The three columns in the AEPhi crest also have very distinct and profound meanings: they symbolize faculty approval, student esteem and sorority fidelity. These columns are accompanied by the phrase “Multa Corda, Una Causa,” which translates to Many Hearts, One Purpose. This represents the understanding that our most heartfelt and deepest values guide our priorities as an organization.
Faculty Approval
Our faculty approval column symbolizes our commitment to supporting our members’ academic pursuits and their commitment to academic excellence.
Student Esteem
We want our chapters to be active contributing citizens and be respected in their communities for living up to the values of our organization. We encourage this involvement both as individuals and as chapters. Our members are participants and leaders in variety of campus organizations from varsity sports to student government to academic honor societies. We value our members’ individuality, and we encourage each of our members to discover and develop the talents and abilities that make her unique. We also prize the lifelong friendships and learning that result from sharing our personalities and abilities with each other.
Sorority Fidelity
Our third column, sorority fidelity, emphasizes the importance of loyalty and commitment to Alpha Epsilon Phi and our sisters. If you were to ask our members what is the most important part of being an AEPhi, they would probably say the time with their sisters – both within the chapter and on campus– is what connects the women to one another and provides the most cherished memories of sisterhood.
AVENUES
AVENUES (Advocating Visions to Encourage New Understanding of Education and Sisterhood), is AEPhi’s total member education program. AVENUES has six components representing the various phases of AEPhi membership and provides values based education and personal development throughout our membership. AVENUES also promotes and fosters the development of good moral character, responsible citizenship, and improvement of physical and mental health.
The goals of AVENUES are:
To develop a lifetime commitment to AEPhi.
To provide education about the foundations and principles of our sisterhood.
To help sisters grow through their membership in AEPhi and attain their highest potential.
To develop educated, thoughtful sisters by addressing pertinent developmental issues and topics.
To develop personal relationships and lifelong friendships.
C.A.R.E
C.A.R.E stands for Compassion Awareness Response Empathy, and this program aims to create a meaningful experience to educate women about compassionate and supportive responses to sexual assault. Discussing sexual violence can be scary, isolating, and nerve wrecking- but as sisters, we are responsible for being supportive of one another, and practicing how to have these conversations is crucial. The purpose of the CARE program is to prepare sisters to have these difficult conversations by teaching women the necessary terminology and communication skills to have a compassionate conversation around sexual violence, and give women the tools that they need to support their sisters and friends. The program also teaches participants how to take care of themselves as they serve as a support system to others, and ensure that they have the confidence to navigate their campus resources for support. The CARE program looks to strengthen our sisterhood by developing our ability to better support our sisters and our community.
Lean In
AEPhi launched its Lean In partnership as a new Second Avenue initiative during fall 2015 with a pilot program involving three chapters. Lean In and AEPhi have very similar missions, being to empower women, and AEPhi's goal is to gear its Lean In programming to the college demographic, primarily through uniquely tailored, small group workshops that focus on specific skills and concepts that will benefit sisters personally and professionally. The pilot workshop is geared around energizing, an essential part of centered leadership. Through a discussion of shared experiences, sisters learn how to create sustainable practices to prevent burnout and renew their energy during inevitably stressful times. By focusing on their passions and gratitude, sisters become more self-aware and can learn to focus on the positive aspects in life to overcome the negative. By summer 2019, every AEPhi chapter and colony will have completed the first Lean In program.