Rural Retreat Develops Leaders
by Lance Lochner, Sigma Deuteron ’09 (Wisconsin)
On the weekend of January 5th-7th, I had the great opportunity of attending Futures Quest in the backwoods of central Indiana. Geared toward first year fraternity men, it is a leadership retreat put on by the NIC. Here is a little background information on Futures Quest and the NIC.
Futures Quest is hosted by the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and takes place each winter in the wilderness of Indiana. This program grows more popular each year as fraternal organizations become aware of it. Futures Quest is one of several programs put on by the NIC annually. It is geared toward the new members of fraternity life, those who have joined within the last year.
Futures Quest’s mission is to educate the future of leaders of fraternities from across the nation with the current problems the fraternal world faces. Futures Quest focuses in on values of each individual and the importance they play in fraternity life. It gets participants to look at the side of their fraternity that many rarely looked at, the one that doesn’t involve all the partying.
I came into Futures Quest not knowing what to expect. It is a program that no one from my Charge has ever attended. One of the first things I noticed as I arrived was that there were a lot of Beta’s, as Beta Theta Pi Fraternity is commonly known. The weekend’s program quickly became nicknamed Beta Quest as the Beta Theta Pi fraternity sent a member from each one of their chapters from across the country. As we got immersed in activities, fraternity lines were quickly thrown out the window. Many of us came in expecting the same stupid leadership games we played during Junior High, but it was actually quite different and surprisingly, fun. Activities ranged from rock climbing to small mentor group meetings, all aimed at finding one’s inner self and exploiting its strengths.
One specific point became apparent as the weekend progressed. We are all leaders. A leader is anyone who is able to effect positive change for the betterment of the group. Not being the chapter president or recruitment chair does not mean you are not a leader. Leadership involves the shared values of the people that work together everyday toward the common goal of a better future for the fraternity. You share certain values with every man in your chapter, even if you find it hard to believe. Just being a Theta Delt is one value that we all have in common.
As the weekend came to a close, everyone began to see a bond being formed. I viewed these 60 men from different cultures, fraternities, and regions as brothers, even if we weren’t members of the same fraternity. We were a close-knit brotherhood, ready to return to our chapters and make a difference. We all had a common goal to leave our chapter in a better state than when we arrived. Even though college life is only four years (for most), being part of Theta Delta Chi will last a lifetime.
Futures Quest was an experience like no other. I would like to thank the Educational Foundation, which underwrote my expenses, for giving me the great opportunity to attend, and hope many more will follow in my footsteps next winter. Also, the NIC offers many other programs. One is the Undergraduate Inter-Fraternity Institute, which will be taking place at various times and locations this summer. If it is anything like Futures Quest, it will be well worth attending.
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