Get off my lawn!

Seriously though, if this is a problem, there shouldn't be the need for a "clause." It should be something discussed with the offending members.

I had a similar concern when putting together an advisory council for the chapter I advise. I specifically requested that alumnae on the council be 5+ years post-grad not because they weren't passionate about helping but because there is a level of life experience a mentor needs to have that comes with a little of seperation. I find that alumnae too close to the chapter (recent grad, family member as a sister, etc.) have a greater tendancy to stir the pot instead of control the simmering drama. Once there is a seperation from the collegiate chapter, an adviser/alumnae can come back and support operations because there is a realization that it is no longer their chapter but now belongs to the collegiate members. I would recommend recent alumnae that want to continue post-graduate involvement to do so with an alumnae chapter to support the organization.

My chapter doesn't really have alumnae (outside of advisers) interested in hanging out with the collegiate chapter during formal business rituals. I believe that most alumnae would prefer to attend the less serious and fun events.

As someone who drafts a lot of bylaws and deals with parlimentary procedure, I will give you my 2 cents worth (ha - that is less than free at today's prices) If the violation of confidentiality is something that you want to be sanctionable, it should be in the bylaws. That is, if you forsee having to discipline someone, as mentioned by an earlier poster, you should spell out the violation (at least in general terms) and the consequence. I am (proudly)in it with the other 'old bags' - this should be unneccesary if common sense and respect are exercised by the sisters. However that was taken out of the growing up curriculum a while ago, so sometimes it has to be taught through rules and regs....

See, I don't think that it was though. I'm fairly young (graduated college 2003), but I talk to people who were Greeks at a bunch of different schools over a bunch of different time periods (70s, 80s, 90s, etc.), and I've heard stories from all of those time periods about secrecy being a problem with certain people in certain chapters.

It's not that collegiate Greeks (or college students for that matter) are less responsible than in the past; I think it's more an issue that we tend to gloss over our experiences as we get older, and forget that some of the same issues existed.

ETA: Not to harp on the point, but I always get a little squeamish when people (especially those in their late 20s, 30s and even 40s) start piling on the current college students. For me it's right up there with "You'll understand when you're my age."

My college experience is long in the past but I deal with alot of high school organizations and so my view is tainted. (However, in many cases I will acknowledge that parents can be just as lacking as the kids when it comes to common sense.)

I agree (as a 90's graduate "old bag" :)) but it has become much easier with technological advances for secrecy to be compromised. What was one girl talking to another outside of a meeting has now become a Facebook status or email that is too easily forwarded.

Back before the turn of the century, I had email in college but didn't get but probably 20 in 4-years of undergrad. Cell (bag) phones existed but were too expensive for the majority of my friends to regularly own. Don't even get me started on the whole texting thing, I'd rather pass a note!

I actually give a lot of credit to the college students today who exercise discretion. I think it is harder by far, with facebook, email and chatrooms to be discreet because you do not always remember how public it is.

Back in my day, when you went on Spring Break, for instance, that momentary lack of judgment would not appear on the internet, someone's phone vid - or Girls Gone Wild.

Fair enough - Facebook, MySpace and the like have made it that much easier for students to spread around (possibly secret or embarrassing) information.

That said, I always think we need to be careful when we start saying "This never would have happened in my day," or things along those lines.

This.

This is the problem. They're not going to meetings. But active sisters will leave the meetings, talk to the alumnae about things that happened, and then it causes issues.

For example: Changing the mascot. Our chapters each have local mascots in addition to our national one. The chapter wanted to change it. There was a lot of discussion about it, and people said they wanted it to MEAN something to them. Then sisters would bring in ideas and they had discussions that weren't.. well thought out? I don't want to go into too much detail, so we'll leave it at that. Some of the active sisters relayed what they considered to be "ridiculous discussion" to alumnae. Some alumnae were mad and "offended" because they were changing the mascot that they knew throughout college, and it appeared they were doing it "just because".. even though they have the right to do that, no matter what the reason.

Alumnae can still attend business meetings (not that it happens often), so where is the line drawn?

I second this BIG TIME. Alumnae can be as bad a helicopter parents, especially if the chapter has changed and they don't approve of how things are going. Advisers are one thing, because they do have the right to be there at the meetings, but even that can come off as overbearing and even make it seem like they don't trust the chapter to do it themselves. My sisters and I would have thought it very strange and out of place if alumnae started showing up at chapter... Even our alumna adviser was like a helicopter mom and it got really bitter by the end.

Hear, hear! We were taught while new members that the D in Delta stood for Discretion.

We have a similar rule, but I was surprised to find out that some GLOs don't have it.

It should go with out saying to any member of a GLO that is a meeting is closed, than things that occur within its doors are private! Unfortunately, as some other have said, people just don't have the common sense anymore to understand this!

i agree with KSU.... undergrad are suppose tu use their graduate members as a guide and to confide in when seeking advise, yet, at the same time undegrad and graduate chapter are different and handle and view things very differently. Therefore, grad is an option when looking for guidance and to be utilized as an advisory member. That doesn't mean that grad member have that right to take over the situation and handle it the way they want. You have to have confidence in your undergrad chapter. if you didn't then that's when grad steps in and speak with the executive board.