questioning whether the chapter should remain open
 

Hi. I am the chapter advisor for a collegiate group who is currently struggling. They have been struggling for a few years now, but I don't believe they were given the help they needed. Our hqs and advisory council are aware of the problems, however, I do not believe the chapter is being completely honest with what is happening. There are several people who would love to help, but without knowing the extent to which they need help, we can't. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to break through this barrier?

Also, I have been given information that really makes me wonder if it is possible for the chapter to pull through. A few things have come to light, that have made me contemplate (with the support of the advisory committe) recommending to hq that the chapter be closed. Has anyone every been in this situation? I feel terrible here and I don't want to do it, but I almost don't see another way.

I would appreciate any help that you can offer.

Aren't you aware of the entire story since you are the chapter advisor? I only ask because why can't you just tell the whole story to the right people and get them to come in and help?

In my experiences, it's usually the advisor(s) that "raise the red flags" to HQ.

When my collegiate chapter was struggling, our problem (low numbers) was pretty obvious.

This sounds harsh, but is reality.....

Don't be afraid to clean house (and make sure the campus knows that house was cleaned) and start over. Sometimes it's not all the members bringing a chapter down, and there could be women who want to be a part of your GLO, but don't want to call "Crazy Cathy" a sister. If she goes, other women might come in.

Without more info, I can't tell you what to do. I have seen the above work, but it depends on a lot of factors. Sit down and have a brainstorming session with different types of people (chapter alums, other alums, HQ staff, etc) to figure out what's going on and what can be done about it. That's how people can start helping.

And it's confusing when you say people want to help, but you don't know the extent to which they need help. Identify the problems first, then you can figure out what kind of help this chapter needs.

Good Luck!
PsychTau

Please give us just a LITTLE more info....is the problem numbers, hazing, financial, house situation, substance abuse, what???

Having no idea what the "struggle" entails makes it impossible for anyone to give you advice on how to remedy it.

Add me to the list of those who'd love to help, but wish just a bit more info.

Has your (inter)national personnel been in to visit the chapter yet this academic year? If not, why not and can you have a visit arranged ASAP? I know different sororities have different traveling staffs, but that could be a start.

You mentioned 'not getting the help they needed' earlier. What help did the advisory team feel that they needed? Did you offer your opinion to those (inter)national personnel working with your chapter? Does the chapter communicate regularly with their advisers? With their assigned (inter)national personnel? Can the advisory team identify the chapter's most crucial need right now? Or, does the team believe things are so far gone that a complete reorganization or closure are the only practical solutions? Like Melanie said, usually it is the advisers who raise the "red flags" when there are serious problems.

I would suggest contacting the person or persons that the advisory team reports to (in AOII, for example, we report to Network Personnel.) Simply and honestly, they need to know what is going on. These women have the benefit of not dealing with the chapter on a day-to-day basis (fresh eyes and ears!) along with years of experience. They can give you some beneficial feedback on what needs to be done immediately, and can offer recommendations of what to do next (maybe a chapter action plan for improvement; chapter monitoring, probation or reorganization; or maybe even closing the chapter...it depends on what the whole story is, of course!) As you can tell, I'm a big fan of utilizing the support system my own sorority has in place for those who work with collegiate and alumnae chapters.

Good luck,
Christin

the chapter has been struggling with numbers for some time now. in the beginning of the decline of numbers, there really was no advisory committee...hq was just about no where to be found. when they came the chapter just got yelled at. it really left a bad feeling in most member's minds. if they had received the help at this time, i think the chapter could have been successful.

yes, i am the advisor, and i should know what is going on, but i can tell you that the executive council doesn't tell me everything. i believe they are missing the major points. there are problems within the exec council and they fight amongst themselves. when i am there, they are like the perfect group, then i get wind of "issues" later. i just picked up this position recently. the chapter basically ran the other advisor out of town (and most of the advisory committee) because of their secrecy, lack of communication with the advisory committee, and a variety of other things. i realize that i have inherited these problems, but i need to make them better and i don't know how.

i have overheard things while visiting the chapter from chapter members, such as, "what are they doing here?" (meaning members of the advisory committee) or "great, now what are we going to do?" i have heard snippits of concerns from sisters and i suspect that hazing is occuring in our pledge program, although i can not confirm this. they want to compete with the other chapters on our campus, so they think they have to haze too! (and i can confirm that the other chapters haze. they did while i was a student...and continue to do so years later. they really don't bother to hide the hazing, either. chapter members throwing food on new members in the middle of the street hardly leaves room for wonder.)

as far as help from hq, well, let's just say, they are less than helpful. i really don't know how many times to email the same people with the same questions and NOT to get a reply. it is not just me either. the president doesn't get responses, either!

I hate to hear that your HQ is not being responsive, but if they can't help, you have to take the bull by the horns.

The first thing to do is a retreat or candle pass, something where every single sister can express their concerns and what they want out of the sorority. If there are sisters there who don't want to work to make the sorority better they need to terminate or go inactive.

As far as the hazing...if you haven't seen it, it's pretty much impossible....if you accuse the chapter of it they will lose trust in you even more.

Let them know that you are you and not the other advisor, and that you want to help.

Well, you might not be as blatant as I am but I've never had a problem going over someone's head to get an answer. If the person you keep emailing won't get back to you, go to her boss.

I would agree with 33girl as well. However, you may need to make the candle pass an all out "bitch session" and air everything. Lay it all on the table and figure out, as a group, how to work through it all. Or if you want to at all.

I get the impression you were there as a collegian when the decline in numbers began and your hq was "yelling" at the chapter. Chances are, they were yelling because that group of collegians was just an unresponsive as the one you are now dealing with.

The question to ask is do the women want to change. They are the ones who are going to have to change, if they don't want to then it might be time to close.

And personally, the declining numbers doesn't sound like the problem. It's simply a result of bigger problems of attitude and morale.

I'm the CA of a chapter that is currently undergoing a redevelopment. The only thing I can tell you is that it is HARD!

The very first thing we did was tell the chapter women the plan. If they could not agree to the terms and dedication that the redevelopment is taking, they were granted Alumna Status. We sent out a mailer to all Alumnae that graduated from our chapter and to all local Alumnae (regardless of the chapter they were initiated in). Our redevelopment is mostly Alumnae driven and coordinated. As Chapter Adviser you can NOT chair the redevelopment!!! You will go insane! I don't do it and I swear that I've gone almost completly crazy!!! We did not participate in formal recruitment last semester as there was no way we could have been competitive. Instead we chose to use last semester to develop a plan of execution for a redevelopment this semester. We had a two week plan in place to do very well planned and publicised parties. Honestly, It isn't going quite how we had planned and I don't know why. We sent out 500 mailers to a list of freshmen and transfer students who said they were interested in Greek Life, but they were never contacted by the school. We got the list from the Greek Advisor on Campus. We have over 100 women who help in various ways. Some financially, some with time and planning, some with PR, etc. I recommend that you find someone to see how many and to what extent you can get your alums to help.

You CAN NOT do this alone. We have not had any help from international, but we do have a person that works for our international and help to start one of our colonies. She kind of covertly helps us! If we did not have her, I don't know what we would do!

I hope that helps!

I was writing that other post really fast, but that is something I definitely wanted to add. IF THE CHAPTER IS IN TROUBLE, MAKE SURE THE CHAPTER ALUMNAE KNOW!!! Don't sugarcoat the situation or send a letter that sounds like every other letter asking for donations. Make sure that the alumnae know that if things do not change, their chapter of initiation WILL close.

In too many cases the alums are not notified until it's too late and it sucks, because they can make a huge difference, in time, donations and morale. If you can't get an alum list through your HQ, try your school's alumni office.

Ditto on letting the alumnae know about what's going on!

Also, above all, remember that these women are PEOPLE and your sisters. Keep that in mind, and don't start to run the chapter entirely like a business. One of the worst things that people in this situation can do is to start doing things "for the good of the chapter", without considering if they are alienating women within the chapter. The last thing you want to do is to cause good sisters to drop out because they feel insignificant/slighted/not good enough, etc. You want to gain more members, not lose the ones you have!

I agree with puttingit all out on the table and airing out dirty laundry.....But that also comes with consequences and could harm matters even more....but as they say desperate times deperate matters......

Getting back to basics with a retreat and geting back to the ideas of sisterhood would be benficial.

Letting alumnae know is crucial these are your sisters as well as your past who delivered you a healthy chapter when they left college and they w ould want t o know what they can do to help regroup and organize the chapter.

I can empathize with you along with many others!:(

The SPE Chapter had a cleaning but are returning slowly but surely. My Chapter, Hm, I was ready to recommend just shutting down or cleaning, but they have done it themselves.

We too have had problems getting International to help but with a lot of nudging so to speak, they have decided to work us.

As an advisor, you can only Advise, but, remember, your Hdq. will listen to you a little closer than just Chapter members whether The Actives beleive it or not!:)

If there a Faction that is rending The Chapter, then it is the time to find out and get it corrected before there is No Chapter. Get it out into the open and just put it "Like Here is The Situation, How Long Do You Want To Be On Campus?" "Do you want the Soroity to close under your watch?"

Is there an Alum Base to work with or are they also disgusted like mine for the most part are!?

Remember, people will dissapear into the wood work when times are tough, but when times are good, they love to ride the winning horse!:confused:

Good Luck, and PM me anytime if you so wish!:)

I have a different sort of suggestion -

If your org is a chapter of one of the many groups represented on GC (NPC, NPHC etc), maybe send a PM (private message) to one of your sisters on GC. Meaning, let's say you are talking about a Chi O chapter, you could pm me (or NutBrnHair who is super knowledgable!). Or if it's a GPB chapter, pm SmartBlondeGPhiB, etc. That way you might feel more comfortabale getting into the whole story and that person might have contact/ideas specific to your org.

Good luck!

i finally got in touch with someone from hq who visited the chapter last semester. she really felt that apathy was a problem. i totally agree. she didn't have any suggestions on how to tackle this and basically said this isn't the worst chapter she has seen. she felt that the chapter didn't really ask her for suggestions or help and that they seemed to feel like they didn't need help. ok great. these are all things that i already knew. in my "real" job, i have to motivate employees, so i know how to do that. i feel that if i came to a chapter meeting and tried to moviate the girls, i would be wasting my time. i think the chapter would take the motivation better from the president, but since the exec council doesn't think they have a problem, then i don't know how to make them want to motivate the chapter. how can i help the exec council understand that they have a problem?

i completely agree that the alumnae need to be informed. most of the alumnae are pretty burned out with the chapter because of things that happened over the past few years. the chapter hasn't kept an advisor for more than six months if that gives you any idea of how many alums they have burned bridges with. do you think it is my responsibility as the advisor to inform the alumnae or is it the chapter's?

thanks for all of your help thus far!

I think you just need to lay it on the line with exec! If they do not want to change, then it will be recommended to HQ that their chapter should close. I know threats are terrible, but it sounds like that is what these girls need!! If there numbers are low and they have problems now...they are only going to continue to get worse! Stand up to them and just tell them- YOU WILL NOT BE HERE MUCH LONGER IF THIS CONTINUES!

Good Luck! :)

While all of the ideas have been good, maybe it is time that the line is drawn. The fear may be needed to be put in them to get them to come around.

Maybe it is time that these self centered little snots come to the realization that if it were not for the Alums who were Actives before them had not done the job, they wold not be there!:mad:

What is saddening is that your National has blinders on and will not really check into it more closely!:(

Do try to get some concerned Alums more involved and band together, give it the good old school girl try. Give a defenite time table and if not followed, then have enough power of numbers to get Hdq. involved more deeply!

If they will not do that, then, wash you hands and step back, they will shoot themselves in their own feet.:(

There will no longer be a Chapter there, and it will be on their heads!:o Just make sure that they know that!

Maybe they're too scared to ask for help? Most likely they know they are in trouble with numbers but they fear that asking for help makes them look weak and they fear retribution from nationals (you mentioned that nationals does little more than yell at the chapter). By having exec present a unified front, they can give the appearance of being stronger than they really are, thus avoid having nationals berate them.

If the collegiates know that nationals or alums are considering closing the chapter, they will try to solve this on their own rather than seek outside help.

lionlove,

not sure if that insecurity and asking for help is the right wording!

I know My Chapter is going through some very hard membership times and I have suggested many Times to get IHQ involved. No, No, we dont want IHQ involved Well we as Alums dont either, but when push comes to shove, the bullet needs to be bitten!

At our last House Corp. meeting the few Actives we have were all pissing, moaning and crying about not having a House. Well, we are in the process of trying to get a new house built! Then the pissing and moaning started again about not having enough members to afford it!

My Response, "Well lets just notify IHQ to Close the Chapter".

Here again, not knowing what Chapter, Soroity, and School does give us on GC a little drawback of the Situation.

We can only speak in general terms! :eek:

I remember My Daddy telling me, "Boy Shit or Get Off The Pot"!

Think the same might apply here! They are trying to blow smoke up someones asses, but all they are doing is hurting themselves.:o

Apathy is a dangerous thing. It can destroy a chapter.

Recommendations:
1) Involve your alumnae
* Hold a Reunion Evening where alumnae attend a special meeting held in lieu of chapter business. This can be attributed to an alumnae relations effort. Everyone can wear letters instead of pin attire. The alum will bring their scrapbooks, mementoes, etc., and talk about what campus was like in "their day." They can encourage Q&A from the chapter members. One of the alum present should bring an item from a chapter that has closed-- like a chapter award. Talk to the chapter about the importance of caring about image and leadership, about friendship for one another, etc., and how sad it is when a chapter closes, and the chapter's belongings are auctioned off at an estate sale, items that have been in the house for 50-100 years or more. At the end of the meeting, do a [insert stuffed animal mascot here] passing where each member shares her thoughts and feelings about the chapter and friendship. Only the member with the mascot in her arms can speak. Tears and laughter will flow freely. End with a meaningful sorority song that everyone knows. Include your new members in this meeting, too.

2) How does the chapter think the exec board is doing?
Often exec board can unintentionally be perceived as a clique. Once a year, in lieu of chapter business, hold an open forum meeting for chapter members called "How are we doing?" Allow members and exec board to express feeings, ideas and frustration. Plan solutions as a chapter and set goals for the next 6 months that are acheivable and measurable, with someone in charge of each goal. Encourage chapter members to set personal goals and to share those goals with the chapter. Each chapter member can select a mentor to help keep her motivated and wanting to meet her goal. Regroup in 6 months and reward those who met their goals. Recognize all the goals met and have a special sisterhood event. Set new goals, etc....

3) Communication
The chapter should be an integral part of planning chapter direction. In #2 I talked about goal setting. Involve the chapter in things like Recruitment Needs-Assessment of New Members, chapter goals in scholarship, putting together a PR plan, etc. Fom committees to support key officers in their roles. This will give all chapter members an opportunity to explore a new area of interest and give the exec an opp to delegate to the chapter. It will alleviate officer burnout and also give passionate members a chance to share their passion.

Good luck and feel free to PM me. I have been in your shoes before.

Interesting situation - I don't think "declining numbers" are the problem - but they are definitely a symptom of something bigger getting in the way of your chapter achieving success.

Like others have posted, I would also draw "a line in the sand" - sounds like with the recent history of the chapter, the sisters are used to "keeping things the way they are" by running out those who are trying to help. Now is the time to give that help, whether or not they believe it is needed.

I would confront them with the facts - numbers are declining - hazing might be going on (and "the other chapters do it, so we have to" is the DUMBEST excuse I've ever heard for having to do it - this might just be the chance to show the excellence of this chapter - that new members WILL be treated with respect - in direct contrast to the others - if they still balk, tell them "then let's be honest and put 'we'll beat the snot out of you worse than any other chapter' on our rush posters and shirts" - and see what kind of new members you get). Alumni/undergrad relations are non-existent or hostile at best, which is always a recipe for disaster in the short term.

Either they agree to start addressing the problems and confronting them head on to change the chapter into what it CAN be, or they need to choose deactivation. Worst-case: do it for them with a membership review or whatever process exists for your GLO.

You need to stress the urgency of the situation - either they help change things now or they won't be part of the sisterhood in the future - either the chapter will have to make drastic changes or fold.

You could do what one CA for LXA did one time - he was so disgusted by what he found in a surprise visit to the chapter house that he personally took the charter off the wall - and would not return it until things changed, and he had a long list of changes, that mirrored everything the HQ of the fraternity had been telling them for a long time. They started to make some changes, but, unfortunately it was too little, too late, and some of their two-year old "traditions" were too dear to part with, and the chapter was eventually closed. That was my chapter.

LXAAlum, that is a very poingnt (?) point, but says it all in a nut shell!:o

It must at times get very eye opening for some before they realize the situation! Then maybe, it will be to late!:(

I can understand a little more of what it ment to you at the UNC Chartering!:cool:

disillusioned CA, when I read your post, it could have been me writing it (other than I am not the CA but another advisor). Our chapter has been going downhill for years. There has been very little help from head office. Things have gotten better in the last couple of years but there is still little growth. The members seem to be content with being a small chapter and not having the vision to grow. What can be done?

Is your head office OK with them being small?

Are they meeting financial obligations and filling the house (if they have one)?

Are they maintaining a consistent size from year to year and not overburdened with too many offices?

Are the women having an enjoyable sorority experience (i.e. they participate in things, they like being around each other, there isn't a lot of disaffiliation)?

If the answers to these questions are all yes, you really don't have a problem. Not everyone wants their chapter to be the hugest on campus. You may want to see them grow, but if that's not what they want, and your HQ doesn't push it, you can't force them into it.

If you shut down the chapter, how will you start it up again? Is it possible to negotiate an outpath with the administration and/or PanHel that will ensure your groups return?

If the chapter is not healthy and is struggling maybe it is better for the group to leave, regardless of when they may return. Yes it is sad to lose a chapter, but even worse when that group brings down and org because they are uncontrollable.

The original poster put this up a year ago, I'd be suprised if they are still around.

oops didn't realize how old the original post is. Deleting my reply...

I think Russ was referencing the more recent post where they only seem to have a numbers issue - not the OP where she was afraid there might be hazing problems. Those are two very different things.

I am still around occasionally, although I don't post. I have found this board to be a good resource.

My story...

After spending all of last spring emailing headquarters outlining problems I saw and begging for support, I was pretty much ignored. I really thought I was going to resign my position and be done with the organzation as a whole. At our convention this summer, in front of the collegiate officers in attendance and the officers from headquarters, I made it VERY clear that this chapter was in trouble and needed help. I think the collegiates were in shock, even though I said that I was going to do this. I laid everything on the line with everyone at our meeting and made it clear I wasn't going to tolerate being ignored anymore and that the chapter needed to change. The good news is that we got new area officers and they were much more invested in helping out my chapter. They were very committed to sending in reinforcements during the semester (and did in fact do that). I left convention feeling renewed in my position and felt that everyone (including the collegiates) were on the same page.

Due to circumstances beyond her control, the new member educator needed to resign and leave school. A person was appointed in the iterim and she was a nightmare. She had planned a program that was nothing but hazing! When I told her that this plan needed to be changed to reflect the organizations new member plan and involve no activities that were against the law. She yelled at me and told me that every other chapter on campus was doing these kinds of things and that our chapter needed to participate too! Much to my dismay, she ended up being elected once school reconviened. Luckily, our headquarters was extremely involved this fall and the other members of the exec board realized that if the NME did what she planned to do, that the chapter would be closed. She was kept in check, thankfully!

We are in the midst of an officer change. With the actions of the NME this fall, the rest of the exec board realized that there were lots of problems in the chapter. They took some steps to make some changes. I just hoped they passed this information on to the new board!

Let's hope for a better year!

you
 

should be nominated for sainthood-or at least a high award within your organization!! it sounds like you are making headway, both with your national office and with your collegiate chapter.keep up the good work. it would seem to me that a non hazing chapter would be the one everyone would be trying to join, so keep reinforcing the non hazing message to your collegiate members and speading the word around campus. have you tried to set up a meeting of advisors from the other chapters on campus?maybe if all the advisors banded together to eradicate the hazing, it would gradually go away.

it also sounds like the chapter is not making the wisest decisions when choosing its officers. would it be possible for you and/or other advisors to review the proposed slate of officers before it is presented to the chapter, or could you conduct interviews beforehand with members interested in holding office? it sounds like they make poor choices, and might need to have that privilege(autonomous decision making) suspended for a time,maybe if they learn that hazing will not be tolerated and have their exact duties lined out for them, they will tow the line. good luck!lisa

Re: you
 

That sounds way too dictatorial to me.

They elected a NME that might have done a good job, but she had to leave. They had to appoint someone. She sucked. The exec board realized she sucked. They didn't let her go nuts. That sounds like they did exactly what they are supposed to do and learned in the process. If they would have a swarm of advisors watching over them and telling them what to do and what not, they wouldn't have learned their lesson.

Sometimes when you have to appoint someone in an off-cycle time, it's not who is best for the job, it's who will volunteer to do it. If there was no one else wanting to be NME, they didn't really have a choice.

Re: Re: you
 

I thought all organizations had their Advisors give their okay on exec slate. At least that's what my chapter has done for the four years I've been a part of it! It's nice because it ensures a quality slate. :)

Re: Re: Re: you
 

I understand the theory behind it, but not all chapters actually use the slating process. We know what it is, but we also had 25 women so it just did not make sense. 200 women is another story. But advisors having the right to review seems a little to Big Brother to me. As someone who did not get along with our advisor, it would have not given me the chance my sisters gave me. He was not a sister and was way too petty with our little melodramas. It could be bad in those situations.

Re: Re: Re: Re: you
 

All of our advisors who would approve the slate were alums of my organization. We have academic advisors but they don't really do anything involved with slate. It also makes it easier to not have girls in the chapter being the bad guy at times if someone doesn't get the position they wanted.