Seating Charts at meeting
 

Hello!
I was just wondering if any chapters had seating charts or arrangements at your meetings? We recently installed one and we are getting some negative feedback...so I wanted to know how others chapters ran meetings.
thank you!!!

As per the policy from IHQ, the President sat between the VP Operations and VP Finance at the head of the room. All other members sat in initiation order facing the three officers.

We followed a seating chart when it came to EC, though. A seating chart of officers and advisors is listed in the Collegiate Leadership Manual.

Are you a local? If you are a national, there should be a policy in place for seating.

You could do alphabetical, or alphabetical by pledge class seating.

Talk to your members-- why are they up in arms about seating arrangements? I think it helps every chapter to do an annual "Town Hall" meeting where the members can voice concerns and opinions without fear of being squashed for raising what they feel are relevant issues toward chapter improvement. Try that out, too.

Do you mean where the exec board sits, the order they sit in etc

or

do you mean a seating chart for everyone by pledge class or otherwise?

I know that some groups advocate having a seating chart so the same cliques aren't always sitting together and giggling and things like that. This is a good idea, but not necessarily for every meeting of the year...it's too much like being in high school. Maybe every 3rd week or so have everyone pick a number as they walk into the meeting and that's where they sit, but other than exec having a "you must sit in seat 23 every week" is definitely too much. It's a sorority. It's supposed to be fun.

chapter member seating chart
 

sorry! i meant seating chart for chapter members... our E-board sits in a specific order but we recently made one up so that members wouldn't chit chat so much and that meetings ran more smoothly. the chart is based so that voting also runs smoothly becasue we have some members who are not allowed to vote and this way our advior knows who to collect votes from, also its a way to meet more of our sisters if your sitting next to someone you may not have sat next too.

Do other chapters have seating charts? or do you just allow them to sit where ever?

I can understand why people wouldn't like that, especially if the not allowed to vote people are all in a certain area - it would make them feel self conscious and if they can't vote because of $$ or grades or whatever, they probably already feel bad enough about it. Can't you trust them to not vote? Plus, why can't your advisor have enough of a clue as to know who the people are who can't vote? How many members do you have?

I would definitely change it up from week to week rather than forcing people to sit next to the same people every week.

ETA for everyone who's saying their HQ has a chart for everyone, not just exec - what does it entail? Do you have to sit by pledge class or office or what? Ugh, I just can't imagine sitting next to the same person every single week of the year.

Are you local or NPC? If you're NPC, your HQ might already have a seating policy enforced.

Why are some members not allowed to vote?

If not, why are they even there?

Being to regimented can become tedious.

They as OTW said, President, VP and Treasure should be at the head table and the rest be seated in chairs in front of them, or around a table if it seats all voting members only!

Just to add, the President runs the meeting according to Roberts Rules of Order.

THE LEADER!

we are NPC and if you are on a probation you are not allowed to vote...you still have to come to meeting and are allowed to participate but are not allowed to actually vote.

We sat in Initiation order per HQ's guidelines. To me, it wasn't that big of a deal because we didn't (and couldn't) really socialize during the official meeting anyway.

Wow. That post was actually coherent.

Useless, but coherent.

There should be a seating method in your organization's bylaws. Check with your advisers. Also, adopt this into your chapter bylaws, if you have not already done so.

If you have members on probation who aren't permitted to vote, I think it would make the most sense to announce their names just prior to your meeting and make them sit together so they don't mistakenly vote-- maybe put them within eyesight of whomever would keep track of voting? Again, I'm sure your nationals has some set seating order that you should follow.

ETA: Once you straighten this out, ease the chapter into it. Phase it out and it will go over more smoothly-- people just hate change (it is in our nature). "Hey everyone, we recently learned that the sorority has a preferred seating arrangement process. You can learn about it by reading the (name the appropriate operational manual or bylaws). We're going to institute this new arrangement, but we're going to do it gradually over the next month, or 4 chapter meetings. This will give everyone a chance to get used to it. I know everyone is used to sitting with their friends, and this may be disappointing, but we have to follow what is in our bylaws." Maybe you can also, with the approval of your advisers, do open seating when you hold membership workshops that aren't business meetings. Let the chapter know this-- so while you are "taking" something away, you are also giving something back.

Off topic, but regarding members who weren't in good standing (as we called it) who weren't allowed to vote, those names were kept confidential and the only ones who were allowed to know who they were were the EC. Same with members on payment plans. Both were considered sensitive subjects.

Because they are still members who have lost voting privileges for one reason or another - grades, finances, etc. Losing your vote is not the same as losing your membership.

By us, members have to wait for a semester after initiation before they can vote.

Then that means they are not on suspension?

If they are suspensions, then why are they there?

Granted, they are still members, but under suspension and have no voting rights or should be there?

Is this correct? You let suspended Members enjoy all of the rights of full members?:confused:

They don't have the privileges of voting or maybe other things (like social privileges) but it's still their duty as a member to attend chapter meetings and know what's going on. Every group is different.

Suspended members would be something quite different and a lot more serious than someone who is on academic or financial probation. Those are two reasons for not being able to vote. The only time I can think someone would be "suspended" is if she's up for a termination vote that week, or something.

Newly initiated members have to wait a semester before being allowed to vote to give them a chance to learn the bylaws and all the roles of all the positions so that when they vote they fully know what the position entails and know that they're voting for the best possible candidate.

I would not single out those on probation, etc. by seating them seperately.

My chapter usually seated alphabetically for our formal meetings, but we'd change it occasionally, reverse alphabet or something. None of us knew our initiation numbers w/o looking at our pins :D

Ding ding ding. And they should remain confidential unless the person chooses to let anybody else in the room know on their own. Those are both very sensitive subjects and if I was put in a corner of the room for being unable to vote (most likely because I couldn't afford the fines/dues at the time), darn skippy I'd be mad about that.

When I was a collegian in my local sorority, we had a problem with sisters talking during chapter meetings. It made chapter run longer than it needed to and nobody could hear the business that was being discussed because of all of the giggling/chitchat. Sisters tended to sit in in the same groups of friends each week. Our Parliamentarian (it was her job to keep order during meetings/observe Robert's Rules/etc) solved the problem with a seating chart. She put each sister's name on an index card and put the cards on seats prior to each chapter meeting. It kept everyone quiet because it broke up the groups of friends. The Parliamentarian kept the seating chart interesting by mixing it up each week.

Maybe that is because You are in a local!

If there is a suspension, there is a suspension not only from Social but anyother rights of the GLO! That is being suspended from all rights of the GLO!

But of course yours is different!

Your and your groups decision!

Our NPC chapter would have members on probation who could not vote or attend social events (or a limited number of social events) but were required to attend chapter.

This is NOT the same thing as suspending a member which we didn't even really do. You were expelled or "punished" but not suspended.

It has nothing to do with locals and a lot to do with the fact that Tom Earp didn't get into the sorority house of his dreams when he was 18 and can't let go of the moment...

When I was a collegian, we sat in alphabetical order by last name. I'm not sure if they still do this.

We sit in initiation order and we do have "socializing" problems even though we know that isn't allowed. I'm guilty of it too...that's sometimes the only time of the week I see most of my sisters. But mostly the meeting still runs smoothly because we're quiet or someone will remind us, nicely, to stfu so we can get done on time.

As for voting, why don't you just make sure the advisors have a number of how many are in good standing. Then if they have a total vote count above that number they can make the chapter repeat the entire process until whomever is voting when they shouldn't gives up.

Wonder why I or You do not understand?

If, a member is on "SUSPENSION", then they have not rights in the Organization for attending social functions, charity events, sporting events, or attending meetings as a voting member!

I do not care if it is a Local or National!

So, You are a saying that a suspended member of your GLO can come and be in a space when maybe she has not any right to?

If your answer is yes, then why pay dues, house bill, or any other things that the Active Members have the right to do?

Please tell me so I can pass this along to My IHQ so they cannot function when there is no money coming in!

Oh, My GLO does not need Money coming in to function!:rolleyes:

Tom, YOU are the one who mentioned "suspended members." None of the NPC women brought up that term. Sometimes members in our chapters cannot vote because 1) they're behind on payments 2) they didn't make grades for that term. We do not terminate them immediately, we work with them. They are on financial PROBATION or academic PROBATION. It's a heck of a lot different than being SUSPENDED.

think of it this way - you can be a college student, and on academic probation, but still attending classes. IT'S THE SAME THING.

You could just tell them to grow up and learn to be quiet during meetings. My soror doesn't have a seating chart and we are a talkative group of girls. Get a good Sergeant in Arms if girls start disrupting the meeting.

It's like talking to a wall.

Just because he had the "ins" with a former international president, he thinks he has carte blanche to dictate the membership guidelines all all sororities, NPCs and locals. I'm waiting for the day he starts preaching about the NPHC.

My APO chapter always sat in a circle. In fact, we call the meetings "Brotherhood Circles."

My APhiA chapter allows members to sit anywhere (auditorium style) and several board members sat up front. Always the President and VP, others depending on space.

Yeah, I still maintain he just really really really wants a bid.