Advisor Issues
 

In my chapter, we have three advisors, but one is particular has been highly authoritative lately. Many of us on executive board feel as though her attitude is overly negative and that she is generally trying to run things in the chapter. She places a great emphasis on the "way things were" when she was a collegiate member eight years ago. We've noticed the change has come about largely since she went on maternity leave and we think she is focusing too much energy on improving our chapter now that she has so much time on her hands. Any suggestions???

Is there someone at your HQ that you can call?

Or perhaps discuss with your other advisors?

This is something they tell alums not to ever do (try to make things the way they 'were'). Progress happens, GLO's always have up and down times. What exactly are her complaints? As an advisor, you are there to advise. Not to govern.

Good luck.

Talk to her first before you go oevr her head
i woul call her tonight and talk to her about it.

Be polite but firm. . .

Try to be specific also lol:)

We are having a same thing but we cant do anything bc our advisor is older and everyone at headquaters loves her but she just makes up rules. I would talk to the other two advisors.

Our advisor is older as well and close to other national personel. I'm afraid they will be more sympathetic to her than us.

Specifically, she thought there was a "breakdown in executive board communications" and decided to call an emergency e-board meeting before our chapter meeting later last week. The thing that really makes me mad is that she wrote in the e-mail that if any member of e-board did not attend her emergency meeting we should be prepared to have our positions revoked immediately! I don't even think she has the power to do that. Furthermore, she did not just send the e-mail out to e-board but to the whole chapter - so we had a whole chapter of women wondering what e-board had done that was so bad!

It's all very frustrating and my chapter and I are hesitant to go to National about it.

Well you should go to her first. The questions is, are you intimidated by her position? That would be normal.

Oddly enough GLO's have no real mechanism for what to do when there is a problem between chapters and their advisors, so usually nothing gets brought into the open and there is a lot of bitterness and resentment.

I would get the e-board on the same page and then write her an email expressing your concerns and proposing as a soltution that you set up some procedures for how to deal with chapter issues.

Its perfectly reasonable for you to request that when she wants to yell at you for a reason that you don't even know about that the whole chapter doesn't have to get the email.

ITs also perfectly reasonable to ask her not to threaten you with removal just to enforce attendance at a meeting. You aren't her daughter lol.

Offer to establish a permanent method of dialogue, as far as when you will talk to her, say weekly.

When she wants the chapter to change, ask her to put it in writing, with reasons, and send it it before the next time you will be physically meeting her. That gives you time to think about it. So you can discuss it loigically.

Basically you want to avoid situations whre she just walks in the room and takes charge because you aren't prepared for what she is going to say and you are a little intimidated by both her age/experience and positon in the sorority.

When she comes to an exec meeting, or you have a meeting with her, keep notes. Thats what secretares are for. If its a private meeting, record it, and/or take after meeting notes. That way you have records if there is a problem. Why should anyone take your word over hers?

This stuff will not get better with time. My own lack of a good relationship and communication with one of our own advisors really led to problems in the chapter. Major problems that took years to work themselves out. And because of that a lot of people were robbed of the total experience they could have had.

If you give us a little more information we can refine our advice.

I beg to differ that there is nothing your international officers can do if your advisor is not advising appropriately. It does, however, require documentation of specific incidents where there was inappropriate advice given, refusal to follow current policy or interpersonal conflict. Even a volunteer can be 'asked' to volunteer in another capacity.

For the advisor who wants everything done "just like when she was in the chapter"... explore with her exactly what does she mean? Were they winning a lot of awards then? If not, focusing on the criterion for winning campus or international awards might convince her that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Has this advisor gone to a training session? Pi Phi has a special seminar at convention and will be doing an AAC training this summer as well. Most groups have some form of training or your regional officers can assist you.

Talk to her first, but your regional officer needs to know that there is an issue. If you have a traveling consultant coming, talk to her as well. Most TGCs won't intervene directly but they know who to call!

I can't speak to your international's policies but I would doubt she has the authority to remove someone from office. Sending the email to the entire chapter breached the confidentiality that AAC needs to hold with Exec business. It sounds like things are deteriorating and you need help. Know the chain of command and go to the next level... don't go all the way to the top yet.

My recommendations for diffusing this challenge with your advisor's communication:

1) Meet informally as an e-board, sans advisers. Among your collegiate officers, make a list about what you love about your advisory board and executive committee's working relationship. And then, make a list of things that need improvement. This could be items that the collegians are responsible for, as well as items the advisers could improve on. The idea is to help the chapter function better and to help officers enjoy their office and do well.

2) At next e-board, when you get to New Business, announce that you would like to discuss Advisor and Collegiate Communication.

3) Bring out your list and tout the accomplishments of your advisers.

4) After praising everyone for what is going on RIGHT, list your concerns, citing specific examples but doing it in a contructive way, with your voice calm and kind and professional. Don't turn accusatory. (Think of yourself in the real world, having to tell your upper management that there is a challenge in communication. You want to come off as confident and wanting to solve the problem, not point fingers and be accusatory. By generalizing this as a group, you aren't calling anyone on the carpet and making them feel put on the defensive, making them less receptive to resolution).

** List a recommended solution for EACH communication challenge. (IE: It challenges the chapter's faith in the Exec Board when the advisory board sends an email to the whole chapter roster that conveys E-Board isn't doing it's job and is going to get in trouble and E-Board members removed from office. It makes the chapter members feel anxious and worried and lessens their respect and trust in the Exec Board to protect and do good for the chapter. We would like to propose that if the advisory board is addressing a challenge with a member of Exec, or the Exec Board as a whole, that this come in the form of a personal meeting or phone call, or email solely to the Executive Board. By communicating in this way, the chapter members will not feel uneasy about Exec Board, the Advisory Board, and other internal issues. Keeping chapter members confident about the abilities of Exec Board and Advisory Board will make us stronger as a chapter.)

5) End on a high note. Thank the advisory board for volunteering their time for you and that you all look forward to a bright future of good communication and productivity together.

6) Your advisors will appreciate your maturity and recommendations and together, you can discuss how to solve the challenge. Also, by NOT ganging up on the one advisor causing the primary challenge, you will have the entire advisory board on your side. MAKE SURE YOU RECORD ALL YOUR PRAISE/CHALLENGE/RECOMMENDATION AND OUTCOME IN THE MINUTES. These minutes should be copied on a regular basis to your International Officer contact. She does read these! If the challenges continue, document them in your minutes. This way, you have record.

I fully agree on all accounts!

umm, okay, LOL

I would talk to the other two advisors (one on one - have the person on exec who is closest to advisor A talk to her, same for advisor B) and say (paraphrasing) "is it just me, or has advisor C gotten way too hyper lately?" I would guess that unless they are advisors in name only, advisors A & B would be as annoyed by C's actions as the exec board is. When you accept an invitation to be part of a team you want to work that way.

They might be able to get together and help her deal with the changes that have come about in her life and make her realize how she's coming across. She might not know, or heck, her hormones might be going overboard. My guess is that she would take their constructive criticism better than exec board going down a point by point list.

Don't you have an area or regional advisor, who is over the chapter advisors for the region? I would initially talk to the advisor who is causing issue if you're comfortable with that. If not, contact your area advisor, but be warned, you need clear and specific examples to be taken seriously.

I think you, united as E-board need to talk to her... are the other members of your A- board the same ?? Are things improving with her suggested changes ?? You could always go to the Regional level.. but I think you should talk it over with her first... maybe with another member of the advisory team ....

I agree. Go through the chain of command locally. You need to start with the source of the challenge--- the adviser herself, and have a mature dialogue with the advisers all together.

If things don't improve, then go to the regional director. Just like you would at a job, if a supervisor was making you nuts, the right thing to do is talk to that person on an individual level. If the matter can't be resolved, then you involve your next level up in a mediation. This saves BOTH your necks. Greek Life is great training for the working world. Take advantage of this opp in conflict mgmt!

She can't do that! I'm CKA of my chapter and I know sometimes the Archon and VA think I step in too much, but it's because they haven't been used to having an active/visible advisor. And I always suggest not order!

An advisor has no control in calling emergency meetings - that is for the archon to do(its in the bylaws somewhere). She also has no power in handing out disciplinary action. (she could ask J-board to look into the matter or write an incident report though)

As suggested talk to her first! There was an alum that had similar attitude so the sisters would never invite her out to anything - I know that she could really help me out though on the advisory board, so I called her up and straight out told her that some sisters find she has too much of the "When I was active..." attitude.

If you get no results, then have your archon email the RCD.

any updates?