Distinguished Chapter Officer Award Matt Frost Pi Omega Chapter Danville Area Community College Danville, Illinois Written by Ruth Molokwu

PW

According to James L. Fisher, "The main characteristics of effective leadership are intelligence, integrity, mystique, humor, discipline, courage, and confidence," and these are all attributes Matt Frost possesses. Matt joined Pi Omega last semester and was quickly selected for and approved as Vice President of Scholarship. Pi Omega’s goal for 2004/2005 was to increase our membership and involvement at both the community and regional level. Matt has helped the Chapter achieve our goals and has been actively involved with on-campus activities, community service, and regional events.

On campus, Matt, nicknamed "Frosty," seems to be everywhere. He willingly takes on any extra share of the workload with pleasure. Last December, Pi Omega packaged books through Operation Paperback to send to our soldiers in Iraq, but it was Matt who finalized the shipping and ensured that all cartons were sent in good condition. He is an active recruiter of new members, frequently e-mailing and encouraging potential Pi Omegans. He is always enthusiastic about spearheading events and served as DJ at Academic Challenge held at Danville Area Community College for high school scholars. Matt was also instrumental at our Fall Induction ceremony.

With his caring nature, it is community service that Matt enjoys most. One typical example was our holiday Salvation Army bell ringing event. We had a shortage of chapter volunteers, but Matt willingly volunteered to do a 6-hour shift in the chilly weather, maintaining his own and our high spirits the whole time. For the Light the Night Walk and the Vermilion County American Heart Association Heartwalk, he was actively involved with fundraising and walking. He encouraged fellow members to join these worthy causes and formed a team. Matt currently serves on the Vermilion County Relay for Life Steering Committee as Team Recruitment Chair, and is also our chapter's Team Captain. This year's event falls during our final exams. Fearing our team may be tiny, Matt has vowed to spend the whole 16 hours walking the track to ensure that we always have representation and in hopes of garnering more media attention for the event.

At the Illinois Regional Convention we hosted in October, "Frosty! Frosty! Frosty!" was all we heard. Matt made everyone feel welcome and showed our visitors around campus. He was our Emcee for the whole weekend-long convention and had helped plan the convention events. Shortly afterwards, he organized a trip to Chicago with other chapters to visit pop culture sites listed in Chris Epting’s book, as part of the Phi Theta Kappa on the Road program. Matt also organized our chapter's trip to Fellowshipalooza 2005, a regional event, representing Pi Omega as Regional Secretary Chapter.

Matt is an excellent candidate for the Distinguished Chapter Officer Award. He has demonstrated strong leadership and excellent people skills at all levels. Matt continuously encourages enthusiastic involvement in Phi Theta Kappa Activities, community service, and even fellowship events at the regional level. He has undoubtedly been a major influence in Pi Omega’s growth and epitomizes Phi Theta Kappa's hallmarks.