Ninja Educational Leadership Consultants(ELCs)
 

I know just about ever national organization has some sort of control mechanism that has a paid staff member travel to different chapters basically assessing risk.(though some also say to help greek life, which they do)

My thought is what about a "traveling alumni" that comes and stays at the greek's house for a period of time but is really just a spy for nationals to make sure the chapter is operating like it should.


How probable is this?

Are you asking whether we think that individuals who visit chapters and while on the HQ payroll might be reporting unsafe conditions?

Why even ask the question. Of course they are.

I used to know a former Acacia consultant. He wasn't an alumnus, but an active who took a year off to be a consultant for their national. He actually did turn in one of the chapters he visited for hazing, so of course this stuff happens.

How probable is it? Very.

Funny, because when I was a Division Vice President a few years ago, one of the things that was encouraged was visiting local chapters if we were in the area.

I did, and while nobody ever said anything obvious, it was clear that some of the chapters/members thought I was a "spy" from the Central Office.

We have several "Chapter Consultants," most or all of whom are recent graduates I think. Each of our chapters has two visits a year. In addition, each of our chapters has a visit from a Delts Talk About Alcohol (DTAA) intern once a year.

I tell you what, that would piss me right off.

Guys from nationals stopping by is one thing.......someone posing as an alumni, staying at the house for extended periods of time in order to spy is quite another.

If you don't have anything to hide, then it shouldn't matter.

I guess I thought this was pretty common practice among all national GLOs. Consultants are there to assess chapters and help to strengthen them. I've enjoyed pretty much every consultant that has come to visit.

Consultants and regional advisers are one thing......someone posing as a random alumnus, coming and living in the house for an extended period of time in order to spy on us is something different.

It's the principle behind it.

... the principle being that your National should be up front and honest with chapters in all cases.

Our organizations survive because we choose to continue to belong. If my HQ started an internal spying program, many of our chapters would likely drop affiliation.

Besides that, from the business standpoint of most organizations, no one's house corporation is going to approve any alumnus who wants to stay at the chapter house for an extended period of time unless that alumnus has a damned good reason. I just don't see something like that happening.

Way too many bridges would be burned by such a program.

If a GLO has consultants and regional advisors, then why do they need random alum "spies"?

Because if a consultant is there all the time, everyone will be on their best behavior. If someone is an alum (esp a chapter alum) and living there, ostensibly just to save money or something but is really spying for nationals, the chapter will "let it all hang out."

To the original poster - if you have questions about a particular person, I would check your group's listserv or private side. If they seem to be awfully chummy with a lot of higher ups in your org out of the blue, don't let him/her through the door.

I don't know how probable it is, but if it ever got out that any Greek group was doing this, their name would be mud & there'd probably be a full scale insurrection by the chapters.

Personally I dont believe its necessary of nationals to ask alumni to report on operations, thats what chapter consultants, advisors, etc are there for; however, I do believe alumni should say something to the specific chapter if they see something they don't feel is right. It seems chapters would take it more to heart if their alumni just spoke candidly to them with their thoughts to create a discussion and challenge the chapter to question their actions rather than mandate.

Chris

Where the heck did that come from?

I said that we were encouraged to visit.

Not stay for any period of time.

Not spy.

I've had some very nice times -- been invited to stay for dinner, chapter meetings, rush functions and even Ritual at different chapters.

It's called brotherhood.

As was pointed out, if there's nothing to hide, then there's nothing to worry about anyway.

I don't think that headquarters should send alumnae/ni in to chapters to spy on them, however if an alumna/alumnus visits a chapter and sees them doing something illegal or that violates the organization's policies, then it is his/her responsibility to say something to both the chapter and the organization's leadership.

He was answering the original post, not your post.

Delt, I was responding to the original post.

I love it when alumni are at the house......there is nothing more fun than kicking back with the olds, having some drinks, tailgating, talking about the past, etc. My dad was a member of our chapter so it's an added bonus when him and his pledge brothers are here.....hell, they practically all raised me.....it's like having 15 dads.

If you don't like having alums around something is wrong with you.


also........I edited my first post in the thread, I can see why you thought that from reading it. I didn't say what I wanted to in the right way.

Thanks for the comment. We've all done that on occassion.