Educational Leadership Consultants Return to Indianapolis After Successful Semester
After countless chapter visits resulting in lasting friendships and connections, the educational leadership consultants have returned to Indianapolis. Between the 12 ELCs, over 190 chapters and colonies received professional guidance on how to maintain an outstanding chapter.
It is the goal of every ELC to connect with brothers across the country and in doing so, allow each member the best fraternity experience. Whether involved with visitation or the expansion of the Lambda Chi Alpha brotherhood, the ELC serves as the bridge between the international headquarters and each chapter.
Among the returning staff members was first-year ELC, Alex Martens. Hailing from Indianapolis, Martens is a 2016 graduate of the University of Southern Indiana with a huge passion for education, making his role for Lambda Chi Alpha a natural fit.
Martens was tasked with a slightly smaller region, consisting of all schools in Iowa, Nebraska, and some in Missouri. Through his travels, Martens met brothers and found a common theme of philanthropy.
“Throughout the region I had, there was a lot of emphasis on philanthropy, whether it was Teeter-Totter or Pumpkin Bash,” said Martens. “If I was visiting a chapter, getting to see the brothers raise money for Feeding America is an awesome experience and just a lot of fun.”
An ELC’s experience in visitation consists of meeting with current executive committee members from a chapter and exploring ways in which to improve the experience.
While visitation is a large role for an ELC, the real excitement arguably comes from expansion plans. Martens was involved with the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale expansion and describes the atmosphere as electric.
“You get a group of men, who want to make a big difference on their campus and be different from everyone else, so that was awesome,” said Martens.
Along with Martens on the expansion front is senior ELC Chris Pockette. A 2015 University of North Carolina-Charlotte graduate, Pockette did not anticipate a life of brotherhood, but has now passed along his enthusiasm to prospective brothers in places such as Tampa and Wisconsin-La Crosse.
“It’s definitely something I am passionate about,” said Pockette. “You see guys who never really thought about fraternity most of the time and then they just all come together from different backgrounds and there’s nothing there when you start and when you leave, it’s an established group that is functioning and operating.”
Pockette describes the main difference between visitation and expansion as seeing how chapters want to improve versus a push for new members.
“Even if it is a smaller group, each individual guy gets so excited and so pumped [about expansion] and you get to see that develop,” said Pockette.
Through both responsibilities, ELCs can experience and become a part of LCA in new ways, while ultimately giving back to their fraternity.
“I want to make sure other Lambda Chis are having the best experience,” said Martens. “If there is a way I can help them, I think I can do my part in helping out.”
Both Martens and Pockette will tackle new roles as they venture out in the upcoming weeks to their latest regions. Martens will focus solely on visitation with 22 chapters, while Pockette, entering his last semester as an ELC, will be assisting with the expansion efforts in Texas.
Martens and Pockette, along with their fellow ELCs, experienced great success this semester and look forward to an even stronger second semester.
Interested in becoming an Educational Leadership Consultant? Click here to find out more.
