BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Derrick Tillman-Kelly, vice president and secretary-treasurer for the Illinois Wesleyan University chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, attended two fraternity and sorority leadership conferences in June. Both conferences addressed current problems in Greek life and challenged members to come up with workable solutions.
Tillman-Kelly, a class of ’09 biology major, traveled to Atlanta for the weeklong Undergraduate Leadership Institute (ULI) conference in early June. Since 1996, ULI has been dedicated to teaching its members to apply their leadership skills in service to their home universities, communities and to the Kappa Alpha Psi service fraternity, recently named St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s 2009 Volunteer Organization of the Year. Of 150 applicants, only 50 Kappa Alpha Psi members were invited to attend the 2008 ULI conference.
The ULI offered large group lectures but focused mainly on small group discussions, according to Tillman-Kelly. Members were split into five “chapters” where they could talk about their roles within the fraternity and what changes they would like to see made. “The facilitators were just that. They understand that current undergraduate leaders have to be able to network and problem solve among ourselves,” said Tillman-Kelly. “We have the advantage of similar experiences and perspectives, which make us more likely agree on long-term goals.”