[AngieWashU]

Tom,

You are very wise. I started advising a sorority chapter less than a year after I graduated and now I understand why our nationals suggest you wait three years after graduation before advising. This chapter has benefitted from the time and attention I've given them through advising, but now it is time for me to step back and encourage them to seek more of the answers themselves and changing my habits is hard. If I can't give over more control to them, I know I'll need to find someone who can.

Unfortunately in the small city where I live, advising is the only alumnae activity that appeals to younger alumnae. Having learned from my experience, I am unwilling to put them on the advisory team, so I have formed a young alumnae group that meets for happy hour or an activity every month. It has only gone on for a year and enabled me to meet a few new young alumnae who might otherwise have not gotten involved, but it is the same handful of young women who show up every month--and most of them won't even show up to the larger alumnae chapter events. I wish I could make them appreciate the older women the way that I do, but I think I will need to be satisfied with keeping them involved in the sorority just through the occasional email or happy hour.

Sorry for the rambling,
Angie