This month, NeW caught up with the women from NeW at the University of Mississippi. Learn about the great work these women are doing on campus from their e-board members.
Why is NeW important to your chapter?
NeW is so important to our chapter here at the University of Mississippi because there are several other political organizations on our campus, and the majority of these organizations have less than conservative views. Often, members of our chapter have felt like conservative voices were not being heard and not being equally represented on our campus. This is especially true in recent months due to the pandemic and political strife that came from it. NeW has given us an awesome opportunity to band together as a community of conservative women to ensure our ideals are being respected and heard on both our campus and in the community. NeW has given us a place to come together when we feel like the odd ones out on our campus due to our personal politics, while also helping us grow, find lifelong friendships, and survive college.
What kind of impact has your chapter had on campus?
Our chapter has given many of the conservative women on our campus a platform to speak on, as well as support and friendship during these tough college years. NeW at Ole Miss has become a safe haven for our members to discuss national policies, as well as local issues in our city and on our campus. Due to COVID19 and our school’s pandemic policies, our freedoms in regard to meetings and events have been restricted, so our impact has been minimized. However, we have great plans for the future months, and we hope to continue recruiting more conservative women to join our community. From professional development events, to member bonding activities, to just hanging out, NeW at Ole Miss cannot wait to show everyone what we have in store. In fact, we have something fun planned for this week! With Mississippi beginning to warm up and transition into spring, our members will be heading outside to take their very own DIY professional headshots for LinkedIn, as well as collaborating to create fantastic resumes.
What has been your chapter’s favorite event to host and why?
Our chapter has not had many opportunities to hold events and activities during COVID, but despite this setback, we honestly cannot decide on a favorite event we have held. We have a tie for our top two favorite events! In the fall semester of 2020, we hosted speaker Leah Whetstone over Zoom for a presentation on personal style within your career. We loved this event because style in the business world is not a topic that we feel is discussed often, and it really gave our members good insight on dressing to impress, as well as dressing appropriately for certain occasions. In February 2021, we held a volunteer event where our members had the opportunity to handwrite Valentine’s Day cards to residents at our local nursing home, Oxford Health and Rehab. This was such a fun opportunity that allowed our chapter’s members to give back to the community.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a chapter on their campus?
DO. IT. There are so many reasons to just go for it! NeW gives you the opportunity to engage with women who hold similar values to your own, which in turn, creates sisterhood, bonding, and a sense of community. Many of our members have become great friends through working together with NeW, like our President, Madison Vice, and our Treasurer, Mattie Hooker. Not only does NeW help you form these awesome relationships with other women on your campus, but it also opens the door for tons of fun opportunities, from campus events to retreats to CPAC. Our executive board is looking forward to this year’s Leadership Retreat because it is going to be a fun way to bond with each other and get to know other NeW women from all around the United States. Due to opportunities like this, NeW is great for networking because you do get that unique opportunity for connection with other conservative women that would be really hard to find somewhere else. You won’t regret starting a NeW chapter at your school. It is such a blast!
Learn how you can get involved with the chapter on your campus or find out how you can bring NeW to your school. Contact us if you have any questions.
