By DEX Advisor, Becky Shand

Thursday, January 21st, brought together 100 plus business students at the 2010 SCTC DEX Invitational. The DEX Invitational is sponsored by our corporate partner, MARCO and supported by 50 plus St. Cloud area alumni and business people who generously volunteer their time to judge. The event affords students from the Advertising, Credit and Finance, and Sales and Management Programs from SCTC and 8 other Minnesota colleges to practice problem solving and critical thinking skills in real business situations. They presented to professionals from related business fields and were well prepared and presented their skills with pride and confidence.

Students competed in events such as Design, Advertising Campaign, Sales Manager Meeting, Employment Interview, Retail Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing and several Sales events. First, second, and third place awards were earned by numerous students along with certificates of participation.

MARCO Awards were also earned by outstanding students competing in both categories of 1st year and 2nd year Sales Representative. The 1st year award was earned by Jackie Tendrup of the Sales and Management Program and the 2nd year award was earned by Holly Landwehr, Vice President of DEX and student in the Finance and Credit Program.

A special Thank You to the advisors, instructors, staff, administrators, and maintenance folks who helped bring this large event together with such success. Some of you gave up a classroom, some of you helped students practice, while others served as judges, many of you helped with set up and take down, while others supported the students with comments of encouragement.

The students are now preparing for the MN DEX Career Development Conference which will be held February 23 – 25, in Mankato. Thank you for your continued support of the students in the DEX Student Organization!

Below: Students with advisor, Michelle Laumb, from Rasmussen College – Brooklyn Park attended for the first time. (Click for larger view)

   

Click here to view more 2010 DEX Invitational Pictures

By: Mike Haney, DEX Public Relations Officer

The SCTC Sales and Management students and Delta Epsilon Chi Chapter members put on a successful Coat Drive again this year. They collected 60 coats and 35 hats/mittens/scarves for their neighbors at Hands Across The World. The students had a great time collecting, organizing, and delivering the warm items. This event was chaired by SAMG student, Joe Stimack, who did an awesome job! We had a great turnout and would like to thank all of YOU who donated. A special thank you is also extended to Linda Kotschevar from the SCTC BookStop for her continued support of this “warm” effort.

By: Mike Haney, DEX Public Relations Officer

This fall the six person officer team consisting of Ashley Raisanen (President), Holly Landwehr (Vice President), Nathan Kohorst (Student Senate Rep), Kevin Harrison (Student Senate Rep), Sara Gram (Recorder) and Mike Haney (Public Relations) attended DEX Leadership Officer Training held at the St. Cloud Civic Center.

Left to right: Kevin Harrison, Ashley Raisenen, Mike Haney, Sara Gram, Nate Kohorst, Holly Landwher.

Training was a day full of team building activities and networking with fellow DEX officers from all over the state. The DEX Officer Team worked on their “Plan of Work” for the year establishing goals in four areas of the DEX Diamond. The DEX State Officers did an awesome job of organizing the day for us!

Welcome to the new decade. We hope the holiday season was a time for everyone to spend
time with friends and family, and to remember what is important in life. Thank you to
everyone for being a Delta Epsilon Chi member as we enter a new year, your future can really
begin through your activities in DEX.

Invitational competition is a great way to get some experience in DEX competitive events to
prepare for the Career Development Conference. Invitational will take place on the St. Cloud
Technical College campus on Thursday, January 21st. I hope everyone takes advantage of this
opportunity to hone your skills so you can really perform well at the state level. This is also a
great experience in that you can do multiple events, learning which ones may or may not be
your specialty.

The state officer team is also still looking for candidates for being a state officer from
campuses across the state. We hope to see a candidate from every chapter, so step out of
your comfort zone and take advantage of an opportunity for personal growth! Please feel
welcome to contact your state officers with any questions or reservations that you may have
regarding becoming a state officer.

As always, keep recruiting members to join the Facebook group. This is not just a great tool
for state officers to contact all the members in the state, but also a valuable tool in your
professional future. This social networking group will allow you to have access to a range of
members that are going into the world of business; it is one of the key points of DEX, and it’s
fun! Thank you for your help in developing the state and local Delta Epsilon Chi chapters.

By Becky Shand, DEX Advisor

TEN Student Organizations, 110+ students, and ONE dedicated alumni, gather together
in force on behalf of the American Cancer Society to raise funds and walk for the cancer
survivors and those who have lost their battle with cancer.

DEX ~ Sales & Management
SADAA ~ Dental Assistant
SADHA ~ Dental Hygiene
SKILLS USA ~ Auto Body
SKILLS USA ~ Auto Technician
SKILLS USA ~ Culinary
ADDA ~ Am Design Drafting Assn
CMBA ~ Architectural Construction
CACE ~ Child &Adult Care
PTK ~ Phi Theta Kappa

This year’s Walk included several Cancer Survivors who were recognized by pink arm
bands and joined by Cancer Walk Supporters who adorned purple arm bands.
We were honored to have them these amazing survivors in our presence. Everyone shared
how cancer has touched their lives. It was an emotional yet successful day bringing us
closer to cancer cures!

Students united and succeeded together raising $4,041.00 for this year’s WALK FOR
THE CURES! Congratulations everyone!! Click here to view pictures.

Thank you to the Team Captains, Walkers, and Generous Donors of the
6th Annual CAMPUS CANCER WALK 2009!

May your holiday season be filled with love and peace ~
SCTC Campus Cancer Walk Teams

November is fast approaching its close and December is knocking on the door.  I apologize to snowmobilers and ice-fishers across the state for these warm, snowless days.  There are a few topics to be covered in this article including running for state office, the statewide food drive, competition preparation, and some updates about what your state action team is up to.

Running for state office is an amazing opportunity to network with fellow students.  Campaigning at the competition is a great way for you to meet new people, and exercise skills in time management.  Then, once elected, you can use those skills, and develop many new ones, by leading the great state of Minnesota in Delta Epsilon Chi.  You truly get out of DEX what you put into it, and being a state officer provides one of the highest possibilities for growth within the organization as well as one of the biggest opportunities to give back.  DEX can catapult you into a professional career and shorten the steps in your ladder to success, what can you give to DEX?  The wonderful discover y is that as you give back to DEX, it works even harder for you.  Is anyone building a résumé, developing soft skills, or hoping to get a professional job at some point?  If so, being a state officer is something you should consider.  For an informational PDF file about becoming a state officer candidate, click here also, the State Action Team will give you feedback or answer any questions you may have.  I believe this state is full of people who would be excellent in a state officer role, so campaign and you just may be writing an article like this one next year!

I hope all schools are really starting to collect A LOT of food for your local food drives.  If you haven’t heard, need for food shelves have rapidly exploded, while many corporate sponsorships (that were major contributors to the shelves) are being reduced or eliminated.  DEX helps you develop skills and gain experiences that can help you jumpstart your career and personal development.  Here is an opportunity to use our statewide network of business professionals to give back to those who are unable to feed themselves, who are forced to skip meals.  Please everyone; reach out to your campuses AND your DEX members. Besides, your school may have the winning team for the largest donation; though every school has a winning team for participating in the drive.

Also, I know it seems far away, but competition is right around the corner.  January invitational may find many of you in St. Cloud on the 21st unprepared.  If you have goals to do well at CDC and ICDC, it is never too early to start practicing.  Everything you need to practice and prepare is available on the national website.  Also, ask your local or state officers if you are new to competitive events and they will be glad to help you prepare.  Keep an eye out as well for articles as we get nearer to these events as I’m sure we will be sharing some helpful hints.  If you are starting now, you have time to set-up practice sessions with local businesspeople; the ultimate practice experience.

The state action team is working to create things that will promote Delta Epsilon Chi.  We are asking students to help by sending us your photos of professional, delta-related activities.  If your chapter did a fundraiser, or a social networking/recruitment activity, please let us know.  We would love to include every chapter in the state so send us your photos and a brief description of whom and what is happening in the photo.  We are also trying to make sure that everyone in the state gets these updates and has access to the state action team; PLEASE invite your fellow members to join the Facebook group.

1. Benefits of taking the time to click a button or two and be added to the group:
2. Networking: If you meet someone at invitational but only learned their first name, you can find them on the Facebook group.
3. Updates: Know what’s important and when important deadlines are.
4. Voice: It’s a place where you can tell other chapters ideas, ask other chapters a question, or just let your voice be heard.
5. Ideas: Listen to what other chapters are doing, see answers to other people’s questions, experience a different perspective.

Also, please tell us how we can serve your DEX needs better or what we could do differently.  Don’t be afraid to tell us what we are doing well either.  We love feedback so keep it coming!  Enjoy the holiday season!

The 2009-2010 State Officer Team has created a comprehensive handbook for new chapters to use.  This handbook will be very useful in developing and managing a new chapter.   Please download this resource and let the State Officer Team know if there are things you feel should be added.  Download Now

We hope DEX Week, October 11 – 17, is set up and ready to be awesome for everyone. Please
send us your photos and stories so we can share them on the Facebook page or add them as
examples to the handbook. Now that DEX Week is around the corner, it’s time to look forward
to the next event brought by your friends at Delta Epsilon Chi.

The Professional Development Conference (PDC) will be held in the St. Cloud Civic Center on
October 20th. We would like a take a moment to inform you about the importance of PDC,
what it is, and how you can prepare for it. If you have attended one before, this will be a nice
refresher for you.

PDC is exactly what the acronym stands for, a conference comprised of workshops that will help
you develop your professional skills. Delta is all about making you as prepared as possible for
the workforce, and in business, conferences such as this one are par for the course. The nice
part about PDC is that conferences such as this are often much more expensive, and not nearly
as fun. This year’s PDC will get you thinking about the difference you would like to make in the
world, followed by breakout sessions where you choose which topics interest you. Some of the
sessions involve the intricacies of professional dress (including one specifically for men),
communication skills, and increasing your effectiveness. This is a great introduction to the
kinds of things Delta Epsilon Chi can offer for first year students, and a great way to build and
refresh your professional portfolio.

To make sure you are prepared, bring the following items:

• Positive Attitude
• Willingness to Learn
• Professional Dress
  • Your suit in a business career is like tools in a mechanics career, you won’t get
    very far without one.

Please look into attending the Collegiate Leadership Academy. Who would like to take a trip to
New York, hobnob with business leaders, and gain experience you can take with you for the
rest of your life? If that sounds like something you would like to do, please take the time to
consider going to the Collegiate Leadership Academy. Your trip is customizable in that you can
pick which industry to gain insights; sports & entertainment, fashion & retail, international
business & finance, or hospitality & culinary arts. Represent Minnesota at the academy and get
an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We have a special note for chapter officers; if you are not an officer please skip to the end of
the article. Officers, you have a special training session for your team to develop the tools to be
campus leaders and experts on Delta Epsilon Chi. Officer training will be held the day before PDC,
October 19th starting at 1 PM. If you have not heard about officer training from your advisors,
please ask them or contact your state officer. This training is the first step in your journey of
development that is being an officer in Delta Epsilon Chi.

Thank you all for being a member of the Minnesota Delta Epsilon Chi Facebook group. If you
aren’t part of it yet, please join! I can’t wait to see you all at the conference and I hope you
have a great DEX Week!

We are fast approaching October, classes have started, and everyone is settling into the schedule of college life. As we begin hitting the books after a refreshing summer, we still get the excitement of summer the week of October 12th to the 16th; DEX Week. Here are some ideas that your team may incorporate to maximize the fun of DEX Week.

Promote your chapter to your campus and community, this is when you find potential judges and sponsors, and get fellow students as excited about DEX as you are. Try to plan events throughout the week that engage students with one another, including non-DEX members. There are various ways of spreading awareness on campus: group t-shirts (puff paint and a pack of plain white tees are fun to make and inexpensive), set up a tent with brochures, host a pot-luck cookout. Don’t forget to invite local businesspeople to the event! You could even have a group of second year students stage a mock competition. This will give new students a feel for the competitive events portion of DEX. Remember, you are not limited to on-campus activities. Schedule an activity such as bowling, mini golf, a movie or dinner. Hosting social events off-campus will create a more comfortable situation for people (don’t forget to wear your matching t-shirts to spread awareness). Just remember that you are promoting DEX, make sure you are on professional behavior both on and off campus. Not all events need to be social in nature, plan a fundraiser or a collection drive for your favorite charity.

DEX week is a time to focus on the four points of the DECA diamond: Leadership Development, Civic Consciousness, Vocational Understanding and Social Intelligence. We enhance our Leadership Development through actively engaging in event planning, serving as a chapter, state or national officer, and participating in team and committee assignments. Civic Consciousness creates a sense of self-worth, teaching the students the value of teamwork and selflessness through participating in community service projects. Vocational Understanding is groomed by competitive event programs and engaging in career-discovery with local and national business partners, which provides students with valuable career knowledge. Social Intelligence leads to the understanding of professional dress, diction, and network construction, which builds confidence in students by learning how to engage the working world. Keep these themes in mind while you plan out your week.

What DEX week looks like is up to you and your chapter. If you need more ideas look to the online chapter handbook on the Minnesota DEX website. You could also discuss ideas through the Facebook group, or ask the state officer team by e-mail at minnesotadex@gmail.com. Start planning now so your DEX Week is exciting for yourselves, your chapters and your communities! Let us know what you are planning by posting on the message boards!