Alright...I'm over in another thread advising Amanda at SPSU (not a bad thing!!!), so I'm glad Firehouse got this one under control.
(really, I'm saying that in jest...this is what I like about GC...people coming together to help others out)
Couple of comments from me though....
Quote:
Originally posted by mart1240
If our house gets in trouble with our IFC, it is is in a LOT of trouble with our nationals, so i'm definitley biased because the IFC kids pretty much hold our charter in their hands and i feel like i can't do anything about it.
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That is an interesting statement to make. What happened with your chapter in the past to get to the point where your LOCAL IFC holds your charter "in their hands". That makes it sound like "3 Strikes, your out" and you guys have 2 strikes.
The 10 page email you referred to earlier...that sounds like it turned into a big old miscommunication. If an email gets that long, it should have become a face to face discussion a long time ago. There's almost always a "question behind the question" and it could be that someone, somewhere wasn't asking their question right and got the whole thing off on a tangent. Best to forget about that email and start over again with the topic. In person.
However, I have known people (we all have) who state things in a certain way because they have an ulterior motive. I am a Greek advisor, and I have some students who are like that. I know that I have to rephrase what they say to me to get to the real point, and also to uncover the "hidden agenda". So, put that email into that context as well...someone could have been trying to figure out how to get around the dry rush rules by backing authority into the corner (I've seen that happen 10,000 times!). Don't automatically assume that the advisor is the one at fault.
Now, Firehouse has an interesting plan there. Don't know if that's the approach I would have taken, but then again I "grew up" under NPC guidelines, which is a whole different ball of wax. You guys know the NIC system the best, so use that knowledge.
I will say this, though. Calm down, figure out what you need clarified by your Greek advisor, and calmly try another face to face discussion. Don't accuse, don't try to box them into a corner, just talk. Honestly, if the advisor doesn't attend the delegate meetings (I don't...I just go to the exec meetings unless something gets stirred up), then he/she may have no clue how messy everything is. The exec may not be giving them the whole picture. You want to have an attitude of collaboration and cooperation when you have this chat. Doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they say...just go gather information. Buy them a Coke or something. Chat. Don't look for evidence that the advisor is against you...just go get information. Once you get that info, then you'll be better prepared to do something. The advisor may not be all that great, and that's reality sometimes. But then again, the advisor just may not really know how this is affecting everyone.
If you can't get the Bylaws from the advisor, ask any of the other IFC delegates...surely someone has a copy or is friendly enough with the IFC exec to get their hands on one.
And Firehouse is right...you will seem more credible if you use better adjectives....
Good Luck and let us know how it goes!!!
PsychTau