Do you ever see members of other organizations walking around with some super cool tshirt design and wish your chapter had something similar? I always loved seeing other peoples’ tshirts because it is a great way to get ideas! Did you know that GreekGear.com not only has fun screen-printed items but also allows you to create your own?!

To see what I mean, click HERE! This site allows you to view designs that our artists have already created. If you prefer, you can also design your own merchandise by choosing “Make Your Own” Now, this goes beyond just tshirts! Through this site, you can design shirts, tanks, hoodies, bags, glassware, etc.! This is a great tool to use for recruitment, initiation, formals and any other events your chapter hosts!

Perhaps you enjoy the look of custom tee’s but you just aren’t the most creative person. We have you covered! Simply choose “Request Art Proof” and fill in the information fields. One of our artists will put together the art for you!

Playing around with the design features can be a blast if you are the creative type like me! Try creating your own art and send us some of your favorite designs in the “Send Us Your Ideas” tab!

Fast forward to today and try to imagine going a day without Internet. Think about how much longer it would take to write that 10 page paper if you had to sort through books for all of your information. How would we show pictures to our friends who live far away? Do you have direct deposit, check our account online, or pay bills online? I know what you’re all thinking, “how would I order my GreekGear?!” Imagine all of those luxuries gone. In fact, you wouldn’t even be reading this blog if we didn’t have Internet and I would be unemployed!

Of course, there are two sides to every story. Some say the Internet has harmed us by allowing for false information to circulation, making us “socially awkward”, ruining relationships, or simply being so much of a distraction to us. On the other hand, we have gained a vast amount of knowledge, stayed in touch with friends, and networked via the Internet. Now I could list statistics and fill your mind with theories but I’m not going to. The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer! But it is an interesting thing to think about…Take some time to acknowledge how much time you spend online and what you use the Internet for, you surprise yourself!

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why do classes, work, appointments, and meetings ever start before 10am?” I do…almost daily! I never used to need much sleep at all until college came along. When I began college I found myself tired ALL the time and getting going in the morning has been a constant struggle ever since! I’m sure many of you can relate. Many of you have also heard complaints from your parents about how much you sleep. See, apparently many adults view our sleeping habits as laziness, I prefer to think of it as mastering a skill! Regardless, the point is- we like to sleep…a lot.

As many of you head back to school, your early morning alarms will probably be a shock to your system. Even as a somewhat recent college graduate, I still battle it out with the Snooze button daily. I recently began wondering if this was normal, so I resorted to my trusty friend- Google. What did I find? The average college student (I am still your age, so I am counting myself as a college student!) needs at least NINE hours of sleep per night! In our dreams, right?! (No pun intended!) Say you have an 8am class, meaning you need to be up by let’s say 7am. That means you would need to not only be in bed, but also ASLEEP by 10pm. I cannot tell you the last time I was asleep by 10:00, and I’m sure the majority of you would echo my statement. But it’s hard isn’t it? You have to cram class, work, sports, homework, and a social life into ONE day and be asleep by 10:00? It seems impossible.

Maybe that’s why studies show only 11% of us are getting quality sleep. Truth is, most of us only get 6-7 hours of sleep a night if that. According to a study in the College Student Journal, those who slept 6 hours or less per night had an average GPA of 2.74, while those who slept 9+ averaged a 3.24. Shockingly, reducing your nightly sleep by merely an hour an a half (even for a night) can reduce your daytime alertness by up to 32%! While lack of performance is a large side effect in the short term, lack of sleep can also have long term effects. The chances for developing high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and ADD are all increased by sleep deprivation.

So if we know we aren’t getting enough sleep, and we know it is having a negative impact on us, what do we do? Well, here are a few tips I’ve found to getting a BETTER nights sleep:

1. Find a routine. Waking up and going to bed around the same time every day will help your body reinforce your sleep-wake cycle. Also,
come up with a few things to do before bed to let your body know it’s time to slow down. This may be reading, taking a shower, turning on the iPod, whatever works for you.

2. Avoid energizers late at night. Listening to upbeat music, playing video games, working out, and caffeine and/or nicotine intake will all disrupt your sleep quality.

3. The power of the power nap. If you have time, grab a 20-30 minute nap during the day. According to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, naps keep your brain activity high during the day, instead of letting it gradually decrease as it would without a nap. However, if the nap lasts too long it may keep you from falling asleep later, so be cautious.

4. Exercise. I know, I know- the answer to all health question these days is “Work out.” But it is true, regular exercise will promote better sleep. BUT! As I said before, make sure you don’t exercise too close to bedtime so you can fall asleep easier.

5. Turn off the T.V. I am so guilty of this. Sure you can go into the biological reasons why this harms your sleep due to melatonin etc., but in my completely unscientific analysis- television is just distracting. I may get in bed at 10:00 but with 2 full hours of ‘Friends’ reruns on Nick@Nite I am sure to be up until at least midnight! I know its tough, but put the DVR to good use…

So there you have it my friends, we NEED the sleep. While we may not always be able to control how much we get, there are definitely ways to improve the quality of what we are getting. Best of luck in improving your sleep! And remember, its only about another 45 years until retirement….right?..

Find these facts and more here:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/important-sleep-habits

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep/HQ01387/NSECTIONGROUP=2

http://www.collegetidbits.com/college-life/College-Life-Do-I-Really-Need-to-Sleep.html

Happy 2012! Hard to believe the holidays are already over isn’t it? Many of you may still be enjoying your vacations and sleeping until noon (jealous!) and others are heading back to school for their normal routines. Regardless, we hope you all enjoyed your holidays and vacations!

Now it’s time to get to work on those New Year’s Resolutions! Most of us have our personal resolutions be it small or large, but have you ever thought about a group resolution? Being in sororities and fraternities, we all know there are things that we could improve upon. So consider having your GLO (Greek Life Organization) develop a resolution for the semester (or year). The possible resolutions are endless. Could you be communicating better? Could your follow-through use some help? Would you like the group to do more community service? End gossip? Have more brotherhood/sisterhood activities? I could go on forever!

You may say, what’s the point in having a group resolution? Well take a minute to think about it. Individual resolutions take strong self discipline and lack accountability. However, in a group there is always someone to hold you accountable (as one sister/brother should the other). Though the ultimate goal may be to better the group, I would venture to say you will better yourself on an individual level along the way. So I encourage you all to discuss it with your GLOs when you get back to school. It’s a new year and a fresh start, why not make it even better than last year?!

Good luck to you all and Happy New Year!

1. Production time: It is very important to note that most of our apparel items are custom-made. Because of this, it can take a little longer to produce your order, allow up to 2 weeks for PRODUCTION. Many of our items do have Rush Production options. This means that your order will be moved to the top of our “To-Do” list, therefore shipping out faster.

2. Shipping time: Shipping time and production time are different. Even if you order Rush production, you still must allow for shipping time. Standard Shipping can take 5 business days, though depending on where you live it may only take 2-3. Premium shipping GUARANTEES that your item will arrive in 2-3 business days regardless of where you live. This option usually costs around $12-$20 dollars. Overnight shipping, obviously, ensures that you will receive your item the next working day. This can be quite expensive, so try to order early if you can.

3. Closeout items: Closeout items are just that- Closeout! When we run out, we’re out and cannot get more. We try to adjust the site as quickly as we can but sometimes it can take awhile. If you want to know for sure that the item is in stock, feel free to give us a call.

4. Returns and Exchanges: As I mentioned before, the majority of our products are made to order. This is the reason we do not accept returns or exchanges for apparel. Some gift items we will allow to be returned, however there is a 25% restocking fee. My advice would be to make sure your order is the way you want it BEFORE you submit! Be very careful and look over the details before checking out.

5. Can’t decide on what to buy? No worries! Did you know Greekgear.com has gift cards?! No need to fret about what color or pattern to use. Click HERE to order a gift card! Gift cards are great if you are worried about sizing or customizations.

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you in your shopping! Remember, if you have questions feel free to give us a call at 1-866-473-3543, Mon-Fri 8-5. We also have a Live Chat option if you would prefer!

Happy Holidays!

1. The most obvious- Don’t procrastinate. Sure its boring, but in the end you will take so much pressure off of yourself. For me, studying for multiple subjects in the same day never fared very well. Assuming that you have enough time until finals week, try to study for one class a day instead of cramming them all in. This will help your mind stay organized and keep you from information-overload! Just read over your notes once or twice the night/morning before.

2. It’s okay to take breaks! In high school I had a teacher who told us we better not study for his tests for more than 15 minutes at a time. Was he saying only study for 15 minutes? I WISH! His point was, after awhile you tend to drift off and you are no longer retaining the information. Now some of you may have longer attention spans than others. Find the amount of time that suits you, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour (if you can fully concentrate for an hour without interruption- I applaud you!). Once you have studied for your chosen amount of time, put the books down and walk away. Talk to a friend, get a snack, or just relax for a few minutes (10-15 is probably a good amount). Repeat the cycle until you feel confident for the test!

3. SLEEP!! If you exhaust yourself, you will not perform to your best ability on the test, nor will you be able to focus on studying for others. Perhaps you can use those breaks in your studying for a little snooze Use your time wisely so that you can get to bed at a decent time.

4. If you choose to study with a friend, choose the right friend! I always found it helpful to have a friend quiz me or work on homework together, but if you choose the wrong one you will just get distracted. Make sure to choose a disciplined friend who will help you stay on task.

Try out different things and see what works best for you. Everyone learns differently! Want to find out your learning style? Try taking this short quiz: http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/stylest.html

Good Luck Everyone!

Eta Zeta recently battled it out to win the prized Greek Cup from GSU. The competition is comprised of athletic events such as Ultimate Frisbee, Flag Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Softball…makes me tired just thinking about it! This chapter earned first place in ultimate frisbee, flag football, and soccer! They also placed 2nd in softball, and 3rd in basketball. Eta Zeta was able to win the Greek Cup by a landslide and gain some pretty great bragging rights as well! They say they’re not stopping here, prepping for the next competition already! Congratulations to Alpha Tau Omega!

Remember, next week begins the official voting for Greek of the Week. The grand prize is a $250 shopping spree to Greekgear.com! Congratulations to all of our winners, keep up the good work!

The Iota Psi chapter proudly resides at Rutgers University. A few weeks ago, they hosted an annual event they call “Derby Days.” The week-long event includes fundraising activities such as Penny Wars, Brotherhood Auctions, a Lip Sync, etc.to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network and other charities. Now, the event itself would’ve been a great accomplishment but the special part was, they raised $167,000!! No, that is not a typo! $167,000!!! This broke the National Greek Fundraising record, previously held by the same Greek system at $95,000 the previous year. These go-getters aren’t stopping there! They have already set a new goal of $200,000 for next year and say they will continue to do whatever they can to give back to their community. Incredible accomplishment, congratulations to you all!

Sigma Chi, Iota Psi is now in the running for the grand prize $250 chapter shopping spree from Greekgear.com! Good luck to you!

1. Make Blankets- Host a chapter philanthropy night and make fleece blankets to donate to hospitals and/or homeless. Our chapter did this last year and had so much fun with it! Now I have made these blankets on my own before and they can be quite time consuming! But with “all hands on deck” we flew through a number of these blankets in only an hour! Not much planning involved on this one, just have someone buy the fleece and have everyone bring some scissors! (Maybe throw in some Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and holiday music to set the tone!)Follow this link to find directions on making blankets: http://www.ehow.com/how_4392701_make-fleece-tied-blanket.html

2. Host a Winter Clothing Drive- Ask your university community to donate new or gently used coats, jackets, mittens, scarves, etc. for the less fortunate. You can find some large boxes to set out in heavily trafficked areas or set-up a donation station for people to drop off their items. Look online or in the phone book to find a local homeless shelter for the donations. Make up some flyers to hang around campus and send out a campus-wide email to promote the event!

3. Chili Cook-Off- The perfect event for a cold Fall day! Get together with other chapters on campus and have a culinary showdown! Each chapter can create a different chili recipe, and let the campus be the judge of the best! Set up some tables in a quad, lounge, or cafeteria to host the event. Ask for $0.25 (or whatever amount you feel is appropriate) donations to taste test and vote, and say a $1.00 for a bowl. Simple and fun!

The holiday season is full of opportunities to lend a hand. Check with local churches and homeless shelters to find out what they need or if they could use volunteers. Remember, it is the season of giving- what better way to get in the spirit than to give! We want to know- How is your chapter giving this holiday season?

Want a chance to win a shopping spree for your chapter? It’s simple! Just send a brief description of your accomplishment, as well as a picture, to mmark@inarush.com! EVERY ENTRY WINS A PRIZE!! Hurry, there are only a couple weeks left!!