Texas Tech Panhellenic

Gym Memberships:

As summer approaches, some of us will be leaving Lubbock to go home or staying behind to endure some more classes. Even though we are all looking forward to this sun-filled summer break, it is important to keep up with fitness. Staying on a regular exercise schedule can decrease the risk of disease, boosts your metabolism, and improves overall well-being. Below is a compiled list of gym memberships around the major cities of Texas (including Lubbock). Be sure to call and ask about student discounts!

Lubbock:

Planet Fitness

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Basic Membership: $10 per month, $20 initiation fee

Planet Fitness Black Card (upgraded membership): $19.99 per month

Location: 3249 50th Street Lubbock, TX 79413

Features: Use of massage chairs and tanning beds at an upgraded      membership

Bodyworks Family Sports Centers 

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 

Basic Membership: $29.99 per month 

Locations: 4th, 34th, 50th, and 82nd Street 

Closest to campus: 5402 4th Street Lubbock, TX 79416

Features: Dry sauna, smoothie bar, locker rooms, tanning beds, and group exercise classes

Premier Sportsplex

Hours vary (figure out the time of day you enjoy working out - this could help narrow down your search)

Monday - Thursday: 5:00AM - 11:00PM

Friday: 5:00AM - 8:00PM

Saturday: 9:00AM - 6:00PM

Sunday: 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Basic Membership: $24.95 per month  

Location: 9000 Memphis Lubbock, TX 79424  

Features: Steam rooms, climbing wall, racquetball, basketball      courts, recreational pool, and numerous classes offered daily

Orangetheory Fitness

Scheduled classes from 5:00AM - 7:00PM (figure out the time of day you enjoy working out - this could help narrow down your search) 

Membership: Price is determined upon the number of sessions

Basic Membership: $59 per month, 4 classes

Elite Membership: $99 per month; 8 classes

Premier Membership: $159 per month; unlimited classes

NOTE: Additional classes can be added to the Basic and  Elite memberships for $14 and $12

Location: 5214 98th Street, Suite 300 Lubbock, TX 79424  

Features: Locker rooms, state-of-the-art equipment, and      motivational trainers  

Texas-Wide Gyms (some locations may vary):

Anytime Fitness

24 hour access, 7 days a week  

Basic Membership: Roughly $35 per month, $50 initiation fee

Features: Tanning, private bathrooms, and fitness classes  

YMCA

Hours vary based on location (figure out the time of day you enjoy working out - this could help narrow down your search)

Basic Membership: Around $50, $121 initiation fee  

Features: Several fitness classes, children's activities, and sauna  

Lifetime Fitness

24 hours a day, 7 days a week  

Basic Membership: Around $77, $189 initiation fee  

Features: Indoor/Outdoor pool, jacuzzi, group fitness, and dry/wet      sauna  

Gold’s Gym

24 hours a day, 7 days a week  

Basic Membership: $35 per month, $50 annual fee (if you will be returning to Texas Tech, watch out for gym memberships that require annual fees - you may not be getting your moneys worth)

Features: Lap pools, sauna, group fitness, towel service, and      whirlpool  

24 Hour Fitness

24 hours a day, 7 days a week  

Basic Membership: $35 per month, $50 annual fee (if you will be returning to Texas Tech, watch out for gym memberships that require annual fees - you may not be getting your moneys worth)   

Features: Lap pools, sauna, group fitness, towel service, and      whirlpool  

LA Fitness

Hours vary by location (figure out the time of day you enjoy working out - this could help narrow down your search)

Basic Membership: $30 per month, $100 initiation fee  

Features: Juice bar, sauna, group fitness, indoor pool, and sauna  

Equinox Fitness

Hours vary by location (figure out the time of day you enjoy working out - this could help narrow down your search)

Membership: $195 per month, $400 initiation fee  

Features: Top-of-the-line beauty products, equipment, and fitness      instructors

Snap Fitness 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week  

Basic Membership: $35 per month  

Features: HDTV, private showers, nutrition consultants, and high-quality equipment  

This list is just a start! Working out goes beyond appearances; it’s about discipline and maintaining a healthy lifestyle so you can thrive. YOU GOT THIS! 

On January 1, 2016, House Bill 910 went into effect giving authority to any licensed individual the right to openly carry a holstered gun. However, this does not include college campuses. On August 1, 2016, Senate Bill 11 will go into effect giving authority to licensed individuals to conceal and carry a holstered gun on campus. Are you interested in receiving your concealed handgun licenses? If so, go to: https://txapps.texas.gov/txapp/txdps/chl/

It is 2016, and a healthy lifestyle is in fashion. The huge breakthrough of the FitBit has left many college aged students checking their step count, active minutes and even sleep patterns. It seems as though America is more in tune with their health than ever before. The obsession of reaching 10,000 steps in one day has made a huge health impact on young adults across the country. We now hold the power to track our sleep patterns without the use of scientific equipment, and it is fascinating. After months of improvements and updates, I am pleased to announce the Best Fitness Products of 2016.

The Smart Rope

On average, a person can burn nearly 600 calories jumping rope for an hour. The Smart Rope is a new high-tech jump rope that transmits data from your workout to your smart phone. Get your cardio in just about anywhere with this stunningly-sleek jump rope priced at $89.99. Also, be sure to check out the app it syncs up with called Smart Gym. This energized jump rope provides the number of calories burned, as well as, your jump count through LED lights that flash in front of you as the jump rope swings. Get out there, get jumping!

Withings Thermo

The Withings Thermo is essentially an upgraded thermometer. With a whopping 16 sensors, and app that connects, this thermometer can take an accurate reading in under 2 seconds. Priced at $99, this thermometer + app can analyze what over-the-counter medications you could take to lower a fever, and share your temperature diary with your doctor.

Lumo Run

Imagine a Fitness Tracker built into your clothes, well with Lumo Run you can measure changes in running velocity, pelvic rotation, stride length, bounce, cadence, and ground contact time all in the stylish pair of capris ($99). These are the perfect choice of pants for runners everywhere! You can pre order these pants on the Lumo Run website, and they are scheduled to ship early summer 2016.

Fitbit Charge HR

The Fitbit Charge HR ($149.95) is one of the best products Fitbit has come out with. Although it is priced at a higher rate, the Fitbit Charge HR encompasses your daily fitness tracker (including a feature that instantly recognizes a workout), heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and post-workout summaries. This is the perfect accessory for transitioning from spring to summer, and the built-in heart rate monitor adds the perfect touch to tracking your heart rate zones. Other Fitbit devices that track heart rate include the Surge and Blaze.

“Studying abroad has always been a goal of mine. Exploring the world while working towards my degree is allowing me to really internalize the experience and all it has to offer. Even though we’re only a month into this journey, my favorite part has absolutely been meeting some of my favorite people who I know will be a part of my life even after we all head back home. Studying abroad, you learn things about yourself that you never knew. You open doors that you weren’t even aware were a possibility of being opened. I would love to see everyone around me get to experience the beauty and happiness I have enjoyed since I have been in Italy.” - Vanessa Robles

As we ease into a new semester, it is important to embrace each challenge with an open mind. We are no longer in the familiarity of the classes we survived last semester nor are we in the holiday mindset. We are back in college. Also, we are closer and closer to that diploma.

New classes bring around new challenges, but we shouldn't forget to stop and enjoy our time in college. So as we enter Spring 2016, I encourage us as women to follow these 5 easy steps for transitioning into this semester…

Set Goals. If you only choose one step to follow from this entire list please let it be this one. While you may be happy with the grades you got last semester, there is always room for improvement. So whether it be studying an extra hour a week, going to all your classes, or getting to know all your professors, setting goals is a surefire way to excel this spring. Check out this awesome list of goals that can apply to every college student.

Make new friends. Join clubs, get the phone numbers or emails of classmates you sit next to, or meet your dorm/apartment/house neighbors! In 2016, spend more time on forming friendships with your fellow Texas Tech students. We can always find things in common with the people we surround ourselves with, and there are students out there on campus who we can learn a lot from. “Be genuinely interested in everyone you meet, and everyone you meet will be genuinely interested in you.” -Rasheed Ogunlaru

Plan your week in order of importance. Procrastination and poor time management can be a big problem in college-aged students. Next time you are assigned homework, knock it out before watching that next episode of Grey's Anatomy. Have a needs list, a wants list, and a list of things that can wait to be done until you have free time. Hanging out with friends, going shopping, and other fun sorority activities can be thought of as an award for getting the academically prioritized work done first!

Take time for yourself. Every now and then, we can work ourselves into the ground. If you feel like stress is beating you down, don’t be afraid to take a few minutes to go to the gym, eat a healthy snack, or chat with some friends to decompress. I’m fairly sure that we have all encountered stressful times, after all it is college, so be cautious of your mental health and really listen to your body.

Hazing has been around for years in some form or another. Members claim it is used to "prove that an individual is serious about joining their organization." Yeah, ok.... Because that justification is totally logical and all...

But you know, hazing isn't just a fraternity or sorority thing. Look, it's no coincidence Tim Tebow started sporting this...Monk style haircut shortly after joining the Denver Broncos....

This raises the question: why would this individual, Tim Tebow, a star collegiate player, a player who was expected to do nothing but good things for the franchise, be hazed? Seriously, like why Tebow? He's like a sweet little puppy. Regardless of how you feel about him, Tebow was an important, positive addition to this franchise. People were excited about him. They couldn't wait to see all he would accomplish.

He's recognized as an individual of character. He has his values. More importantly... He made a point to make it very clear that his values are important to him.

Yet he was hazed. But at the same time he allowed himself to be hazed....? He didn't stick up for himself. Even worse, his teammates did not stick up for him. UMM HELLO THAT LITERALLY THROWS THE MEANING OF TEAM OUT THE WINDOW

We could go on about the numerous examples of hazing from the NFL, but we know you don't want to read a novel, and we have more key points to make because, well, the hazing doesn't stop there.

Hazing can be found in popular media:

Recognize any of these?

We watch many of these shows and laugh.  They are meant to be funny. They're meant to engage us and make us smile.

However they're far from reality.

Laughter does not excuse you from responsibility. Hazing is very serious issue. It can happen physically, yes, but it can also occur emotionally or mentally. People argue that hazing is essential for tearing someone down in order to build them back up. If this individual was already worthy of your membership (which is why you extended them a bid in the first place) why do you need to tear down who they are? They've already proven their worthy of membership by demonstrating the values Y O U recruited them on!

So now, that being said, how do you recognize hazing? Here are a few questions that may help you analyze if this is hazing:

Why is this person doing this?

If the individual is doing an activity or being told something or made fun of, why is that? Is it because they are in a position where they need your acceptance? Are either you or the person making them do this in a position of authority over them?

Is this something I am doing alongside this person?

Are you joining in with the activity if physical? Are you beside the individual(s) and willing to go through the same thing? The common response to this is that you went through it before so yes. But here is the difference, you were not the one in the position of power then, as you are now. Would you currently go through it?

Is the individual comfortable with this activity?

This is the trickiest one. We talk about challenging individuals to become more than they are. It is also important, however, as a leader to recognize that you have a responsibility to respect each of your members. This includes the ones who aren't able to stand up for themselves.  You don’t know everyone’s backstory, but you can still treat them with respect.

Sometimes standing up for something that doesn’t seem right can feel awkward, uncomfortable, or embarrassing, right?

Isn’t it more embarrassing, awkward, and uncomfortable though whenever you see your chapter in trouble for something that a member did that you could have prevented?

If someone were in trouble, you would help them, right? Well I would definitely hope so, since our chapter’s goals are to build us to be the best woman that we can be.

Sometimes we don’t realize that the smallest things we do are affecting those around us, making them uncomfortable, putting them in a situation they don’t want to be in, or causing them harm.

This is called hazing, and you can change that. Don’t just stand around and watch it happen, be the change.

I know when fraternity new members (pledges) come to pick you up for that totally fun party that night, it seems all fun and games like:

And while you were off having so much fun with your guy friends, and your sister has too much to drink. You think it’s all right to just let others take care of her, because she’s just totally annoying when she drinks.

But, when you really look around at all the people there you realize that it’s not the coolest thing in the entire world. You even see some girls getting into an argument, but I’m sure they’ll be fine, right?

Or when you see someone who has had too much to drink makin a fool of themselves, and you think this in your head:

  It’s not hard to stand up, help out and prevent a situation from going bad.

Be the to help out, you know when you see it.

Being in this Greek community means helping out those around you even if they aren’t in your chapter.

We are all sisters in the community.

Let's kick it off by cutting to the chase and powering through the most popular excuses our chapters use to justify HAZING: 

"Its just a prank." We just met these women. They have 18 years of experiences they bring to the table. We don't come out and say these things right away - it takes time to build trust. 

Can you really be certain that your harmless pranks aren't creating uncomfortable situations that may hit a little too close to home.  Don't expect people to raise their hand to express their discomfort. 

You may not be able to see the physical scars, but have you thought about the mental scars members in your chapter may have? A prank to you, can be a nightmare for others. 

"We give our new members an option to not participate. They chose to participate."  By not participating, new members feel excluded.  FOMO is never more #real in a chapter than when you are a new member and feel the pressure to make new friends, be "in" on all of the inside jokes and show your enthusiasm for the organization.

They'll participate because they want to be included, and they feel there is not other option. 

"We didn't mean for it to turn into this, we aren't trying to hurt anyone. It's just fun"

Intent doesn't always equal the impact. Rethink the real impact of your decisions. The best way to address this is to plan every event to a T.

Almost all of the situations we find our selves in that cross the line aren't planned. It's that random last minute to decision to amp up the event that takes it too far and creates an unsafe environment.

If you are nervous about flirting with that line - or you know you have a member that always goes a little too far...

Skip the explosion and plan around them. Communicate the plan with them.  Be very clear how you expect the event to look and what the consequences will be should they not be met. 

"They want to be hazed."

..........oh so they want to be physically and emotionally damaged all while trying to balance a completely new lifestyle away from home? 

  New members want to be welcomed and included, not hazed.

THERE IS NO CONSENT IN HAZING!

Now, there is no doubt that movies, social media and pop culture have primed our members to expect hazing as a part of the experience.

BUT really? How realistic are some of the things that we learn from pop culture?

How often are characters on TV held accountable for their actions? That must happen after the credits roll. In real life there are consequences. Chapters AND individuals that are found responsible for hazing are risking their rights to remain on campus (that's right, if you are caught hazing - you can be kicked out of school).

THERE ARE NO GOOD EXCUSES FOR HAZING!

So what comes to mind when you hear the word "hazing?"

Let me guess, something along the lines of:

The "extreme" stories; the "horrors of 'Hell Week'"; the kind of acts that only end up getting a charter revoked; the type of things that couldn't possibly happen in your chapter...am I right? But did you think about the smaller "things?" Are you aware there are smaller things?

I'm talking things like:

Making members, new or active, feel embarrassed or bad about themselves for not going out, being "social" or participating in specific events

Going Abby Lee dance instructor crazy on members trying to prep for S.O. Sing, recruitment dances, skits ect.

Making a member feel bad for not hanging out with members of "XYZ"

Using your age difference (because that 2-3 year age difference of yours makes you so much more mature) as an advantage to make younger members feel inferior

Or on the other hand, using that age difference to make them feel more comfortable in doing something a younger member shouldn't 

Guilt tripping members into doing something they may not want to do because apparently a "true sister would"

Influencing members to put their sorority first.... like above their academics...which is why they are here in the first place...(that one I just never understand)

It's an exciting time to be a Panhellenic woman at Texas Tech! Here is what you can expect to come in the following weeks as we begin the next phase of the extension process:

Our Extension Committee spent hours and hours looking though applications, finding the qualities that would be best suited for our community. Now that the selection has narrowed down to three, it's time you get to know the women of these organizations Each organization offers a unique sisterhood alongside valuable membership opportunities. We encourage you to follow each of their national headquarters social media profiles to familiarize yourself with what could be your potential neighbors! 

At the end of October, representatives of each sorority will make the trip down to Lubbock for formal presentations. These presentations stand as their final opportunity to express their interest in joining our Panhellenic community.

Learn more about Alpha Xi Delta Learn more about Phi Mu Learn more about Delta Zeta

Following the final presentation on October 23rd, the Extension Committee will hold their final deliberation and make their selection.

We will reveal to the community the official selection shortly after.

Texas Tech Panhellenic's 12th chapter will officially begin colonization winter 2015.

  Throwback to the days of playing the telephone game. Remember we’d whisper something to the person next to us, and then pass it along to another person until it got to the end of the line? Then by the time it did get to the end, Sally wasn’t sellin’ seashells, she was sellin’ basketballs on Greek Circle.

It’s so so soooooooo important not to get caught up in the gossip girl chitter-chatter with other pnm’s during recruitment. Look at it this way, you’re new to the Panhellenic community, and so are they. The only thing that you know is right, is what is right for YOU.

So, on that note, we’re going to set a few facts straight and hopefully clear the air.

Going through recruitment as a sophomore, junior or senior  DOES NOT lower your chances of being invited back. Chapters are seeking Potential New Members with the qualities and characteristics they think are going to elevate their sisterhood. And guess what, as a sophomore, you’re joining the greek community with a solid grasp of how to handle the college lifestyle and workload. PERKS!

Want to know a secret about our fabulous House Rho Gammas? They’re not “posted” in front of their own chapter.  They’re not spies; they’re not reporting back to that chapter about every single move you make; they’re not out to get you- they’re here to help you find your home! Remember that! Use them as another excellent resource for advice and guidance as your decision process narrows.

Eat the snacks. Seriously. Your body needs it! Recruitment is supposed to be a safe and enjoyable experience. Keep yourself hydrated and fed!

The Texas Tech Panhellenic community is currently in the beginning stages of the extension process. That being said, WE DO NOT KNOW which chapter will be established on our campus next fall. The extension process works sort of like recruitment. So right now, the chapters that would like to join the Texas Tech community have registered for their recruitment. That’s it.

So that’s the facts. But don’t worry about all these distractions right now. Just keep swimming and #TTP