue her master's in higher education at the University of Arizona and her doctorate in higher education leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University.

Meghan lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, cat (Waffles), and corgi (Sebastian). 

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @meghanmgrace
Instagram: @meghanmgrace and @beingplaid
Twitter: @meghanmgrace
LinkedIn: /meghanmgrace and \plaid-strategies

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Presenter Biography - Brieanna Criscione:

Brieanna is a passionate training and development professional who personally and professionally pursues constant growth and encourages others to do the same. There is always something new to learn and unique ways to learn it. She currently works as a consultant for Plaid focusing on curriculum development and instructional design. She has worked in fraternity and sorority life and higher education for more than seven years through roles as a campus-based professional and member-organization staffer. She remains an active member of her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, as a Critical Conversations Facilitator and attends as many St. Louis Area Alumnae club events as she can. She is a Kentucky native born and raised but has made Saint Louis, MO home since 2015. Her husband and their two fur children love to go on hikes and enjoy the outdoors. When she isn't reading her most recent favorite fantasy novel, this DIY Queen furthers her passion for learning and creating into her hobbies as she renovates her family's home one room at a time.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @buildeverythingcreatively
LinkedIn: /brieanna-criscione

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Hazardous Behavior | Claws, Coke & College: An Honest Conversation
presented by Archie Messersmith-Bunting

 
In every college coming-of-age movie, beer pong, parties, and hangovers are basically a guarantee. For most, the big screen reflects our reality. A majority of students will at least dabble in alcohol use, perhaps even experiment with other drugs. It’s normal, right? While most will not find themselves in a hospital ICU, most of us will know someone who battles alcoholism or addiction. These battles are often fought alone, with many of their friends having difficulty confronting the dark nature of the disease. In this powerful program, Archie will use his own personal journey to show how easily partying turns problematic. Students will learn how to spot warning signs in their peers, ultimately equipping us all to have vulnerable conversations that can help those struggling find a path to recovery.

Presenter Biography:

Archie Messersmith-Bunting, M.S., The Feelings Guy™, is a mental health advocate & educator, consultant, and professional speaker who helps people discover how leading with their feelings can improve their quality of life and save the lives of those they come in contact with. Archie was a successful musical theater performer in New York City before IV drug use and clinical depression destroyed his childhood dream and led him to a place where he believed suicide was his only answer. After battling back from the jaws of addiction, Archie now uses his voice to remind others that we are all more than "just" the wreckage of our past. He teaches that individual moments and decisions in our life do not define us, but they can help design us. Archie has been featured on numerous NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates, on dozens of podcasts, and is the host of the mental health focused (and fabulous) podcast “What a Feeling!" He holds certifications from the National Council on Mental Wellbeing and received his master’s degree from Illinois State University. Archie lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with his husband and their adorable son, Kade.

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @archie.messbunt 
Instagram: @archie.cares 
LinkedIn: /archiemessbunt 

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Accessibility | Code Switching: Why You Talkin' White?
presented by Chris Molina

 

"“Why you talkin' white?”

Chris Molina has heard this question, or some variation, many times in his life. 

Of Puerto Rican and Trinidadian descent, Chris grew up in a predominantly African American and Latinx community, comfortably interacting in each. What he found as an adult, in the Marines and in college, was that he knew how to effortlessly “speak” in majority-White organizations. He was fluent in each without even realizing it.

He could code switch seamlessly.

This signature program is designed to equip students of color and white classmates, staff, and faculty with the tools to understand code switching, its inherent benefits and harms. More than anything, Chris wants attendees to know they can talk openly and genuinely in all social situations without putting the comfort of others before their own.

He wants you to live authentically. 

He wants you to let other people live authentically.

Presenter Biography:

Chris Molina is a two-time award winning speaker, an Amazon best-selling author, a United States Marine Corps veteran (serving 7 years on active duty), a Purdue University alum, and a filmmaker.

More than anything, Chris is a father (#GirlDad), a husband, a son, a brother, and an East Chicago, Indiana native.

In Chris's spare time (when he's not reading about leadership or code switching) he likes to watch Marvel Cinematic Universe shows, follow mixed martial arts, play video games, and he has WAY too many Magic: The Gathering cards in his house.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @sgt.molina

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Navigating Title IX | From Victim to Survivor
presented by Kimberly Corban

 

Under a cover of darkness, he stalked and broke into his college victim’s apartment in the early morning hours. When he came upon the 20-year-old woman asleep in her bed, he covered her face and attacked.

But he never imagined he had just awakened a survivor…

Join crime victim advocate Kimberly Corban as she details her sexual assault by a stranger and the harrowing journey to pursue justice that followed.

The criminal justice system and university collaborations that brought this highly publicized case to a successful conclusion lay the foundation for an in-depth discussion on how we can best support victims of sexual violence. Kimberly offers inspiration and tangible ways to advocate for and respond specifically to college students. We can fight together for positive change.

Presenter Biography:

Kimberly Corban grew up in Greeley, Colorado and still has the pleasure of calling the Rocky Mountain state home. In May of 2006, Kimberly’s life was irrevocably changed when a stranger broke into her college-area apartment, held her there for two hours, and raped her. She immediately reported the crime to authorities and served as the key witness in her attacker’s trial, successfully garnering a sexual assault conviction.

A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in psychology and M.A. in criminal justice, Kimberly is a certified crime victim advocate having worked for both the Greeley Police Department and the Weld County District Attorney's Office. Her expertise in trauma-informed media coverage led to the creation of her consulting agency. Her work advocates for consent-based coverage of crime survivors and their families.

Kimberly has been featured on many major news networks including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. She often lends her voice to syndicated radio programs and print media including The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Elle Magazine, MSN.com, and The New York Times, among many other online publications. Today, she has followed her life's passion and tours the country speaking to campuses and organizations about sexual assault education and victim advocacy. Her recent TED Talk “How My Sexual Assault Was Hijacked by Politicians and Lobbies” has received high praise and sparked both timely and timeless conversations about survivors of abuse.

A mother to four young children, Kimberly stays plenty active and has no shame in singing Disney songs at full volume with her kids. Her husband Michael is as fiercely supportive as he is quick to roll his eyes at her “punny” sense of humor. Kimberly is an Alpha Phi sister, hates running yet does it anyway, loves all things that have to do with llamas, is a serious movie quoting buff, and is not very sarcastic.

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @kimberlycorbansurvivor
Instagram: @kimberly_corban
LinkedIn: /kimberlycorban

Generating Buy-in | Buy-In is Fake - Creating a Culture of Belonging is Real: How to Navigate Calling in Your Membership
presented by Jamie Devin Wilson

 
Are you looking to create buy-in for your chapter/council/community members and feel like you are consistently hitting a wall? Are you looking for strategies and thought-provoking conversations on why creating buy-in does not work? Have you thought about shifting your focus on organizational management theories to promote a culture of belonging and care? This program will engage participants in a conversation on situational leadership, servant leadership, and organizational leadership. It will help shift the focus from the members who complain and are not engaged to a focus on the members who ARE. It will help create a mindset that, as leaders, you were not selected to lead a group that didn't buy in but to lead a group that already does; how we show up matters, and where we choose to put our energy matters. As leaders in the Fraternity and Sorority Life movement, you matter, and it's time to shift our perspectives and create buy-in through belonging.

Presenter Biography:

Jamie is on a mission to end sexual violence, educate others on active bystander intervention, and uplift the fraternity and sorority life experience. She cares deeply for the development and growth of not just college students but young professionals in the field of higher education.

She is a wife, sister, sorority woman, and student affairs professional in higher education. She enjoys coffee, yoga, REALLY long walks, and watching old episodes of Gossip Girl and Greek. Did we mention she is a sorority woman?!

Jamie has been working with college students for over 12 years in a variety of roles including working for an inter/national sorority, on college campuses, and through facilitating and speaking.

Jamie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a minor in Leadership from the University of Rhode Island. After graduating she spent some time working in sales and for a social media marketing company. Shortly after, she worked for her inter/national organization in a variety of roles as a consultant, membership manager, and house director. After that, Jamie went to Northeastern University for her Master’s in College Student Development and Counseling, and for the past six years she has been working at the University of New Hampshire overseeing the Fraternity and Sorority Life community.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @jamiedevin
TikTok: @jamiedevinwilson
Website: www.jamiedevinwilson.com

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Emotional Intelligence | Enough Already! Understanding the Impact of Unrecognized Organizational Trauma
presented by Tara Fuller

 
If individuals can experience trauma, organizations can too. And trauma lingers. Behaviors employed to survive trauma can persist beyond their effectiveness. These behaviors can evolve into dysfunction and profoundly impact chapters, the greater community, and the industry. Through this session, participants will learn about concepts of organizational trauma, recognize how it impacts our community, and identify tools to better address harm. Grounded in research and geared toward action, this will be a vulnerable conversation about how to address organizational trauma.

Presenter Biography:

Tara is an educator, speaker, and consultant focusing on equity, inclusion, and belonging, organizational development, and personal reflection and growth. Tara spent over twelve years working full-time in fraternity and sorority life on four different campuses. Tara is a strategic thinker and appreciates a robust brainstorm that leads to innovative ideas. She believes perspective-taking, curiosity, and language adjustments are fundamental to creating organizational and community change. She continues to volunteer as a board member with the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors and with her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi.  

Tara holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Rider University in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, and a bachelor’s degree in Individual Studies from University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @taramichgrams
LinkedIn: /taramfuller

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