osl  /  leadership  /  2007 conference schedule

Session I - 11:00AM-12:00PM

Marketing U
Iowa Room
Jaime Benson

Marketing U will cover a variety of ways to help you position yourself with employers through “marketing” your “personal brand” so employers choose you over competing “brands.” Also, learn how to market yourself on the internet through eliminating your “digital dirt” and increasing your online presence in a way that will impress employers.

Key to the Kingdom
Penn State Room
E.K. Kriengkraipetch, Michael Reinholdt

This session describes the concept of Kingdomality, a method of identifying, organizing and managing different groups of people. This session will break down the different types of people there are and teach participants how to make their organization work and function more effectively by encouraging people to perform at their fullest potential. The concept of Kingdomality uses medieval characters to relate people’s roles in organizations to the real world.

It’s retreat time! Learn how to conduct an effective retreat
Northwestern Room
Tyler Keoppel, Kaitlyn Moore,Kristi Finger

Are you struggling on how to have an effective retreat for your organization? Come learn what to do, how to do it, and find out some of the best ways to build relationships among your team members!

Hello Quorum! Introducing parliamentary procedure in your organization
Ohio State Room
James Ehrmann, Corey King

Do you know what to do when a member of your organization proposes a bylaw change? Wanna know what quorum is? Are you looking for more control of your organization during meetings? Parliamentary procedure provides the solution to all of these problems. Come learn the bare basics of Robert’s Rules of Order that you can easily begin applying to your organization. Learn how to make your organization’s meetings more professional and effective.

Overcoming the challenges of group diversity
Minnesota Room
Patrick Akers, Benjamin Kent

Professional groups form for different reasons and have distinctive goals, but almost all of these groups bring together people with different experiences and visions from different backgrounds. By recognizing the various personalities of its members and the obstacles of bringing them together, a leader will be able to effectively manage and lead their organization to great heights. Captain Benjamin Kent (U.S. Air Force) and Cadet Patrick Akers (U of I student and AFROTC) will lead an open discussion and bringing together members of an organization using the military as a case study.

Making a mark: Effective branding in student organizations
Michigan Room
Sara Scallon

So you know what your organization stands for, why doesn’t the rest of campus? By creating a brand strategy for your student organization you can define how students identify your organization as well as creating a consistent message for the masses. This session will outline the basic aspects of branding as well as allowing students to put these skills into action.

Session II - 1:45PM-2:45PM

The tricks of building trust: Opening Harry Potter’s chamber of secrets
Iowa Room
Tess Feldman, Patrick Rossmann, Lauren Adams

Want to know the secret to leading a successful organization? Take a lesson from Hogwarts and learn the magic of how to build trust in your organization. First explore the role trust plays in your group. Then uncover your personal leadership tendencies and understand the alternative approaches. Finally, learn the “Dumble-dos and Dumble-don’ts” of establishing trust. Our spell-binding tricks will transform you into a trusting wizard.

How hegemony influences our concepts of leadership
Penn State Room
Luventa Hill

Hegemony is predominant influence of one group over another with the group in the minority consenting to the dominance of the group in the majority. Hegemonic ideologies concerning leadership roles and who may obtain them are current in American society. There are individuals who challenge these roles and have obtained leadership roles which may not have been available to them in past years. This session will address hegemony and mainstream media and how they affect current ideas of the role of leadership.

Sorostitutes and Frat Boys: How our actions reinforce the stereotypes
Northwestern Room
Virginia Witherspoon, Angie Bong

Participants will discuss gender roles in the fraternity and sorority community with each other. We will view movie clips and discuss how the images apply (if at all) to our campus. Short news and magazine articles will also be distributed. We will begin by describing, as a group, characteristics of sorority women and fraternity men at the University of Iowa. We will discuss how our traditions such as skits, social events, and philanthropic events reflect the gender roles in our community. This session is not just directed towards female participants and does not place the blame for the inequity in our community on men. Gender stereotyping of men and the relationships between sororities and fraternities will also be discussed.

Using the web to organize and promote your student organization
Ohio State Room
Andrew Stone

Leaders are often challeneged with coming up with unique and effective ways to manage and promote their organization. The Internet provides a vast array of tools to help.With the proper knowledge these tools can be used to build your organization into something great. Learn the ins and outs of listserv email lists, online calendars, organizational websites, Facebook and MySpace promotions and more.

Social justice and leadership: What can you do?
Minnesota Room
Katie Wilson, Jennifer Delgado

During the first half of the session, students will learn about the meaning of social justice. Then, students will break out into small groups to work on case studies involving social justice issues, after which we will come together as a large group and discuss the cases. Finally, we will brainstorm how to enact social justice on the University of Iowa campus.

Team Foundation: Coping with Difficult People
Michigan Room
E.K. Kriengkraipetch

Any of these folks sound familiar to you: the liar, the backstabber, the blamer, or the politician? They are a part of the “dirty dozen”… the 12 personality types are the organization’s S.O.P.s – sources of pain! Come learn why they behave the way they do, how they bring down the team’s attitude, and get some suggestions/strategy for dealing with them. It will make your life much more pleasant and move your team forward!

Session III - 3:00PM-4:00PM

Sustainability: Maintaining a happy organization
Iowa Room
Shannon Boshart, Allison Wall

Do you find it hard for your organization to hit the ground running at the start of the year? Do you struggle with consistent meeting attendance? Or do you simply feel like you might always be harping on people to complete tasks? Maintaining a happy morale in your student organization is one of the most important things you can do as a leader. It keeps members active and encourages them to return the following year. We will help you create an action plan to motivate your organization and we will discuss particular boundaries that prevent most organizations from being fully functional.

Graphic Design 101
Penn State Room
Sarah Lenger

President Gumby? When leaders are spread too thin
Northwestern Room
James Ehrmann, Lena Hann

Ever notice how the President of your organization is also the treasurer of another club? Multiple leadership roles are common (and often encouraged for résumés), but are they also harmful to organizations? Come see how over-involved students may be harming organizations and themselves. We will also discuss ways in which more students, otherwise intimidated by cross-organization leaders, can be encouraged to get involved.

Building a model for leadership
Ohio State Room
Mark Norris, Anne Lingwall, Kelley Ashby

The Relational Leadership Model is a way of approaching leadership from its most important piece: relationships! We will explore the model by means of a brief introduction to each of the five pieces, a group activity to see the pieces work together, and finally a group discussion to fill in the missing pieces. Come learn why and how paying attention to your relationships is essential in effective leadership.

How’s your complexion? Addressing the Facebook dilemma
Minnesota Room
Kelly Johnson, Jon Sexton

How often do we run into questionable material on websites such as Facebook? Would you vote for someone if their online interests were listed as Rum, Getting Crunked, and Thirsty Thursdays? Do you ever wonder if your online habits may cause others to question your reputation as a leader? This session will help participants think critically about their personal online representation and how that may impact their professional reputation or access to future opportunities.

Communicating wisely: Emotional intelligence and your communication style
Michigan Room
Kristymarie Flores, Jessica Ahumada, Gabriela Reyes

You’ve often heard the term “conflict management,” but can you really manage conflict or just work with it? This session will help develop your communication skills when working in conflict with another person. Not only will you become more aware of your communication style, but you will also enhance your empathetic listening skills. You will also further develop your self-regulation skills, working to manage your internal impulses when you’re in tense situations such as conflict.