my chapter has one that is for collegiates and alumnae. basically the collegiates use it to share info with the alums (ie. things the chapter is going to do, election results, etc.). the alums use it to share things happening in their lives, etc.

when i was the advisor, i created a list serv specifically for the officiers and the advisors. i found this to be useful because i could, for example, forward emails from the phi mu accounts to the whole group at once. we used yahoogroups so we could also post the minutes to the meetings online so that the advisors who werent in attendance were always kept in the loop. the advisors liked it because they knew what was going on....the officers didn't really use it in the way i had hoped, but it did work.

As Chapter Advisor, I am on the undergraduate chapter's listserv. It makes me feel in the loop and get a better feel for how things are going in the chapter. A lot of the information is stuff I don't necessarily need to know, but its nice to at least have the opportunity to skim the e-mails for information that I need to be aware of.

Yes, I am on the chapter listservs of the chapters I advise. Also, as a sectional staffer overseeing several chapters, I am on their listservs as well (as is our section chairman).

Some chapters use their listservs well, others don't. By having advisors (and appropriate alumni volunteers/leaders) on them, they are kept in the loop as to possible problems, etc. I've never cared for the attitude of some advisors that they will just wait until they are contacted about something. This usually means they may not hear about a problem until its really serious, or be left out of stuff because 'someone forgot to tell the advisors'.