Question on advising collegiate chapters
 

A bit of research as I lane swerve a bit:

What are collegiate advisers tasked with for their undergraduate chapters? Share what you can, from the administrative to the socioemotional, I'm all ears. I'd like to see just how apples and oranges the role is to the NPHC graduate adviser.

It's been forever since I was an advisor. Generally I would say you make sure the job is getting done, making sure she knows her deadlines for reports, how to do reports, sounding board for ideas, and yes emotional support. Advisors, especially those to the more high ranking positions, hear about not just chapter issues but the personal lives of their advisees too.

We often got pulled in to chaperone duties for socials and would help with behind the scenes stuff during rush even if not actually the Recruitment advisor.

We'd also rotate attending chapter and standards meetings.

As Finance advisor I also had to be there when the "please pay up" meetings would happen with members.

On top of that the advisors also had meetings with each other. The more I think about it the more I remember how much work was involved.

So much of it came down to communication. If you had an advisee that was not good at staying in contact, or if the advisor was not good at it, you would definitely run in to problems.

^^^ In NPHC orgs, there is typically one advisor. Could you explain the various advisors you are referring to, SoCalGirl?

With AXiD there are advisors for most exec positions; an advisory board. So there is the main chapter advisor then and advisor for financial, ritual, membership, programs. I'm currently Programs Advisor and I'm in charge of helping the Programs VP with preparing for a program if needed. Give suggestions and just provide support. I'm also assisting the Recording Secretary with taking better minutes. The advisors rotate chapter meetings. We also attend one exec meeting a month but the chapter advisor attends all or most exec meeting. We also help with recruitment.

Here is a description for Tri Sigma. I have previously advised for a colony (Scholarship/Essential Sigma) and chapter (Honor Council) that was not my chapter of initiation. I believe we have started to allow non-members sit on the CAB for some of the positions.

Chapter Advisory Board (CAB)
The role of the CAB is to guide a collegiate chapter in adhering to National Policies and Position Statements, monitor overall chapter operations and serve as a link between the chapter and National Organization. The Chapter Advisory Board may consist of a Chapter Advisor, Scholarship Advisor, Financial Advisor, Membership/Recruitment Advisor, and other areas of chapter operations - Honor Council, CAB Accreditation and Awards Advisor, Alumnae Relations, Essential Sigma, Ritual, and special projects. Advisors are appointed for a triennium.

http://www.trisigma.org//aspnet_clie...lyer(2013).pdf

In addition to the CAB, a House Corporation is the permanent group, usually comprised of three alumnae, which owns or rents the real and/or personal property to the chapter whether it be a house, lodge, suite, or room.

Sen -
Sigma Kappa tries to get an advisor for each collegiate executive council position. I'd say that 90% of my advising is done through text/ email. I am available to answer questions or concerns about pretty much anything. Frequent emails I get concern member attendance (or lack thereof) at events, inappropriate social media posts, inappropriate behavior of members, recruitment infractions/ dirty rushing, reporting, following national policy (could be regarding anything: grades, protocol in certain situations, etc.), eligibility based on grades for members to run for certain positions, appeals to run for positions without required GPA, finance questions (but I send those elsewhere), the online reporting systems, RFM, recruitment and carry figures, approving shirt designs, how to change status of members going abroad, how to return those members once they return from being abroad, how abroad GPAs figure into chapter GPAs (certain programs are taught by university professors so those grades count, but other programs abroad don't count), etc. Because I do not advise the president, programming, or executive vice president, I don't have to be present at standards council meetings, etc. I do rotate with other advisors attending certain events and rituals, and also attend events for the positions I advise if they want me to be present and it works within my schedule. I am present for all rounds of recruitment.
I'd say during the academic terms I get about 5 or 6 emails a week from collegiate members at once chapter where I advise 3 positions (scholarship, new member education, and recruitment).

Does that help?

@Sen, Like sigmagirl said we try to have an advisor for every exec position (10) and some key committee positions (social for example). If there are not enough advisors then they double (triple, etc) up.

To her point, an advisor doesn't have to be physically present. At one point, not sure about now, our European Alum chapter made up the bulk of the advisors at JMU in VA.

^^ right, social. I avoid that rm stuff SFRFs like the plague ;) But yes, definitely needing of an advisor.... PS - 11 exec positions now that VPProgramming was voted in at the last convention.

I feel so old, there were only 9 when I was in school! :)

This sounds like the way it works for us as well. I advise two chapters - one for just finance, and the other for finance, recruitment, and alum relations. We advisers meet once a month while school is in session, then we rotate attending chapter meetings and exec meetings, certain events and ritual meetings. We also act as chaperones for formal.

The finance positions are the busiest and I do most of it via email, text, phone call, or using something like GoToMeeting for my chapter that I advise remotely so they can at least put a face to a name. I work with the chapter treasurers to develop and monitor the budget yearly, approve checks and prepaid card transactions, review the member aging report with the CT and figure out next steps for those who are late with dues, fill out forms - lots of forms, for members who will be off campus, forms for IHQ, etc. It's a lot and typically I interact with the CT's every day.

Recruitment is only really busy for the week of recruitment when I have to attend all the parties and help with membership selection and submission of lists to Panhel. I do try to attend the workshops and give suggestions and comments (recently I had to give a lecture on "looking your best while wearing your letters"), we are revamping our recruitment methodology for this year so I'm anxious to see how it goes.

Alum relations is not much time - we have Founders' Day once a year and I'm the emcee for the luncheon we have - it's any of the area alums that want to come plus the local collegiate chapter. I work with the alum relations collegiate officer to get the banquet room set up and food ordered, and to put together the program.

Seriously. I had no idea what VPPS was when I started advising and I didn't know what happened to the recording secretary either..... lol

Interesting. So there's an advising team/board versus a lone adviser.

Are your advisers required to be active members? Are they typically involved on the alumni level? Tell me more about these advisor meetings - do advisers from differnt chapters meet across functions (for example, all the financial advisers from chapters in a region) or all 11 advisers for that one chapter?

On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election? Do undergraduates have any say? Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter? Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization (though I suppose an alumnae could have 4 years in, right?)

Also, how much do advisers get to know new member classes, or the chapter as a whole? Is she typically a name on an email, or a present and welcomed face around the house?

Soooo many questions!

Our advisers are required by our insurance and international org to be dues paying members. They may or may not be active in the alum group depending on their time availability. Normally, the board for a particular chapter will just meet together on a monthly basis, However, we do have regional/area training on an annual basis that they are encouraged to attend...along with our biennial Convention.Yes, they can be an alum of the chapter but have to be out of school for at least 3 years. For us, they have attend certain weekly/monthly meetings so some get to know all the collegiate members well and some don't. The main adviser - Advisory Board Chairman - should know all the members.

I know some chapters that have a big team of advisers and some that have just 1 or 2. Some roles need to be more involved like the Standards adviser, and some only need to meet once a semester.

With increased communication, I have seen some Skype advising, especially for chapters in rural areas. I know of several chapters that have problems getting advisers and it could be really helpful to them to have some more advising even if it is for something smaller like communications.

tld221,

To answer some of your questions:

Are your advisers required to be active members?

-- Yes. They must be members in good standing (including financial).


Are they typically involved on the alumni level?

-- Sometimes. Some women do both the alumnae chapter and also volunteer to advise collegians. Some women only do advising and some only do alumnae chapter.


Tell me more about these advisor meetings - do advisers from different chapters meet across functions (for example, all the financial advisers from chapters in a region) or all 11 advisers for that one chapter?

-- Yes to all of it. We have Regional Coordinators to help assist in specialty areas such as financial, scholarship, recruitment, etc. We also have regional and international conferences. The Chapter Adviser is especially expected to attend regional and international conferences. For us, we don't typically have all of the advisors meet with with each other regularly. Though, some do meet together as needed.


On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election?

-- Volunteer.


Do undergraduates have any say?

-- Yes "ish". Typically, they don't have a say in who is doing the volunteering. However, in the event that the collegians take issue with a particular alumna, their viewpoints and concerns will surely be considered.


Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter?

-- Sure. While advisers are generally women from that chapter who want to come back to help, advisers can be from any chapter.


Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization?

-- Not necessarily, but it's usually the case. In my experience, the women volunteering to advise have solid backgrounds in both professional experience and with the sorority.


Also, how much do advisers get to know new member classes, or the chapter as a whole? Is she typically a name on an email, or a present and welcomed face around the house?

-- The Chapter Adviser, Financial Adviser and Recruitment Adviser get to know the collegians quite well. In person and by name for sure. The Chapter Adviser attends the weekly chapter meetings and exec meetings and any judicial meetings. The others may or may not be as frequently seen at the house; but will still likely work directly with a small number of collegians at a minimum. For example, the Scholarship Adviser may directly mentor the 3 collegians on the scholarship committee, but may not attend the weekly chapter meetings. In any case, we are blessed in that our collegians see us as present and welcomed faces around the house.


I hope this helps!

I'm on the CAB for the chapter affiliated with my employer, but I don't really do much related to my specific CAB role. I have filled in when the chapter adviser has been out of town, but HQ also just wants to see a full CAB when evaluating chapters.

Are your advisers required to be active members?

-- We like them to be a part of the alumnae chapter, I'm not sure if it's required, but all of the advisers are.


Are they typically involved on the alumni level?

-- Yes.


Tell me more about these advisor meetings - do advisers from different chapters meet across functions (for example, all the financial advisers from chapters in a region) or all 11 advisers for that one chapter?

-- Yes , we meet monthly and also meet with our regional people as needed.


On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election?

-- Volunteer.


Do undergraduates have any say?

-- Yes "ish". Typically, they don't have a say in who is doing the volunteering. However, in the event that the collegians take issue with a particular alumna, their viewpoints and concerns will surely be considered. I myself try to be an adviser and not a dictator, meaning, I will try to steer them towards the correct answer, but unless they are breaking rules, I won't demand to have the last word. I had my collegiate experience and I let them have theirs, but I am always available for help when needed.


Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter?

-- Yes, I advise a Philly collegiate chapter and because my own chapter in Maine has trouble getting people to advise, I help them out remotely. The Philly collegiate chapter has a few advisers who are alums of the chapter.


Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization?

-- Not necessarily, but it's usually the case. In my experience, the women volunteering to advise have solid backgrounds in both professional experience and with the sorority.


Also, how much do advisers get to know new member classes, or the chapter as a whole? Is she typically a name on an email, or a present and welcomed face around the house?

-- the collegiate exec board knows us all, they know the chapter adviser in particular very well, the rest of the advisory committee members - it depends on how large the chapter is, what your adviser role is and if you are advising remotely. Most of the local chapter knows me as the recruitment adviser since I have to interact with them all that way, though I really have a larger role as a finance adviser. For my Maine chapter, the CT and I are facebook friends just so she can get to "know" me as a person and not just as an email address.

Are your advisers required to be active members?

-- For the most part, yes, but when I advised a colony many moons ago, we had a Kappa who worked with us, which was nice.


Are they typically involved on the alumni level?

-- You can be but you don't have to be. You do have to pay alumni dues though.


Tell me more about these advisor meetings - do advisers from different chapters meet across functions (for example, all the financial advisers from chapters in a region) or all 11 advisers for that one chapter?

-- Advisors may meet with other advisors during convention, leadership conferences and Engage U. Advisors within the same CAB may do conference calls if so needed.


On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election?

-- Volunteer by appointment


Do undergraduates have any say?

-- They don't so much get a say in who is appointed, but if they know someone who is wanting to volunteer and wants to work with them, they can ask for that. And if the chapter and advisor don't work well together, I would think that the advisor can be replaced.


Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter?

-- Yes, but they must be at least 3-5 years graduated to advise at their own chapter.


Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization?

-- For some areas of sorority, yes. But even new volunteers can advise in some capacity.


Also, how much do advisers get to know new member classes, or the chapter as a whole? Is she typically a name on an email, or a present and welcomed face around the house?

-- Advisors don't really get to know new member classes, but the whole chapter, for sure. For those in a the position of advising an area, like recruitment, they will typically get to know their VP best. With some chapters, advisors aren't always a welcome face, but that's part of working with collegiate members. They don't always like being "advised!"

On another note, I'm SOOOOOO glad that I do not have to chaperone formals. That just seems crazy to me!

Are your advisers required to be active members?

-- Yes, they must be dues paying alumnae members in good standing

Are they typically involved on the alumni level?

-- Yes (mostly). Advisors are to be dues paying members of their local alumnae chapter. If there is no local chapter, they may simply pay national dues.


On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election?

-- Most collegiate advisors simply volunteer. The Advisory Board Supervisor for each chapter is a National Council appointed position. The ABS then forms their Collegiate Advisory Board.

Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter?

-- Yes, however certain ABSes employ certain criteria - such as not wanting more than x alumnae from that collegiate chapter on the advisory board (especially if they are younger). Alumnae are required to be out of college for 2 years before advising a chapter that isn't their chapter of initiation and 4 years before advising at their chapter of initiation.


Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization?

--I think that ABSes are generally more seasoned advisors, as they generally need to have some track record of success and experience to be appointed to the Advisory Board Supervisor role. Advisors for specific positions are sometimes more seasoned and sometimes they are new to volunteering within the Sorority. I used my first few years as a collegiate advisor to become seasoned in the organization and to learn about the sorority from the other side.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that - I was like "Seriously?" No one ever chaperoned our formals when I was in school. So far I've avoided doing it but I"m sure my turn is coming.:(

Are your advisers required to be active members?
-- Most of the time they are. We currently have an AXO on the Advisory Board. She knows a lot about FIPG so she advises in general term for Chapter Life. She was actually suggested to the Chapter Advisor by a member of National Team that was helping out the chapter. There is no AXO chapter near and she wanted to be involved with sorority life. She bring a different perspective as she was a colony member at a larger university. If any ritual or members only items need discussion she will either leave the room or not go to the meeting.
Are they typically involved on the alumni level?
-- Yes. What I’ve been told is that normally there has to be a 5 year gap from the time of graduation to advise your chapter unless there is an immediate need.
Tell me more about these advisor meetings - do advisers from different chapters meet across functions (for example, all the financial advisers from chapters in a region) or all 11 advisers for that one chapter?
-- We have a meeting once a month; more if needed. Sometimes instead of meeting we will email or text if there is an issue that needs immediate attention.
The only time we meet with other chapters is there is an area wide training. In the area where I am at there are only two chapters. The next closest will be 6 hours away when they colonize.
On a separate note, how are advisers selected: appointed, volunteer, run in an election?
-- We are volunteers. The main chapter advisor is appointed. They first must show interest by filling out a volunteer form or someone from HQ could call them up and ask. Then the rest of the advisory board can be appointed by the CA. Just because on shows interest doesn’t mean they will automatically be an advisor.
Do undergraduates have any say?
-- They do not have a say in who volunteers. Like stated above, if there is a major issue that comes up between the advisors and chapter sometime the advisor would be asked to no longer advise.
Are the advisers ever alum of the chapter?
-- Yes, I advise at my initiating chapter.
Are the advisers usually more seasoned in the organization?
-- Sometimes. I know of one Chapter Advisor at another chapter that is a graduate student.

Also, how much do advisers get to know new member classes, or the chapter as a whole? Is she typically a name on an email, or a present and welcomed face around the house?

-- The main chapter advisor spends more time with the chapter. This is my first year advising so that is one thing that I and the other advisors are trying to figure out. I know the exec. member. We are planning on having some kind of get to know your advisor meeting or something in the fall.

I chaperoned a party one time. A couple of the members asked me to kick a guy out who was a known roofie-er. THAT was something I definitely didn't have to deal with as a collegian. As I recall, the guy bailed out of there before I got the chance to be a hero but I was glad the girls #1-knew there was trouble in the room and 2-had no hesitation about dealing with it.

This would be a reason why chaperoning parties is a good idea. It takes the onus off the girls and lets the old broad take the heat. A drunk sister, or worse, date may cause a huge scene if the president tells her it's time to go home. There's not much drunk girl is gonna say to the old broad.

I concur, DubaiSis. It's much easier for us to be the bad guy and take the heat off the collegians in this type situation...and I never minded doing it. Sent one guy home in a cab once...never even asked if he had the money to pay for it!