Newsletter. College Councils Conference Turns 50. Annually, at the College Councils Conference, Outstanding College Council Award. New and Reactivated

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1 College Councils Newsletter LATE SPRING 2015 NEWS FOR COLLEGE KNIGHTS College Councils Conference Turns 50 T his year s College Councils Conference will take place October 2-4 in New Haven, Conn., and will mark the 50th gathering of college Knights. As we celebrate the 50th iteration of the College Councils Conference, we pause to recall the conference s beginnings and history, and we look forward to writing the next chapters in the annals of college councils. In the fall of 1965, the Knights of Boston College Council 5278 began to discuss the unique challenges they faced as a college council. They came to the conclusion that the issues could best be addressed by gathering college Knights together to share ideas and best practices. Armed with this mission, members of the Boston College council organized the first College Councils Conference. Under the leadership of Grand Knight David McCreesh and Conference Chairman William Higgins, invitations were sent to the Order s other 42 college councils, offering them the opportunity to attend a weekend conference at Boston College in February The first College Councils Conference brought together student representatives from 11 councils. During this two-day summit, college Knights discussed drafting a college councils handbook and passed a series of resolutions, one of which called for the conference to be an annual event sponsored by the Supreme Council. Despite this resolution, the Supreme Council did not immediately take on the logistics of planning and organizing the conference. From 1966 to 1969, councils at Niagara University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Dallas took turns hosting the conference. SEE CONFERENCE, PAGE 3 Outstanding College Council Award Annually, at the College Councils Conference, the Supreme Council recognizes the achievements of college councils over the past fraternal year. Awards are given for the most outstanding programs in each of the six major service categories (Church, Community, Council, Family, Culture of Life and Youth) and for the highest gains in membership and insurance. In addition to these awards, the prestigious Outstanding College Council Award is given to the college council that best exemplifies the mission of the college program. The Outstanding College Council receives a trophy, $500 for its council s treasury, and recognition through Supreme s web and printed materials. The Supreme Council determines the Outstanding College Council and other award winners based on completion of the Outstanding College Council Award Application (available on Every college council is expected to complete the Outstanding College Council Award Application by June 30. Even if your council does not feel it will be an award winner, we encourage you to complete and submit this form as this will help your council reflect on its year and prepare for next year. New and Reactivated College Councils Congratulations to the new and reactivated college councils New College Councils Mt. St. Angel Seminary Council (St. Benedict, Ore.) John Paul the Great Catholic University Council (San Diego, Cali.) University of Arizona Council (Tucson, Ariz.) Oregon State University Council (Corvallis, Ore.) Texas A&M Galveston Council (Galveston, Texas) Mt. St. Mary s Seminary Council (Cincinnati, Ohio) Maine Maritime Academy Council (Castine, Maine) Rice University Council (Houston, Texas) Reactivated College Councils St. Leo College Council 5630 (St. Leo, Fla.) St. Francis College Council 6041 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) University of St. Thomas Council (Houston, Texas)

2 2 Sowing the Seeds to Success Within Your Council In his Easter Urbi et Orbi message, Pope Francis said as Christians we are the seeds of a new humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another. As Knights of Columbus we strive to be a catalyst for increased faith and charity in the Church and the world. We should take some time this Easter season to reflect on how we, as Knights of Columbus and Catholic laymen, are living up to the call of discipleship in our councils, and begin our plan for future efforts in service to our brothers and neighbors, through our good works and prayerful communion. We began the year with a call for growth in the charity, fraternity and spirituality of our members, as well as a commitment to a constant invitation to membership. Many of our councils have responded to the call for more active membership recruitment this year, remembering that our first act of charity must be the offer of membership. We should not relax our efforts while there are still Catholic men on our campuses who do not know of the opportunity and benefits of being a Knight of Columbus. Every council can benefit from new, enthusiastic members to help plan for the next year. College councils are some of our best ambassadors for the Columbian ideals of charity, unity and fraternity. Last year, 20 college councils earned the distinction of Star Council (see page 11) and we expect that number to increase this year. There is still time for you and your council to meet the high standard of council achievement in membership growth and charitable activity. Successful college councils promote a culture and environment that strives to meet and exceed these goals on a yearly basis. Completing and submitting a Columbian Award Application (#SP-7) will help your council to analyze its growth in activity over the past two semesters. Successful programs, initiatives and membership drives do not just come together a few weeks into the fall semester. They require careful planning and promotion that allow you to hit the ground running with your new leadership team. Your best opportunity to promote and grow your council will be during the first few weeks in September, and successful councils begin planning now. Your council officers should meet at least once before departing school and plan for several touch points throughout the summer break. Consider the following agenda for summer planning: Develop a complete agenda of fall semester meetings/major events Draft a budget for council approval Schedule a September Membership Drive with a First Degree ceremonial. By planning your communications and delegating assignments for the next semester you are setting your council up for a more successful and fruitful experience in the fall. While phone calls with your officers may be helpful, they are not always needed. and online file-share services, like Google Drive, can help your council make quick progress over the summer and keep everyone informed. One of the most important events each council should plan for is the College Councils Conference to be held in New Haven Oct. 2-4, Online registration is open and every council should send at least two student representatives. This October marks the 50th occasion of the conference, and each year this event brings together our council officers and rising leaders for a weekend of training, networking and celebration of Knights of Columbus college councils. Many of you are looking forward to graduation, preparing to leave campus for the summer or planning for future studies and internships. This past year, as college Knights, you ve experienced the gift of membership in our Order, and you now carry forward the responsibility of leadership in your upcoming endeavors. Your work this year has prepared you in a special way to continue to answer the call of discipleship. Together, our fraternal communion supports us as Catholic laymen as we continue to labor for the sanctification of the world from within, as a leaven (Lumen Gentium, 31), building up the body of the Church by our works of charity and continued practice and promotion of the faith. May this Easter season be a time of growth and preparation for all of us as Knights of Columbus, sustained by the hope revealed through Christ s resurrection. Thomas Perretta Jr. Manager of College Councils & Young Adult Outreach COLLEGE COUNCILS DEPARTMENT Mail College Councils Department 18th Floor 1 Columbus Plaza New Haven, CT college@kofc.org Phone Visit Us Looking for Contributing Authors and Stories Your council plays an important role in fostering fraternity and acts of charity within your campus community. Don t let your good works go unrecognized. By sharing your council s story, you can be an inspiration to your brother Knights, providing ideas for activities and encouraging others to follow your example. Please allow us to give recognition to your charitable and fraternal projects by featuring your council in future editions of this newsletter. To submit, simply send us a few sentences detailing your project (including the when, where, what, who, why and how of the activity) and photos to college@kofc.org. If you have any questions about sending in photos, you may call the College Councils Department at Your stories can be of inspiration to other college councils throughout the Order, so we look forward to sharing them.

3 Enhancing Your Council s Social Media Presence For today s college students, using social media seems to be second nature. As Millenials you grew up posting to Facebook, sending tweets and snapchats, and watching videos on YouTube and Vine. However, it may not always be obvious how to transfer the experience of keeping up with friends and family on social media networks to sustaining an engaging online presence for your college council. To clarify the process, we ve put together these tips to help your council optimize its social media presence. Assign a council social media administrator. It is important to give one council member the task of maintaining your council s social media page(s). Assigning one person to be the administrator of social media accounts will allow your council to focus on programs and activities while having peace of mind that one of your own is dedicated to the constant work of fostering your council s online presence. Either your chancellor, whose duty is to strengthen members interest in council activities, or your recorder, who is tasked with keeping accounts of your council s history, should take on the role of admin on all council social media accounts. Your chancellor or recorder should share all login credentials with your grand knight, who should be granted admin status to all social media accounts and share some of the maintenance responsibilities. Don t spread yourself too thin. One of the most common mistakes organizations make online is trying to engage on too many platforms. While a good idea in theory, it spreads your resources thin and makes it difficult to keep up with different audiences on each platform. Instead, establish a robust presence on one or two social platforms. You can always build your presence as your reach grows. Active college councils should, at the very least, have a well-maintained public Facebook page. Facebook is a great place to start your council s social media presence because of its status as the largest social media platform and its relative ease of use. Your council only needs to update the page a few times a week to be effective. If your council chooses to expand its social media presence, Twitter and Instagram are two platforms that can be easily used in conjunction with Facebook. The longevity, continued relevance and large user base of these platforms has proven them to be more than just social media fads. Follow the Rule of Thirds. It may seem difficult to know exactly what content to post on your social media platforms. The best strategy to follow is the Rule of Thirds: one third of your posts should be related to the programs and initiatives of the Knights of Columbus (both those of the Supreme Council and your college council), one third of your posts should relate to your campus and local community, and the final third of your content should contain information related to the Catholic Church. The Rule of Thirds will create a balanced social media presence, expand your reach and impact with topics of interest to those outside your college council as well as within it, and foster a positive image of your council and the Order. Stay positive. Perhaps the most important strategy to remember when posting content to your council s social media accounts is to stay positive. Posts should promote the charitable works, programs and initiatives of your council and the Order, rather than criticize or reprove another campus group, political idea or public figure. Although it may be defending the Church s teachings and the beliefs of the Knights of Columbus to do so, negative content aimed at a group, idea or figure on social media platforms only discredits the good works of the Knights of Columbus, and it is never the behavior of a Catholic gentleman. Instead, posting content that supports the charitable works of the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic faith will allow your council to promote the Church s teachings and the initiatives of the Knights of Columbus while remaining engaging. Posting information about your council s events and sharing resources for spiritual development will encourage your audience to become involved with the Knights of Columbus and grow in their faith, rather than painting the council as a divisive and petty campus group. Share content from trusted sources. One of the easiest ways to enhance your council s presence on social media is to share content from official Knights of Columbus pages and organizations that are reputable and established. The wider the selection of trusted Catholic sites you share from, the wider your online audience becomes. CONFERENCE, FROM PAGE 1 Beginning in 1970, the Supreme Council hosted the conference in New Haven, Conn., where it continues to be held annually. Since that time, only the 2001 conference has been canceled, due to its proximity to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Each year the conference has grown and evolved, yet it retains its original identity a conference for college Knights, led by college Knights. The conference still maintains a conference chairman and relies on the College Councils Advisory Board to offer suggestions for speakers and topics, and to assist with presenting breakout sessions. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson with 2014 Outstanding College Council awardees at the Omni Hotel For more information on this year s conference, in New Haven, Conn. including online registration, please visit 3

4 4 Texas College Councils Conference Assumption Seminary Council hosted representatives from 10 other Texas college councils for the annual Texas College Councils Conference, held Feb in San Antonio. The weekend conference provided opportunities for prayer, fraternity and training. Several dignitaries attended, including Texas State Deputy Terry Simonton and Jack Gunn, director of Council Development for the Texas State Council. Father Jonathan Kalisch, O.P., director of Chaplains and Spiritual Development, joined from the Supreme Office, as did Robert Rauch, college council coordinator.

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6 6 Kindling the Light of Charity On March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, the parishioners of St. Mary s church settled into their pews for daily Mass. In the dim light of the church, the altar candles rested, still unlit although the liturgy was about to begin. As a Dominican Friar strode out of the sacristy to prepare the altar, he apologetically looked out at the congregation and asked, Would someone please light the candles? Please? An elderly gentleman, who had just walked into the Church, came forward immediately. He moved steadily to the altar, lighter in one hand and walking cane in the other. This man s silent response should speak volumes to us. Anyone in the church could have fulfilled the request. This man answered the call of his priest immediately, as if it had been a direct appeal to him. A Knight s vocation, as Father McGivney s example reminds us, is one of prayerfully offering oneself in charity. This call can be responded to in simple, yet profound, ways: by offering a listening ear, being attentive to the needs of your community, or even by lighting a candle. As the academic year winds down and the leisurely days of summer draw near, we may be tempted to take a vacation, as it were, from our call to charity. Let us fervently pray that we instead may confidently and humbly respond to each opportunity presented to us, kindling the light of charity throughout the world. You have heard it all too often that membership in the Knights of Columbus does not end after college. Yes, we are Leaders for Life. You get it. You know college council membership is only the beginning of the story. But what does that mean? It means now that you are graduating and likely moving off campus, you should consider your two options: to stay in your college council or transfer into a parish council. Option #1: Transfer into an existing parish council. The ideal scenario is for each and every college Knight to transfer and become an active member of a parish council. As a former college Knight, you are uniquely equipped to bring much needed energy and enthusiasm to your parish and community. If a Knights of Columbus council exists in your area, we hope you will join. The Find a Council application on kofc.org is only a starting point for this. If you want to know which councils near you are among the elite those which have earned the Star Council Award please contact us at college@kofc.org. If there are no councils available to you, we hope you will contact us to discuss how to start a new one. Option #2: Stay in your college council. This makes the most sense if you live near campus or will move somewhere close upon graduation. There are other reasons, too. Perhaps you are moving home temporarily. Maybe you prefer to wait until you are more established, or are just too busy right now. If this is the case, you are free to stay in your college council. We respect your decision, but we encourage you to make it a positive act. Don t just fade away. Communicate to your council s leadership. Provide up-todate contact information so your council and the Supreme Council can stay in touch annually. Be as active as you can and then, when the time comes, reassess your situation. Guidelines for Graduates Either choice is a win-win for you and the Knights of Columbus. Your new parish council will benefit from your energy and contribution to their work and from your help identifying new opportunities. If you are relocating, participating actively in a local parish council will help you integrate into your new community. If you are living near campus, your college council will gain from your knowledge and experience to mentor council leaders and to support their efforts. As an engaged alumni advisor you will enjoy the opportunity to share lessons and experiences from your emerging professional life. No matter which choice you make, your Knights of Columbus membership is for life. Either choice keeps you informed and plugged into Knights of Columbus news, events in your area and new member benefits. With college activities winding down, now might be the time to start thinking about your next step in the Knights.

7 For Officers: Getting the Jump on Next Year Your brother Knights have just elected you an officer of your council. Congratulations! Perhaps this is your first elected position, or maybe you ve made the move from guard to chancellor. For some of you this means being elected grand knight and charged with leading your council over the next fraternal year. Whatever position you ve been selected for, now is the time to start preparing for next year. Below are five simple ways to do this: 1) Meet with the brother Knight that held your position last year. For most officer positions, a single meeting will be enough to discuss what the role involves and to explain any tricks of the trade. For positions like grand knight, it may take several meetings to completely discuss all that s involved in leading the council. At this meeting, anything that needs to be handed over (recorder s minute book; checkbooks for the treasurer; access/passwords to the council s s, Facebook or website; etc.) should be given to the newly elected officers. 2) Meet with your grand knight (if you re the grand knight, meet with each of your officers). Each officer should meet with his grand knight to discuss his role during the upcoming fraternal year. As mentioned above, you ll want to continue to improve upon the work of your predecessor, but your grand knight may have an additional goal or objective for you. Additionally, you may have a special event or focus that you d like to work on in the upcoming year. For example, as advocate, you may want to promote pro-life activities within the council. Maybe as warden, you wish to help maintain the Newman Center grounds by shoveling snow and raking leaves. There s always flexibility to expand and define your officer role, so make sure you take the time now to discuss this with your grand knight and plan for the year ahead. 3) Get to know the other Catholic group leaders on campus. Other Catholic organizations on campus have also selected leaders for their clubs for the coming year, and in order to begin collaboration, you should meet with these leaders now. In order to reduce the burden on the grand knight, perhaps each officer can serve as a liaison for one group. 4) To the best of your ability, plan the fall semester now. Start by scheduling business and officers meetings, and by planning a recruitment drive for early September. Then, begin filling in service projects, faith programs and social events. Successful college councils typically hold two non-meeting events per week. For councils not up to this activity level, start by holding three non-meeting events a month one service, one faith and one social. This allows your council to touch on all pillars of the Knights each month. From here, you ll begin to schedule events more frequently, eventually to the level of two per week. 5) Pray for your work as an officer, the members of your council and those your council will impact. Having a robust prayer life is an extremely important aspect of being a Knight, but especially important for officers. Being an officer can be challenging and demanding at times, especially with schoolwork and the other exciting opportunities of college life. By maintaining your focus on God you can best serve your council and campus community. The Order, the Future and You As college students, you don t need any lectures on the importance of preparing for the future. You are already spending a significant amount of money and a significant amount of time investing in yours by pursuing your degree. You are already pouring a lot of blood, sweat and tears into learning the tricks of the trade that you wish to enter upon graduation. You are positioning yourself for job opportunities or post-graduate pursuits by building up your resume and tackling extracurriculars. The future is always at the forefront of your mind. The same is true about your membership in the Order. As a member of the Knights of Columbus, you are making a conscious decision to plan for your future. By deepening your prayer and sacramental life, expanding your knowledge of the faith, and experiencing the powerful witness of your brother Knights and those you serve, you are becoming a better Catholic and a better man. You are preparing yourself to be a better father and a better husband. It s part of what makes the experience of collegiate Knighthood so special. But there s another way that your membership in the Knights of Columbus can help you prepare for the future. The Order can help you prepare financially. After all, it wasn t just for the sake of fraternal activities such as ultimate frisbee and year-end barbecues that Father McGivney founded the Knights. McGivney himself a victim of the To find him, visit kofc.org/findagent. devastation of the unexpected loss of a breadwinner wanted to provide financial protection and security to members and their families. The Knights stay true to this mission today through its top-rated insurance program, which has earned us a place in the Fortune The $97-billion insurance program is not only the financial engine which powers the good works of our beloved Order, but a source of reliable and critical protection for the hundreds of thousands of members who participate in the program. And it s Catholic thoroughly Catholic. The Knights of Columbus screens all of its potential investments to make sure it doesn t invest in business activities that violate Church teaching. You may be surprised at how the Knights Insurance program can help protect you and your family. With options like the Young Adult Insurance Program to retirement annuities and permanent life insurance, the Knights can help you prepare for the uncertainties in your future and begin charting a successful financial course for life beyond college. You ve made nothing but responsible decisions about your future up until this point consider this an opportunity to make another. Contact your brother Knight field agent and see what options are available to you. 7

8 George Mason University K of C Launches #RosesForDignity Valentine s Campaign Council initiates a campus-wide dialogue on pornography s effects on recognizing human worth By Daniel Tillson, Chancellor of George Mason Council This year, the day before Valentine s Day, George Mason University Council of Fairfax, Va., handed out 250 roses to ladies on campus to jumpstart a conversation about the effects of lust and pornography on recognizing human dignity and beauty. Chaplain Father Peter Nassetta said, The students were looking for a way to honor their fellow students in a creative way this Valentine s Day and drew inspiration from Bishop Loverde s pastoral letter Bought With a Price. Lust and pornography are big issues on a college campus, and it s important to challenge our students to see how it affects our ability to love. Each of the 250 roses had an attached card with an excerpt from Bishop Loverde s pastoral letter: All women have an innate beauty and dignity that men should always recognize. But lust and pornography obscure and destroy people s ability to see one another as unique and beautiful expressions of God s creation. On the eve of the event, Grand Knight and GMU Senior Connor Xavios spoke to the Catholic Campus Ministry community, saying, St. John Paul II implored us that our duty as men is to preserve the dignity of all women. Addressing the women, he added, This is a reminder that you have a dignity that no one can take away, that you are beautiful, and you are always enough. The back of the cards included handwritten notes from brother Knights, with affirmations such as Receive the unconditional love you were made to receive and You deserve nothing less than authentic love. Sophomore Julia Moskel was one of the recipients of the roses and responded, Some men have lost respect for women, because our culture demeans it. It is really great to know that we are loved and what love really is. 8

9 University of Wisconsin Polar Plunge By Grand Knight Nicholas Konetzke Feb. 21, 2015, the college Knights of University of Wisconsin Madison Council 6568 participated in the Madison-area Polar Plunge in support of Special Olympics Wisconsin. The team raised nearly $500 dollars in pledges for the event and braved pond water just barely above freezing temperatures. Three council members joined Grand Knight Nicholas Konetzke for the plunge. First year students Colin Konetzke and Patrick Cimmings, who both joined in the fall semester, jumped into the water, while Kennedy Klingele assisted in raising funds and providing moral support. College Knights in Action Council 8320 Participates in Danie s Day: Fun-Filled Day for Children With Down Syndrome Remembers Late Student John Carroll University Council 8320 of University Heights, Ohio, took part in the university s third annual Danie s Day on March 14, Danie s Day honors a late university student who passionately sought to help children, especially those with Down syndrome. Throughout the day, JCU students paired with participants with Down syndrome for various games and activities. Led by Grand Knight Alex Esparza, the Knights staffed a crafts table. 9

10 George Washington University Council Places Wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Feb. 21, 2015, bearing cold and snow, members of George Washington University Council of Washington, D.C., placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The council s grand knight, deputy grand knight, treasurer and financial secretary participated in the wreath presentation while other council members gave their support from the crowd. Following the wreath presentation, council members prayed at the tomb before sharing a fraternal meal. 10 Supply Order Reminders College councils receive free fraternal supplies from the Supreme Office. In order to take advantage of this benefit, grand knights and financial secretaries should submit completed Requisition (#1) to college@kofc.org for processing. Please note that college councils still pay shipping on all supply orders. In addition to normal council supplies (candidate s kits, membership cards, envelopes), be sure to check out our line of college-specific materials. We constantly strive to update and add to this list and welcome any ideas for materials that would be helpful to your efforts on campus. Contact us at college@kofc.org with any ideas or suggestions. College Council Brochure Item # 4606 College Council Poster True Brotherhood Item # 4733 C (English and French) College Council Poster Spiritual Formation Item # 4733 D College Council Poster Leadership Development Item # 4733 A College Council Poster Building a Better World Item # 4733 E College Council Poster Be the Difference Item # 4733 B A Prayer for Study Item # 4791

11 Reach for the Stars: Achieving Star Council Status E very council should strive to earn the Star Council Award. This distinction recognizes councils that have met the Order s mission in membership, insurance and programming. Earning Star Council status is an honor for any council, but it should be noted that this is even more impressive for college councils, given the shorter time frame in which you must reach your goals. Last year 20 college councils earned the Star Council Award. This year, we hope even more councils will earn this distinct honor. There are six requirements for achieving Star Council status: 1) Meet your council s assigned Membership Quota. 2) Meet your council s assigned Insurance Quota. 3) Complete four activities in each of the six service program categories (Church, Community, Council, Family, Culture of Life and Youth). Report these activities by completing the Columbian Award Application (SP-7). 4) Complete the Service Program Personnel Report (#365). 5) Complete the Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity (#1728). 6) Be in good standing and current in all Supreme assessments as of June 30. All forms can be submitted online at Forms must be submitted by June 30 to be eligible for the Star Council Award. There are no exceptions. Councils that have questions on their progress for the Star Council Award should contact the College Councils Department at college@kofc.org or Service Program Personnel Report Form #365 Due August 1 Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity Form #1728 Due January 31 McGivney Award Membership Quota of Founders Award Insurance Quota of Columbian Award Report Form #SP7 June 30 In Good Standing All Council Assessments paid by June 30 Campus Reminders Gains: Losses: Gains: Losses: YTD Apr. May June YTD Apr. May June Church Community Council Culture of Life Family Youth As the semester winds down and you prepare for summer vacation, make sure to wrap up the following: Report Newly Elected Officers Your financial secretary can report these changes via Member Management, or you can complete and submit the Report of Officers Chosen for Term (#185). Additionally, report your service personnel through Member Management or by completing and submitting the Service Program Personnel Report (#365). Complete the Columbian Award Application (SP-7) Even if you do not believe that your council will achieve Star Council status this year, you should complete the Columbian Award Application (SP-7). By completing this form you will help us to learn more about your council, and you will also be helping your council to prepare for next year. This form is due June 30. Scheduling Campus Visits We are now beginning to plan campus visits for the fall semester. If your council could benefit from a visit by a member of the College Councils Department, please reach out to us at college@kofc.org or

12 50 TH COLLEGE COUNCILS CONFERENCE Registration Now Open! Oct. 2-4, 2015 New Haven, Conn. For details and registration, please visit: collegeconference