#ZTA Notes

[neshabeingchildish]

YASSSS, YOU'RE AROUND!

Okay. So. I was thinking that one of two things happens. Either Max and Charlotte start having kids some time before ever being married and their older kids are older than Zenry's, but the younger ones are closer in age (because their kids are spaced out).

Or. They wind up married sooner, because Max just strikes me as the type, even not being together as long as Zenry, with both Henry and Zack wondering why on Earth they'd get married so dang quickly (even if its 2 or 3 years after they got together, because how could they possibly be ready for that).

BUT. I actually enjoy the idea of (and I know there's no bride/groom dynamic, but) the idea of being at the Zenry wedding for the bouquet/garter tossing (it'd be whatever substitute. Idk, flower crowns and corsages or something), and Max giving them a little telekinesis boost so that they catch them. In which Max and Charlotte technically would get married after them, and likely start kids super soon.

OMG. If the Hartin kids are later enough in the Thunderbolt "timeline," they may fall closer to the hell twins. Which would be an even more disastrous dynamic, because the twins are very: "Which one is the good twin?" "There isn't one."

Max calls them his payback for his villain era (not to them), and they're fascinated by how disalike Max abd Phoebe are because they are "virtually interchangeable" and purposefully never tell people which one either of them are because they don't ever want anyone to treat their twin differently. The only times when most people can tell them apart is if they've activated their powers, but then again, nobody knows which one has ice and which one has fire. 😅

I'm trying to imagine them older than Izzy, and that's kinda hard. I feel like I've been imagining her older than them. Let me workshop some notes and numbers and see if I can do something. Lol.

listen...fucking......max freaking thunderman in the hartin universe do you KNOW what you’ve done?? what beast you’ve unleashed??? especially with the prospect of thunderbolt there as well...NIKKI. i swear to god. okay but consider max immediately bonding with izzy and felix and being the “cool uncle” figure who teaches them pranks and pulls them out of school to go ride rollercoasters and like.....he still has this rivalry with henry though obv it’s past the point of actual antagonism and it’s just fun teasing but izzy making jokes about how “villain redemption arcs are cooler” and henry just lamenting like “THEY THINK HES COOLER THAN ME” and i know i already said this but like...felix feeling vaguely intimidated by max until max drags him to his lab and shows him a bunch of cool science experiments.......max taking them on rides with his jetpack......him and char helping them with their science fair projects....max showing them how to hack their video games to open up new stuff or designing games for them....just....okay i’m done

GOOD!!! YOU BETTER GIVE ME EVERY IDEA YOU HAVE OR I’LL CONSIDER OUR FRIENDSHIP TERMINATED 😤 (you know that isn’t true in the slightest but alsdkj) 

“who teaches them pranks” Mana, I know you did not just disrespect Zachary Martin in my inbox. You really think pranks wouldn’t be the first thing he’s teaching his kids??? Please. 

But, I raise you Max and Zack getting Izzy and Felix involved in prank wars and Henry has to stress about the house being leveled/destroyed. Also, the two of them having a friendship where they lovingly gang up on Henry, and like. Zack’s just offended that Max didn’t also come collect him from work to go on the roller coaster adventure sldkjf

[jaeyunluvbot]

soft spot

synopsis .ᐟ your sorority's exec board meetings always happen at the campus starbucks, so it’s hard not to notice the cute barista who keeps sneaking glances your way. falling for him was definitely not something you included in your five year plan, but who are you to deny fate?

pairing .ᐟ jake sim x fem!reader

genre .ᐟ college au, barista au, strangers to lovers, humor, fluff, downbad!jake

warnings .ᐟ swearing, suggestive language, alcohol consumption, maybe like a little bit of angst but idk, slight adult themes?

status .ᐟ ongoing

taglist .ᐟ open, send an ask or comment to be added

notes .ᐟ ok guys ik yall are tired of me starting SMAUs and not finishing them but trust this time i will finish it, i'm not gonna post this until i have a few chapters written at least, and i'll try to get one or two chapters done a week, so hopefully i will be successful. also i love keshi and frank ocean so expect many references to them in this fic :p

CHAPTERS .ᐟ

profiles zta main slayers 💌, bad girls club 💋, floor 07

001 freaky ass barista

002 #needthat

003 madame president

004 semi-formal

005 reconnect with nature

006 i'm pissed

007 count ur days

008 frank ocean

009 geeked asf

010 wear a non ugly outfit

[newtechworld]

ACEMAGIC S1 Mini PC: Display LCD, Dual LAN, Intel Alder Lake-N97, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - Recensione e Specifiche

Esplorando le Potenzialità dell'ACEMAGIC S1: Un Mini PC Innovativo per Casa e Ufficio

Introduzione: L'ACEMAGIC S1 è più di un semplice Mini PC: è una rivoluzione nel mondo della produttività e dell'intrattenimento digitale. Con una combinazione di caratteristiche all'avanguardia, tra cui un display LCD integrato, doppia LAN, e il potente processore Intel Alder Lake-N97, questo Mini PC offre prestazioni straordinarie in un formato compatto e elegante. In questo articolo, esamineremo da vicino le specifiche tecniche e le funzionalità che rendono l'ACEMAGIC S1 un'opzione ideale per le esigenze di casa e ufficio.

Caratteristiche Principali:

Display LCD Personalizzato: Il display LCD integrato sul ACEMAGIC S1 non solo fornisce informazioni utili come lo stato di funzionamento e l'ora, ma offre anche la possibilità di personalizzare lo sfondo secondo le preferenze dell'utente.

Potente Processore Intel Alder Lake-N97: Con il processore di 12a generazione Intel Alder Lake-N97, con velocità fino a 3,6GHz e un TDP di 12W, l'S1 offre prestazioni superiori del 48% rispetto ai suoi predecessori, garantendo una fluidità senza precedenti nelle attività quotidiane.

Ampia Memoria e Archiviazione: Dotato di 16GB di RAM DDR4 e un SSD M.2 da 512GB, l'ACEMAGIC S1 offre ampio spazio per multitasking senza interruzioni e un rapido accesso ai dati.

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Design Compatto e Funzionale: Con dimensioni di soli 12,412,84 cm e un peso di 0,38 kg, l'ACEMAGIC S1 si adatta facilmente a qualsiasi spazio sulla scrivania, offrendo un'esperienza di utilizzo senza ingombri.

Conclusioni: In conclusione, l'ACEMAGIC S1 è un Mini PC all'avanguardia che unisce prestazioni elevate, design elegante e funzionalità avanzate in un unico dispositivo. Con la sua versatilità e le sue capacità potenziate, è la scelta ideale per coloro che cercano un potente sistema informatico per soddisfare le loro esigenze di lavoro e intrattenimento.

Acquista il mini pc tramite il nostro link di affiliazione amazon e supporta il nostro lavoro.

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[ztafraternity]

Assess your privilege. Be an ally.

By Suzanna Johnson, Province President, Inclusion Committee Member (Beta Psi alumna)

First and foremost – this post is specifically about how to be an ally to our black sisters. Many of the suggestions and ideas in this article can and should be applied to allyship for ANY marginalized group. But before someone responds to my thoughts and position that as an organization, we need not be afraid to say #BlackLivesMatter, with an “All Lives Matter” response, please know we are specifically discussing allyship to the black community. Yes, it goes without saying that all lives matter, but right now, in this time, our black sisters need the floor and the support (#sorrynotsorry). I recognize that for many, this topic and these conversations are difficult, but because our organization desires to continue to “enrich and ennoble our lives,” these words must be shared. 

*This article is based on my opinions and my research and is not comprehensive of all opinions within the entire black community. If you’re ever unsure about what more you can do, don’t be afraid to ask or have the conversation with communities you’re looking to serve as an ally.*

What is happening right now?

Racial injustice and police brutality, which stem from a history riddled with systemic, structural, institutional and individual racism and white supremacy, plague this country. Why should Zetas care? Well, as a fellow sister once said in her blog, Cultures are not costumes and why Zetas should care, “caring for others is the foundation that our sisterhood is built on.”

Pictured: #SayTheirNames: This graphic displays a portion of the people of color who have died as a direct result of police brutality since 2014. (source)

Yes, historically, like many other predominantly white organizations, our sisterhood and organization did not welcome black women and other women of color when it was founded. But, our sisterhood and organization has changed since 1898. And I’m proud of the steps, however small, because but for those steps, I wouldn’t be a member; I wouldn’t be an advisor; I wouldn’t now be one of the first black National Officers for our organization. 

I hope that Maud, Della, Mary, Ethel, Helen, Frances, Ruby and the Alices would be proud of the progress we’ve made as an organization. I hope that they would look at our membership of over 275,000 women strong and beam with excitement at the diversity we’ve achieved thus far and push us to continue to do better—to make the stand that #BlackLivesMatter. So, while we historically were an organization built by and for a single race, my friends, “times they are a changin’,” and as Zetas we owe it to ourselves and our organization to evolve.  

I realize you may have questions about how to be a good ally. I’ll answer a few key questions in each of the following sections.

What key terms should you know?

So, let’s learn some key words/terms you’ve probably heard but never had broken down for you (at least not like this).

What is individual racism?

This is most easily explained as the default definition when you think of “racism.” It is the individual beliefs or behaviors and racist assumptions, which are often reinforced by structural racism (see below). Examples are often seen in the form of racist jokes or comments that someone believes in the inherent superiority of white people over all people of color (source) —which leads us to….

What is white supremacy?

If you’re like me, graphics are always easier to process, so here’s the best way I can explain it, with some help from the experts. The graphic addresses white supremacy through the lens of social norms. Note that all examples in the graphic fall under the category of white supremacy and are unacceptable practices. 

(image source)

What is systemic/structural/institutional racism? 

These are policies and practices in established institutions resulting in the exclusion of designated groups. (source) 

What does this mean?!?

Well, in layman's terms, it means that as a result of U.S. history and continued ideologies, your black sisters are set up (unless something changes), to be forever marginalized as a group within society.

Don’t believe me?

Here are the facts:

The black unemployment rate is twice that of whites. (source)

Job applicants with “white sounding” names get called back 50% more often than applicants with “black sounding” names, even when they have identical resumes. (source)

Black students are three times more likely than white students to be suspended for the same infraction. (source)

Blacks make up 13% of the population and represent 40% of the prison population. (source)

When black people are convicted, they are 20% more likely to be sentenced to jail time and typically see sentences 20% longer than those for whites who are convicted of the same crimes. (source)

More than 7.4% of the black population is disenfranchised (stripped of the right to vote) as a result of felony convictions versus 1.8% of the non-black population. (source)

Black women are four times more likely to die from childbirth. (source)

For every $100 in white family wealth, black families hold $5.04. (source: New York Times via the U.S. Census Bureau)

For every $100 white families earn in income, black families earn $57.30. (source: New York Times via the U.S. Census Bureau)

Black drivers are 20% more likely to be pulled over than whites. (source)

I’ve included a graphic from @theconciouskid, designed by @courtneyahndesign below, which further demonstrates what systemic racism looks in society. Click here to see the full series.

What can you do?

You’ve got the hard facts. Now, what can you do to help effect change?

Educate yourself

If you’re a collegian…

Read books/articles/watch documentaries. This list from Time is a great place to start. Check out these films: 13th on Netflix (Ava DuVernay), When They See Us on Netflix (Ava DuVernay), and The Hate U Give on Hulu (George Tillman Jr.)

Have conversations. Proactively talk with your family, friends and community leaders about these issues. Hold your friends and family accountable when they perpetuate anti-black ideologies.

Utilize the upcoming resources from ZTA’s Inclusion Committee.

Hold events on campus with National Pan-Hellenic Council groups that bring awareness to these issues. For anyone who is unsure what organizations are under NPHC, here you go.

If you’re an alumna, your life looks a little different than a collegian’s, but what you can do to effect change includes all the above, plus ONE MORE THING…

Talk to your children early. There it is: Educate your children and raise them to be advocates.

This graphic explains how children learn about race and can help guide your discussions.

This article gives great advice about how to talk about race with children.

Recognize your privilege

Understand the definition of white privilege. Again, here I have to defer to some well-created graphics to easily explain this concept. Check out the graphic below for a quick explanation and see the full series here

Like this article says, “Accept the reality of this country’s dynamics.” The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can change it. Let’s not be ostriches with our heads buried in the sand.

Use your privilege to fight with and for those who are marginalized.

STOP appropriation

The Cambridge Dictionary defines appropriation as “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.” 

STOP picking apart pieces of black culture whenever you want to benefit yourself financially or gain likes on social media.

Examples: Wearing darker/tanner makeup to make yourself look darker, putting your hair in cornrows, wearing a weave or any historically black hairstyles.

Check out this article and this article with some more specific examples and explanations of what has been called “blackfishing” on Twitter.

LISTEN!

Listen to podcasts like “The Nod,” “Code Switch” and “Come Through with Rebecca Carroll.” Check out this list to find even more options.

“Uplift the voices and experiences of people of color so that we are not continuously drowned out and ignored.” (source)

Remember, it is NOT our responsibility to educate you on these topics simply because we are black. 

Donate

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home

https://www.naacpldf.org/

https://www.themarshallproject.org/donate

https://bailproject.org/

https://www.cuapb.org/what_we_do

https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/

And many others….

Stay informed

#RocktheVote and choose to support and elect officials who have a track record of ensuring the most marginalized among us are heard and advocated for.

Follow social media pages like: @theconsciouskid and @rachel.cargle

Follow the relevant hashtags: #BlackLivesMatter #AhmaudArbery #JusticeForFloyd

Still have questions?

Here are some more great resources for you.

Join our Panhellenic friends at Delta Gamma Fraternity for a talk about the impact of microaggressions on June 10 at 8 p.m. EDT. Register here.

Read about white anti-racism in this Q&A style article.

This is a list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice. 

Learn more about being a strong ally with these racial equity tools.

Spend some time on the NAACP website. Click around and learn more about racial inequality, how to be a good ally and more. 

[notsofly]

Ties in Blood Chapter 1

Reposting of Ties in Blood I’ll be tagging people; sorry if you’ve been tagged before.

@mrswhozeewhatsis @winchestergirl-13 @impala-dreamer @idreamofplaid @squirrelnotsam @percussiongirl2017

Chapter 1

Aaliyah stood still as the young man adjusted her two layers of clothes. Behind him she watched the older man Aaliyah pegged to be the father finish the last of the traps. She hadn’t expected the elder to allow her on this part of the hunt. Yet after the werewolf caught her scent three days ago, there was little choice. Once the young man seemed satisfied with how Aaliyah’s jackets fit, he reached over to the trunk of the car, a black Impala, and brought out a knife.

“Silver blade,” he told her. “Short of lobbing off the head, best way of dealing with werewolves.” With a slight flick of the wrist, he caught the blade and handed the knife handle first to Aaliyah.

She accepted the blade, adjusting her hold, and nodded. “Any advice?”

“Yeah, don’t get killed.”

“Dean. We need to move,” his father instructed.

Aaliyah watched Dean’s father climb into the driver’s seat of the car before the engine rumbled to life. She watched the car move away as memories flashed of the past few days hearing the engine around the college campus. Turning back to Dean, Aaliyah blinked a couple times in a slight surprise to find he wasn’t there.

With a couple stabilizing breaths, she stepped out into the open. The late summer breeze tugged at the top jacket and she swore she heard cheers from the football stadium. The thought that the werewolf would be drawn there passed through her mind. Then again, even a wild animal would avoid people. A howl carried on the wind. Aaliyah spun her head and shifted her grip on the knife. Leaves on nearby trees rustled, but there was no breeze.

She turned to see just out of the corner of her eye a lumbering werewolf in md arm sweep at her. Full force sent Aaliyah into a sapling, snapping it and sending the wind from her lungs. Gasping for breath, she searched for the knife that laid a few feet away out of the creature’s path. Crawling for the weapon, Aaliyah’s neck hairs stood on end as the hot stank breath of the werewolf touched her. Her fingers just barely grabbed the knife as her back erupted in pain as if it was on fire. Screaming in pain, Aaliyah curled into a ball, her hand around the knife handle. Fighting through the pain, she rolled onto her back as the werewolf swiped at her again, cutting into her side.

The muzzle of the werewolf was inches above her face, a large glop of saliva hanging down. Biting through that pain, she thrusted the knife up into the creature’s stomach, pulling the knife up to the rib cage. She didn’t fight the shutter that worked through her body as hot blood bathed her. Pushing the dead body up and off of her, Aaliyah laid there, regaining her breath, her mind blank. She fought the urge to close her eyes as her body reverted into survival mode.

“That took guts,” she heard a voice tell her. A slow turn of her head showed Dean coming up to her. “Think you can move?”

Testing her side with a deep breath, Aaliyah nodded. Holding up a hand and worked with Dean to get to her feet. Wrapping her free arm across her stomach, she didn’t fight when Dean put the arm he held around his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her, mindful of her back. Eased over to the car, Dean helped her onto the hood before going to the trunk. She flinched when John came up to her.

“What were you thinking?” he demanded. “Letting the werewolf…”

“It’s dead,” Aaliyah cut in, eyes closed against the throbbing pain. “Bet you couldn’t do better.”

A heavy thud on the hood reverberated through her body. With an eye cracked open, Aaliyah watched Dean start fishing through a duffel bag. From it appeared make shift medical supplies plus typical first aid items. Last item was a bottle of cheap looking alcohol any of the local party stores had in stock. She reached for the bottle as Dean found a needle and dental floss.

“Think you can shed the jackets and shirt?” Dean asked.

Aaliyah freed one jacket and struggled with the second. She ignored the feeling of serious judgement from Dean’s father. Unfit to be a hunter, the older Winchester said when she wanted to help three days ago. She wanted to show him he was fit when she heard that.

Finally freeing the second jacket, Aaliyah dared to shed the shirt. A hiss from Dean was a clue on how bad it looked. A small shiver when a breeze passed by, Aaliyah hissed when a cold liquid washed over her open wounds. Adjusting herself on the hood, she folded her legs in front of her. Meeting Dean’s gaze, Aaliyah nodded. Holding herself still, she felt Dean’s hands working on stitching up her side and back. As he worked, Aaliyah started to drift off to sleep. A shake brought her back around.

“Come on, I’ll take you back to your dorm,” Dean told her.

***

Unsure of what she was conscious of first, Aaliyah laid in bed and attempted to pick each noise out. Her roommate moving around doing something. Coffee dripping into the pot. Music playing just a little too loud Aaliyah swore would have affected her if she had been drinking. Shifting under her blanket, pain snagged on her dental floss stitched wounds.

“You look like you had a rough night,” her roommate told her, passing through to the bathroom.

“Yeah, I had one.” Aaliyah eased herself into a sitting position on her bed, the covers pooled in her lap. “Where you at the game, Amanda?”

“No, had a test to study for.” Amanda came out from the bathroom and gasped. “What happened to you? Have you been to the ER?”

Aaliyah looked down to her bandages had red spots on them and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe me.” She didn’t fight when Amanda eased her forward.

“Try me.”

Closing her eyes as Amanda started peeling off the bandages, Aaliyah watched flashes of the previous night. The fresh wounds pulled at her muscles. “You remember the reports of a large wild dog and all that howling the past few weeks?”

“What about it?” Amanda continued unwrapping the bandages.

Aaliyah heard her roommate half listening to what she was saying. “It was a full blown werewolf.”

“Werewolf, huh? Twilight or Harry Potter?”

“More like Underworld.” Aaliyah glanced to the bundled bandages speckled with red as Amanda stepped away and tossed it into the trash. “I’m … still trying to figure out how I really survived the fight.”

“You sound …”

“Insane? Like I need to be put up in a psych ward indefinitely?” Aaliyah took a deep breath and held it as she moved her body to the edge of the bed. Feet on the scrap of carpet that served as a rug and her hands white knuckled the mattress, she released the air from her lungs. The pain was still there, blood vessels, muscles, skin working still to knit themselves back together. Breathing through the pain flair until it died down to a mild throbbing. “Go ahead and say it, I won’t fight it.”

“That’s the thing, though, Lia.” Amanda sat down in the oversized chair that Aaliyah had. “I do believe you. I had gone out to the library yesterday …”

“Studying for the test,” Aaliyah remembered, gaining a nod from Amanda.

“Coming back here when the library closed, I swear I saw some sort of fight in the Diag,” Amanda told her, voice. “One of the … fighters loomed over the other, howling and grunting like those wolves we had gone to see over the winter. It clawed at the smaller fighter, who cried out. The smaller reached for something before turning around and just as the larger was just over them.” She mimed being stabbed. “The one on the ground stabbed up at her attacker. After that, two men came out from wherever they were and took care of the scene. One took care of the dead attacker while the other helped …” Amanda gestured toward Aaliyah. “You, apparently.”

Aaliyah worked what her friend told her, wondering why she so readily believed her tale of being attacked by a werewolf. “That whole time, you never thought to go get help or come help?”

“Oh, hell no. Too much trouble on my end.” Amanda pushed herself out of the chair. “Come on, I’ll help you wash up and get fresh bandages on those stitches of yours.”

Aaliyah couldn’t help smile a little as her roommate and good friend since freshmen year of college offered a hand up. In the couple years she had known Amanda, Aaliyah wondered how much remained hidden between them. Any time she brought up family or friends before college, Amanda deflected the conversation to another topic.  

“Whoever did those stitches knew what they were doing,” Amanda called from the bathroom. “Major props to ‘em.”

“Yeah, he knew what he was doing,” Aaliyah replied, trying to remember how it felt having her wounds being stitched with a deft and gentle hand. She half shuffled to the bathroom, using the furniture to help, where Amanda had water running. “A shame I didn’t get his number.”

“There’s a piece of paper on your desk.”

Grateful she was holding onto it, Aaliyah reached for the paper.

“You did great, Aaliyah. Your roommate helped getting you back in. Here’s my number if anything happens while you’re still here.”

--Dean

Spotting the number under Dean’s name, Aaliyah made a mental note to call it later. Maybe after the shower and more rest.

***

Panting, Aaliyah came up to The Rock near the ZTA chapter house and braced herself against the rock. Early morning before the University of Michigan and the surrounding city buzzed with its daily workings was a good time to run. A month after killing the werewolf, Aaliyah was able to breath and not have the feeling her side and back were on fire. The talk of the day had gone from the random animal attacks to the varsity football team being able to reach the championship game.

Aaliyah had no issue with the gossip changing from the werewolf to the team. It kept the attention off of her and her wounds. Her professors and classmates had been worried when she showed to class after the fight. Her wounds bleed a little through her bandages the first day or so when she returned to class. Amanda had offered to go around and collect assignments from all her professors in that first week, but Aaliyah refused. She didn’t want to put more stress on her roommate and friend than what she already had with her load.

Once her breathing slowed, Aaliyah dared to head off toward the Quad where the fight with the werewolf had taken place. Speeding up to a light jog, she passed a few students on their way to a morning class. A few minutes and a quicken heart rate later, she came to a stop at the grass line. The late summer yellow grass still held onto the large brown spot where the werewolf had fallen a month ago. Word had spread about a large animal being killed when the landscapers showed the morning following Aaliyah’s kill. Rumors and guesses of what it was had circulated the University and surrounding parts of the city for the past month, and Aaliyah kept to herself during those conversations.

She stood there in the early morning silence as a strange sense of peace fell over her. Like something finally clicked in her mind that she, with some help, had not only learned of the supernatural but taken down one of the most popular creatures. If she could do that, what else couldn’t she do? Reaching for her phone, Aaliyah thumbed through the contacts until she reached Dean’s and paused. He never said anything about keeping in touch, but he might know a thing or two about maybe finding a missing person. Hitting the dial button, Aaliyah listened to the tone before the voicemail picked up.

“This is Dean’s other, other cell, so you must know what to do,” the greeted stated before the beep.

“Hey, um, Dean, it’s Aaliyah,” she started, her tongue tripping on her speed. “I was wondering if you knew anything about finding a missing person or two. Call me on this number.” Short and to the point. The thought of if he was going to return the call passed through her mind as she pocketed her cell and started a jog down the sidewalk back to her dorm building.

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood

Well .... here it goes; chapter 1. Ties in Blood

Chapter 1

Aaliyah stood still as the young man adjusted her two layers of clothes. Behind him she watched the older man Aaliyah pegged to be the father finish the last of the traps. She hadn’t expected the elder to allow her on this part of the hunt. Yet after the werewolf caught her scent three days ago, there was little choice. Once the young man seemed satisfied with how Aaliyah’s jackets fit, he reached over to the trunk of the car, a black Impala, and brought out a knife. 

“Silver blade,” he told her. “Short of lobbing off the head, best way of dealing with werewolves.” With a slight flick of the wrist, he caught the blade and handed the knife handle first to Aaliyah.She accepted the blade, adjusting her hold, and nodded. 

“Any advice?”

“Yeah, don’t get killed.”

“Dean. We need to move,” his father instructed.

Aaliyah watched Dean’s father climb into the driver’s seat of the car before the engine rumbled to life. She watched the car move away as memories flashed of the past few days hearing the engine around the college campus. Turning back to Dean, Aaliyah blinked a couple times in a slight surprise to find he wasn’t there. 

With a couple stabilizing breaths, she stepped out into the open. The late summer breeze tugged at the top jacket and she swore she heard cheers from the football stadium. The thought that the werewolf would be drawn there passed through her mind. Then again, even a wild animal would avoid people. A howl carried on the wind. Aaliyah spun her head and shifted her grip on the knife. Leaves on nearby trees rustled, but there was no breeze.

She turned to see just out of the corner of her eye a lumbering werewolf in mid arm sweep at her. Full force sent Aaliyah into a sapling, snapping it and sending the wind from her lungs. Gasping for breath, she searched for the knife that laid a few feet away out of the creature’s path. Crawling for the weapon, Aaliyah’s neck hairs stood on end as the hot stank breath of the werewolf touched her. Her fingers just barely grabbed the knife as her back erupted in pain as if it was on fire. Screaming in pain, Aaliyah curled into a ball, her hand around the knife handle. Fighting through the pain, she rolled onto her back as the werewolf swiped at her again, cutting into her side. 

The muzzle of the werewolf was inches above her face, a large glop of saliva hanging down. Biting through that pain, she thrusted the knife up into the creature’s stomach, pulling the knife up to the rib cage. She didn’t fight the shutter that worked through her body as hot blood bathed her. Pushing the dead body up and off of her, Aaliyah laid there, regaining her breath, her mind blank. She fought the urge to close her eyes as her body reverted into survival mode.

“That took guts,” she heard a voice tell her. A slow turn of her head showed Dean coming up to her. “Think you can move?”

Testing her side with a deep breath, Aaliyah nodded. Holding up a hand and worked with Dean to get to her feet. Wrapping her free arm across her stomach, she didn’t fight when Dean put the arm he held around his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her, mindful of her back. Eased over to the car, Dean helped her onto the hood before going to the trunk. She flinched when John came up to her. 

“What were you thinking?” he demanded. “Letting the werewolf…”

“It’s dead,” Aaliyah cut in, eyes closed against the throbbing pain. “Bet you couldn’t do better.” 

A heavy thud on the hood reverberated through her body. With an eye cracked open, Aaliyah watched Dean start fishing through a duffel bag. From it appeared make shift medical supplies plus typical first aid items. Last item was a bottle of cheap looking alcohol any of the local party stores had in stock. She reached for the bottle as Dean found a needle and dental floss.

“Think you can shed the jackets and shirt?” Dean asked.

Aaliyah freed one jacket and struggled with the second. She ignored the feeling of serious judgement from Dean’s father. Unfit to be a hunter, the older Winchester said when she wanted to help three days ago. She wanted to show him he was fit when she heard that. 

Finally freeing the second jacket, Aaliyah dared to shed the shirt. A hiss from Dean was a clue on how bad it looked. A small shiver when a breeze passed by, Aaliyah hissed when a cold liquid washed over her open wounds. Adjusting herself on the hood, she folded her legs in front of her. Meeting Dean’s gaze, Aaliyah nodded. Holding herself still, she felt Dean’s hands working on stitching up her side and back. As he worked, Aaliyah started to drift off to sleep. A shake brought her back around.“Come on, I’ll take you back to your dorm,” Dean told her.

***

Unsure of what she was conscious of first, Aaliyah laid in bed and attempted to pick each noise out. Her roommate moving around doing something. Coffee dripping into the pot. Music playing just a little too loud Aaliyah swore would have affected her if she had been drinking. Shifting under her blanket, pain snagged on her dental floss stitched wounds.

“You look like you had a rough night,” her roommate told her, passing through to the bathroom.

“Yeah, I had one.” Aaliyah eased herself into a sitting position on her bed, the covers pooled in her lap. “Where you at the game, Amanda?”

“No, had a test to study for.” Amanda came out from the bathroom and gasped. “What happened to you? Have you been to the ER?”

Aaliyah looked down to her bandages had red spots on them and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe me.” She didn’t fight when Amanda eased her forward.

“Try me.”

Closing her eyes as Amanda started peeling off the bandages, Aaliyah watched flashes of the previous night. The fresh wounds pulled at her muscles. “You remember the reports of a large wild dog and all that howling the past few weeks?”

“What about it?” Amanda continued unwrapping the bandages.Aaliyah heard her roommate half listening to what she was saying.

 “It was a full blown werewolf.”

“Werewolf, huh? Twilight or Harry Potter?”

“More like Underworld.” Aaliyah glanced to the bundled bandages speckled with red as Amanda stepped away and tossed it into the trash. “I’m … still trying to figure out how I really survived the fight.”

“You sound …”

“Insane? Like I need to be put up in a psych ward indefinitely?” Aaliyah took a deep breath and held it as she moved her body to the edge of the bed. Feet on the scrap of carpet that served as a rug and her hands white knuckled the mattress, she released the air from her lungs. The pain was still there, blood vessels, muscles, skin working still to knit themselves back together. Breathing through the pain flair until it died down to a mild throbbing. “Go ahead and say it, I won’t fight it.”

“That’s the thing, though, Lia.” Amanda sat down in the oversized chair that Aaliyah had. “I do believe you. I had gone out to the library yesterday …”

“Studying for the test,” Aaliyah remembered, gaining a nod from Amanda.

“Coming back here when the library closed, I swear I saw some sort of fight in the Diag,” Amanda told her. “One of the … fighters loomed over the other, howling and grunting like those wolves we had gone to see over the winter. It clawed at the smaller fighter, who cried out. The smaller reached for something before turning around and just as the larger was just over them.” She mimed being stabbed. “The one on the ground stabbed up at her attacker. After that, two men came out from wherever they were and took care of the scene. One took care of the dead attacker while the other helped …” Amanda gestured toward Aaliyah. “You, apparently.” 

Aaliyah worked what her friend told her, wondering why she so readily believed her tale of being attacked by a werewolf. “That whole time, you never thought to go get help or come help?”

“Oh, hell no. Too much trouble on my end.” Amanda pushed herself out of the chair. “Come on, I’ll help you wash up and get fresh bandages on those stitches of yours.”

Aaliyah couldn’t help smile a little as her roommate and good friend since freshmen year of college offered a hand up. In the couple years she had known Amanda, Aaliyah wondered how much remained hidden between them. Any time she brought up family or friends before college, Amanda deflected the conversation to another topic.

 “Whoever did those stitches knew what they were doing,” Amanda called from the bathroom. “Major props to ‘em.”

“Yeah, he knew what he was doing,” Aaliyah replied, trying to remember how it felt having her wounds being stitched with a deft and gentle hand. She half shuffled to the bathroom, using the furniture to help, where Amanda had water running. “A shame I didn’t get his number.”

“There’s a piece of paper on your desk.”Grateful she was holding onto it, Aaliyah reached for the paper. 

“You did great, Aaliyah. Your roommate helped getting you back in. Here’s my number if anything happens while you’re still here.”--Dean

Spotting the number under Dean’s name, Aaliyah made a mental note to call it later. Maybe after the shower and more rest.

***

Panting, Aaliyah came up to The Rock near the ZTA chapter house and braced herself against the rock. Early morning before the University of Michigan and the surrounding city buzzed with its daily workings was a good time to run. A month after killing the werewolf, Aaliyah was able to breath and not have the feeling her side and back were on fire. The talk of the day had gone from the random animal attacks to the varsity football team being able to reach the championship game. 

Aaliyah had no issue with the gossip changing from the werewolf to the team. It kept the attention off of her and her wounds. Her professors and classmates had been worried when she showed to class after the fight. Her wounds bleed a little through her bandages the first day or so when she returned to class. Amanda had offered to go around and collect assignments from all her professors in that first week, but Aaliyah refused. She didn’t want to put more stress on her roommate and friend than what she already had with her load. 

Once her breathing slowed, Aaliyah dared to head off toward the Quad where the fight with the werewolf had taken place. Speeding up to a light jog, she passed a few students on their way to a morning class. A few minutes and a quicken heart rate later, she came to a stop at the grass line. The late summer yellow grass still held onto the large brown spot where the werewolf had fallen a month ago. Word had spread about a large animal being killed when the landscapers showed the morning following Aaliyah’s kill. Rumors and guesses of what it was had circulated the University and surrounding parts of the city for the past month, and Aaliyah kept to herself during those conversations.

She stood there in the early morning silence as a strange sense of peace fell over her. Like something finally clicked in her mind that she, with some help, had not only learned of the supernatural but taken down one of the most popular creatures. If she could do that, what else couldn’t she do? Reaching for her phone, Aaliyah thumbed through the contacts until she reached Dean’s and paused. He never said anything about keeping in touch, but he might know a thing or two about maybe finding a missing person. Hitting the dial button, Aaliyah listened to the tone before the voicemail picked up.

“This is Dean’s other, other cell, so you must know what to do,” the greeted stated before the beep.

“Hey, um, Dean, it’s Aaliyah,” she started, her tongue tripping on her speed. “I was wondering if you knew anything about finding a missing person or two. Call me on this number.” Short and to the point. The thought of if he was going to return the call passed through her mind as she pocketed her cell and started a jog down the sidewalk back to her dorm building. @percussiongirl2017 @mrswhozeewhatsis

[divinevoicesmedia]

1 Day to Showtime!! If you would truly LOVE to support our show directly we ask for you to consider being an "All-Star SOWPHT Supporter!" You can do this discreetly or we will give you a social media and on stage shout out, an SOWPHT 70th Birthday Electronic Souvenir Book and a Special Gift from Queen Diva mailed to you 2 weeks after our show! Send now: $100 Note: SOWPHT All Star Supporter Cash App: $divasdiamonds We thank you for your support!! Blessings! #supportblackowned #supportIndieOffBroadwayProducer #supportwomeninbusiness #womeninbusinessrock #indieoffbroadwayproducer #souldivasnightoutpresents #divasdiamonds #queendiva #thankyouforyoursupport #thankyourforsharing (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BziQ-ZtA-xn/?igshid=10s2x4hjqee8a

[dodgereviews]

Taking a look at a Digoo SB-XYA Smart Video Doorbell Pro

And now for something completely different! Not a powerbank, not a cable, not a charger... In this video I'm taking a look at Digoo's newest 'smart' doorbell; the Digoo SB-XYA Smart Video Doorbell Pro that Banggood shipped to me for this video.

➤ Jump to review notes & conclusion ➤ Digoo SB-XYA @ BangGood ➤ Use coupon code '20DGDS' for 20% discount!  ➤ Digoo DG-ZTA Indoor receiver @ BangGood ➤ Digoo SB-XYA manual

[mmcclur2umd-blog]

Today, I attended the ZTA sponsored aerie “Bright Pink” workshop. This presentation was centered on women’s health, specifically on breast and ovarian cancer prevention in young women. They handed out these notebooks and encouraged us to get familiar with our bodies, record observations, and draw diagrams to track abnormalities. Specifically, to draw representations of our breasts and to get to know the shape and size and be able to observe changes in our bodies. We also did a short meditation session before the presentation began where we did a physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual check. The woman encouraged us to get to know our bodies and to make mental notes about issues that need fixing, and to come back to them later with a creative solution. For her, this meant doing yoga, for others, she suggested, it could be playing music, writing, or anything that involved artistic internal reflection. I found the presentation very informative and relevant to me as a young woman. I’m very glad I attended :)

[clevelandzta-blog]

Introducing: Kathy Papp, Ohio District President

Picture it – Berea, OH, September 28, 1992 – I received a bid to join Zeta Tau Alpha. As I am looking back over the *25* years since ZTA came into my life, I realized I can’t believe 2 things:  1 – How fast the time has gone 2 – The experiences I’ve had as a result of accepting that bid as a Freshman at Baldwin-Wallace College (note, there was a hyphen in the name and were a “College” back then!)

The words on my “pledge” workbook (yes, this was before we were called “New Members”) said “Zeta is Forever”. I had no idea that this would actually apply to me and figured “well, it’s been around since 1898, so yeah, ‘forever’.”  I remember hearing “You’ll be an alumna longer than you’ll be a collegian!” I don’t know that I could have ever anticipated they journey I’d take with ZTA. I took a few years off from Zeta after graduating – as I figured out what I was doing – Grad School? Working Full-Time? How about both?! As I settled into my career, and I continued getting invitations to events, I attended a “Coffee and Conversation” at a local coffee shop (that has since become a Starbucks!) I saw a few familiar faces, and decided “why not?” I paid dues, and helped at a couple of collegiate events participated in a Race for the Cure. In some ways, I think I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing to really help out. This continued on for another year or two, and then at a kick-off event in 2001, I saw that the women who were serving as officers were newer grads, and people I remembered meeting at some alumnae/collegiate events. I had such a good time at that event and decided “OK – I’m going to do this!” and offered to help with coordinating our Race for the Cure participation. Following the events of 9/11, with concern about gathering in public places with large crowds, the event was unfortunately canceled, but I realized I could do this – I could help out and I really enjoyed it. From there, I helped as Alumnae/Collegiate chair, and then moved into serving on the Exec board – Membership, then Programming, and eventually President. I got so much more out of being an officer than I ever could have expected – leadership skills, event planning experience, and most importantly, the friendships I made with people whom I never would have otherwise crossed paths.

When an opportunity led me to a job in Cincinnati, one of the first things I took into consideration when deciding to accept was “we have Zeta alumnae chapters there” and I had an immediate connection to our sisterhood, in a city where I otherwise knew no-one. They welcomed me, looked out for me, and included me. At the time, ZTA was invited to give an Extension Presentation at the University of Cincinnati, hoping to reactivate our Alpha Eta chapter, and I was invited to attend. I’ve never before experienced anything like this, and I met many National Officers who were in attendance at the event. The only time I’ve met some of these women in the past was at a Convention, so it was a unique opportunity to be present. My work with the Cincinnati Crown chapter in helping them boost their membership led me to being invited to serve on a National Committee. As I’ve continued to build my “Zeta resume”, I realized how much I took out of these experiences, so I kept giving back. Now in my role as District President, I’m taking the things that I’ve learned along the way, and helping our chapters set goals, and plans to attain them.

So while the time has gone by quickly, it’s filled with a lot of experiences that I wouldn’t have otherwise had, if it weren’t for ZTA. Not all of it was easy – there were certainly times of frustration – too many things to do and not enough time, and disappointment – working so hard on an idea, to not see it yield the results we hoped. But the good times have always outweighed those things, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I encourage you to take a chance on your alumnae chapters – when you get an invite, see a Facebook post, or read the latest issue of “Themis” –ask yourself “why not?” You might be surprised as to what you may contribute and what you could take away :-)

Pictured below, Kathy and her mother Maria. Kathy’s mom was initiated as a special initiate of the Delta Delta chapter at Baldwin Wallace University in the fall of 2016.

[utsazta]

SECRETARY: Stephanie George

Meet our ⒺⓍⒺⒸⓊⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⒸⓄⓊⓃⒸⒾⓁ — Introducing our Secretary, Stephanie George!!! From note taking to event scheduling, she’s your girl. She’s a hard working student studying Kinesiology and an RA for UTSA on campus dorms. Stephanie loves ZTA because it has given her such great leadership opportunities that she can use throughout her life as well as amazing life long friends. FUN FACT: “I love to travel! I have traveled out of the country six times!”

[pickupthepen]

The School

I didn’t go to an Ivy League school, but I sure as hell act like one of those Harvard kids that won’t shut up about Cambridge twelve years after graduation. I still have some residue in my lungs from my self-assignment of being the “smart kid” that got into the engineering university. It was my last hope for worthiness when looks, personality, friendships, talent, athleticism, and everything else seemed to fail me.

“Well at least I’m smart! Smarter than you.”

Sometimes I let my veil of self-confidence about it all slip a little, and I’ll tell you about how I hated almost every second of those excruciating five years with every fiber of my being, but I’m interrupted by “you had to be smart to go there” and “you got the degree, now you can do anything!” I twisted between being filled with pride about those five years and everything I survived and hating every second of it to the tip of my spine.

I had the whole plan mapped out when I got the acceptance letter. Actually, it wasn’t a letter, it was a browser screen. I logged in on a Friday night to check my acceptance status and my parents took me to sushi to celebrate. The plan was in motion! I had been saving my Smoothie King checks to pay for the sorority, I got into the best freshman dorm, and I’d be building rockets and making millions in no time.

I didn’t get into the sorority. I told people I walked out of rush because it was overwhelming and I didn’t see myself pledging- I dropped because ZTA cut me and the first step of the plan- to get into my dad’s college sweetheart’s sorority and be the perfect collegiate daughter- was shattered. That was the very first time in my life that I was heartbroken. I had a second, brief, encounter with heartbreak and an emotionally unavailable man not long after, and then my heart didn’t break again for five years.

Those years were spent in bleak purgatory. I nearly failed a handful classes in which I poured my blood. I switched from one major to another because the buildings smelled weird and I was afraid of failing intensive courses. I discovered early on that I could drink during lectures. I spent a summer experimenting with alcoholism for the first time. I blacked out at football games. Sometimes people hit me. I paced behind other students in labs. I copied homework. I felt stupid. I dated a well-liked fraternity guy for a summer. I went, unwelcome, on a beach weekend with another. I spent mornings cramming for quizzes and exams. I turned in some good work. I turned in some really fucking bad work. I counted the hours that I studied, hoping that if they piled higher, my grades would, too. I loathed that library that I only graced with my presence when a test was coming up. I guzzled high gravity beers in my car in the gym parking lot before morning lectures. My hands trembled as I typed notes in almost all of my classes. I was consciously aware of the way the my professors looked at me and couldn’t remember who I was. I got C’s in classes that I gave little effort. I blamed it on the drinking. I drove to a nearby university for AA meetings and got a little sober time. Then, C’s became D’s. Then I drank again. Then I got sober again. I sat by the campanile on a perfect, warm, breezy day, and I wished I could be anywhere, anywhere else.

Then, at the very end, it all turned for a moment. I survived my last two semesters without a drink. I was gifted with new types friendships - real friendships. I sat in the front row on Wednesdays at open mic to see Wood perform. I watched the Babadook from under a blanket with Mala. I went through my python script, line by line, to make sure it was perfect, and it was. I got straight A’s. Our team won the senior design project competition. I began walking down every street on campus, my campus, confident and proud. I got a call from the perfect job in the Bay Area and laughed through tears as I accepted their offer. I was suspended in a temporary bliss.

The night before graduation, I sat on the football field and I stared, soulless and empty as the fireworks erupted and my classmates sang the fight song. The year of contentment was but a reprieve, and all at once, every moment, every notion or wink at my own failure as a person crashed on me. My vacation from myself was over, and my distraction had come to an end. I felt like a fraud. I knew I didn’t deserve all the praise I was receiving, and two weeks later, with 8 months of sobriety, I chugged a beer in my parents’ garage and shot-off on my last bender. I still swing on a pendulum between success and failure, genuineness and fraud, pain and peace, and sometimes, if I try hard enough, I am queen, impostor, thief, judge, poet, zen-master, child, hangman and ghost at the same time.

Some days I’m still there, on that field, hiding from every pair of eyes that see through my not-so-polished exterior into the reality of my inadequacy.  Truth be told, an atom-sized piece of my heart is still afraid that I’m just alright. I wish I could tell you that I don’t sometimes still tote around my “smart” badge because I’m terrified of the cataclysm of of the final realization that I am just... average. Some days the domineering commander in the back of my mind calls out orders that matter what I do, if I gave it everything I had, it would just be mediocre. After all those years, whether I was consumed by addiction or pushed my limits with my studies or recreated myself in pursuit of acceptance, I faced an uninspired, forgettable, boring phony at the end. I couldn’t see, through everything I did, what I was worth and why I deserved to exist. I fell through myself. 

Most days I’m here, though. Often, I can feel all the great moments that have happened since then. I think about the time my friend and I chased the cops down California Street in San Francisco to see where they were going. I have experienced freedom. I can sometimes taste the difference between the times in life that felt hard, and the times that didn’t. I can sometimes see clearly that none of this would make any more sense if I didn’t experience pain, if I was never liquefied by heartbreak, if I wasn’t an alcoholic, or if I didn’t have to trudge through the mud sometimes.

Interestingly enough, because of the burning of the tower of my identity, I was accidentally given birth to the resilient, passionate, tenacious woman I was always desperate to become. Every day, I am more lovingly accepting of the messy, imperfect collage of myself, and I sing my experiences and heartache from rooftops so that someone might see it one day and say, “I’ve felt like that, too.”  Maybe I’ve finally accepted that being a mediocre is quite alright, because “mediocre” isn’t really a thing. Lovely.

[ztafraternity]

Nine tips to school your online classes

By Ensley Caldwell, Editor (Omicron Chapter alumna)

Just as there are introverts and extroverts, there are people who love online learning and those who would rather be in the classroom. Luckily for the introverts and proponents of e-learning, just about everyone is in a situation where they are learning exclusively through online platforms and virtual media. But there are some benefits to online learning, so keep in mind these helpful tips as you adjust to the homeschool life.

1. Stick to your normal class schedule.

Whether or not you have real-time lectures or lessons for your classes, try to structure your week the same way you would if you were on campus. If you have a M/W class at 11:30 a.m. that normally lasts an hour and a half, spend an hour and a half at 11:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays working on that class at home. The same principle applies to Tuesday/Thursday classes and even the dreaded Friday classes.

This might also mean setting boundaries with your roommates/family/anyone else living in your space.

2. Create a study space.

Speaking of setting boundaries, creating a physical study space will help you mentally differentiate between “school time” and free time (if there is such a thing). If you can manage it, don’t work in your bed. A desk is best, but even using a lapboard while you’re sitting on the couch or arranging pillows to sit on by the coffee table helps increase your focus.

3. Give yourself a break.

…and no, not of “that KitKat bar” (at least not every hour).

Separating your time and taking regular breaks actually increases productivity. If you’ve never heard of the pomodoro method, now is a great time to try it out. Here’s the gist:

1. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on one task.

2. Take a five-minute break.

3. Reset your timer and start on a new task.

4. Take a longer break after every fourth timer reset (10-15 minutes… not a “I’ll just watch one episode” break that turns into watching 10 episodes).

Treat these breaks as the time you would spend walking to your next class or grabbing a coffee from the student union building.

4. Don’t multitask (because you can’t).

In the age of the internet, we’d all like to think we can do multiple tasks at one time. Unfortunately, it’s impossible. The speed at which you can switch between tasks might seem so fast that it feels like multitasking (for example, watching something on Netflix and scrolling through your favorite app), but you are still only switching from one task to the other. When it comes to studying, you definitely can’t engage in learning and watch your favorite show on your tablet.

5. Stay in touch with your professors.

It’s especially important to fully understand assignments and expectations when you don’t have the benefit of hearing or asking questions in person. If anything is unclear to you, reach out to your professor via email or, with their permission, call them during their office hours. Remember, they’re having to adapt their routine also; give them some grace when it comes to recreating half a semester’s worth of educational content.

Bonus tip: Staying in touch with instructors includes making sure you understand all requirements of participation, group projects and/or discussions, and assignments. Don’t let “not knowing” be the reason you lose a letter grade on an assignment. Chances are online discussion posts will factor more heavily on your final grade, and there may be additional virtual discussion spaces to address questions others are asking!

6. Keep an agenda/planner.

Online classes or not, a planner is a great idea to make sure you’re staying on top of all your assignments, personal responsibilities and requirements for graduation (looking at you, seniors). With so many events being canceled or rescheduled, including commencement in some cases, physically writing tasks down will keep you organized and on-track to maintain your GPA.

7. See your classmates every week (virtually).

Just for the sake of thoroughness, do NOT meet up with your peers in person. Now is not the time.

Now that that piece of business is out of the way, video chat with a sister or a classmate to hold each other accountable for assignments and make sure you haven’t missed anything. Technology makes it possible to study together, talk about questions you might have for your instructor (see tip #5), check in on each other and provide a little bit of socialization.

8. Get plenty of sleep and exercise.

We know the internet loves sloths, but e-learning does not give you a reason to move like one! Exercise plays an important role in maintaining focus throughout the day and helping you get more restful sleep at night.

And while you probably want to sleep like a sloth, 15-18 hours a day might be a little overkill. Aiming to get at least seven hours of sleep each night is a good goal.

9. Breathe.

We know school can be overwhelming even in the best-case scenario, and we know this is a stressful situation for those who were looking forward to their final months on campus before entering the “real world.” When it feels like nothing is going to plan (because it isn’t), take a few minutes for yourself and consciously breathe slowly and deeply. It doesn’t change the situation, but it will give you time to refocus and get back on track.

P.S., Don’t forget to review Crowning Achievements workshops online for tips on time management, studying and note-taking.

To recap, here are ZTA’s nine tips for online learning:

Stick to your normal class schedule.

Make your own learning space.

Take breaks.

Avoid multitasking.

Communicate with your instructors.

Use a planner.

Video chat with sisters and classmates.

Maintain healthy exercise and sleep habits.

Breathe calm and carry on.

And if all else fails, remember that one day, this will be our generation’s “I walked to school uphill both ways through the snow” story.

[nancyjnelson88]

Samsung Elec fourth-quarter profit jumps as record chip earnings mask Note 7 failure

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Tuesday said fourth-quarter operating profit jumped 50 percent to its highest in over three years, as record earnings in its chips business masked the negative impact of its failed Note 7 phones.

from Binary Trading Tips http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/businessNews/~3/IckbGU3-zTA/us-samsung-elec-results-idUSKBN1572XL

[ztafraternity]

ZTA communication efforts receive recognition

Zeta Tau Alpha was honored with four awards at the 2019 Fraternity Communications Association (FCA) Annual Conference for printed and digital communication pieces.

Pictured (left to right): Graphic Designer Kahlie Cannon, Graphic Designer Katherine VanSickle, Director of Digital Media Hailey Rogers (Delta Psi Chapter alumna) and Senior Director of Communication Ashley Sherman

First place, Publication Improvement – Printed

The Outstanding Alumna brochure from Convention 2018 was praised for being “an attractive, clean, readable piece.” Judges also noted, “The old version was very nice, but this one bumps everything up a few notches.”

First place, Publication Improvement – Magazine/Tabloid

The small tweaks to Themis throughout the year paid off for this award category. One judge said, “There was nothing wrong with the older version, but WOW does this new one pop! I would describe it as fresh, clean and crisp!”

First place, Specific-Purpose Website

ZTAConvention.com received this award because, according to judges, “It is easy to navigate and included a few extra things like what to pack and a recap from the previous conference.”

First place, Video Presentation – General

The video below puts a fun twist on the traditional list of dos and don’ts by offering more engaging examples of how to make the most of the Convention experience. Judges rated it a perfect 10.

The FCA Annual Conference brings fraternity and sorority headquarters communication staff and volunteers together for education, recognition and networking opportunities. Congrats to our fellow interfraternal friends who also took home awards!

[ztafraternity]

Truly great leaders aren’t born; they’re made

By Carla Cobb (Theta Tau Chapter, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

ZTA’s mission is to make a difference in the lives of our members through innovative programming, including an emphasis in leadership development. You can help us live out that mission and make new leaders as a facilitator at the inaugural Emerging Leaders Academy, July 18-21 in Indianapolis.

Make history.

As a facilitator, you will be a part something brand new for ZTA. ELA will replace National Leadership Conference and will emphasize the development of chapter leaders who have not attended other ZTA training, such as Officer Leadership Academy. Your participation in this inaugural year will establish the foundation for molding future collegiate leaders and the framework for ELA for years to come.  

Make yourself more marketable and valuable.

In 2009, Warren Buffett told business students at Columbia University, “the one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now—at least—is to hone your communication skills—both written and verbal.” Author and business communication expert Carmine Gallo wrote in a 2019 Inc.Com article that professionals who deliver presentations effectively get promoted faster than their peers. Here’s your chance to work on your communication and presentation skills to a real audience—and your chance to make yourself more marketable and valuable.

Make no excuses.

Hesitating because you don’t have much facilitating experience, or you’ve been out of the ZTA game too long? Neither of those matter. You will receive a facilitator guidebook with talking points for all teambuilding activities, discussions, and reflective sessions you will lead. We encourage you to add your own words and experiences when appropriate; but for the most part the scripts with major points and take-aways will be in your facilitator’s guide. Additionally, the staff of the ZTA Education Department will provide training for you prior to ELA. Because most of the ELA collegiate participants are emerging leaders, they will have limited ZTA experience. Accordingly, the focus for facilitators will be more about developing future leaders and less about teaching ZTA’s policies and programs.

Make truly great leaders.

As a facilitator, you will lead teambuilding exercises, discussions on leadership, personal reflection sessions, and exercises that will help emerging leaders find their leadership voice and style. We’re willing to bet that during all of this, you’ll find satisfaction when you see the light bulbs go off in our members’ heads mid-session, when you witness emerging leaders excitedly talking with their collegiate national officers about ideas they have, and when you realize you’re responsible for making leaders who will do amazing things in their ZTA chapters and beyond. We’re also willing to bet you’ll find even more satisfaction a few years from now when you get a “thank you” note from a chapter President who will say you gave her the skills and confidence to run for office and lead her chapter, or when you read a future article in Themis about a member you taught at this summer’s ELA who took her chapter from good to great.

Make it happen.  

So, are you ready to make history, make yourself more marketable and valuable, make no excuses, and make truly great ZTA leaders? Make it happen here. We hope you’ll apply to be a facilitator at this year’s ELA.