The Why Behind the What

A former mentor of mine used to tell me that it was important to know “the why behind the what” in everything I do. Knowing why I do something gives me the drive and passion I need to put my heart and soul into a project. Since COVID-19 hit in March and we all had to continue the semester remotely and our “normal” flew out the window, I’ve been struggling to see the “why” in what I’m doing. Especially with Charter Day Ball. How was I supposed to oversee the planning of a massive social gathering in the midst of a pandemic? Would everything return to normal by February of 2021? In a state of hopeful ignorance, I thought to myself in March, “Yes of course, we can definitely still have this ball.” But as I, and everyone else realized, normal isn’t coming back. So we need to figure out what our new normal is, and how we can find our “why” again. 

Over the summer and throughout the first half of fall semester all the members of Charter Day Ball have been racking our brains to figure out how we can still celebrate the Miami community and give us all something to look forward to in the spring semester.

But if I’m honest, my heart wasn’t in it. 

I felt discouraged and disconnected. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to reconnect with my original why’s, I just couldn’t. As I started to reflect on these things, I realized that my why’s couldn’t be the same because the situation wasn’t the same. Charter Day Ball wasn’t the same. Our organization needed a serious adjustment, a refocusing, a chance to reimagine itself as something more. I needed to dig deeper and realize why I’ve stuck with this organization for over a year. And in the end, this is what I came up with:  

• The opportunity to throw the best virtual bash for all Miamians, so we can celebrate in a safe and comfortable environment. 

• The platform to showcase our amazing Miami community, past and present, old and new. 

• A chance to impact even just one member of this organization in a positive way. 

• The chance to do something meaningful in a time when there is a lot of uncertainty. 

Those are my why’s and how I’ve found the drive and passion to continue with this project and organization. I’m sure you’ll hear more from our organization about their why’s as well, because I’m just one person and one perspective in this organization.

Like I said, our organization needed to refocus. We needed to stop seeing our circumstances as obstacles, and instead look at them as opportunities to be creative and innovative. This led us to a new chapter in the history of our organization. We thought, the world turned upside down, so why can’t Charter Day Ball? And that’s why we’re no longer Charter Day Ball, but instead, Miami University Traditions. An organization that celebrates Miamians and our traditions, new and old. This new organization will still plan Charter Day Ball, and will continue to be an active organization on our campus even during years when there isn’t a ball. 

We hope that this organization will continue to give back to the community and impact Miamians for years to come. I know it’s impacted me, and I only hope to pass along the feeling. 

Love & Honor, 

Halle Campbell, Executive Co-Chair of MU Traditions