2023 Winter Conclave a Great Success

Before the spring semester began for most of our Chapters and Colonies, over one-hundred-and-twenty resident members gathered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to attend the 2023 Winter Conclave. The Fraternity’s officers’ academy returned to an in-person format for the first time since 2020, when it was held at Monmouth University.

Before the formal Conclave began on Saturday, members of the National Council, staff, and Brothers from seven Chapters held a Ritual training session. Two men, both from the Eta Chi Phi Chapter at New York Institute of Technology, were Initiated into the Order. After the Initiation, resident Brothers had an in-depth conversation on why the Ritual is structured a certain way and the significance behind some symbols used by the Fraternity.

Brothers during a general body session

The purpose of the 2023 Winter Conclave was to educate the new resident presidents, vice presidents, treasurers, and risk managers on key aspects of their positions. The event was broken out into four distinct tracks for each officer position. Each track had its own specific sessions which were facilitated by the National staff and volunteers. Learning outcomes from the overall Conclave included how to cultivate a better relationship with the Chapter’s faculty advisor, how to effectively organize committees and Brothers in the Chapter, how to utilize the free resources from the Alpha Chi Rho Educational Foundation, how to facilitate difficult conversations with members related to financial obligations, and how to address life-threatening emergencies with first aid, CPR, and AED. After each of these tracks finished their sessions, the officers created an action plan for their Chapter / Colony to implement the new skills that they had learned.

Brothers practicing CPR

The resident officers have responded with overall positive feedback on the 2023 Winter Conclave. Multiple officers noted that they learned new recruitment skills which they have brought back to their Chapter Brothers. Others stated that the first aid, CPR, and AED training was “a very important training to provide for free so that in the case of any emergency, [we] would know what to do.” Finally, resident members highlighted that the networking opportunities were invaluable for connecting with Chapters / Colonies in their region to co-sponsor community service and Brotherhood events.

The National Council, Educational Foundation Board of Trustees, and National staff thanks all of the resident and graduate Brothers for attending this year’s Winter Conclave.