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which office are you advising? for instance, i am the recruitment advisor-i work with the recruitment vp to make sure that the chapter is well prepared for formal recruitment(and for cor if need be) ,i attend their recruitment workshops and recruitment parties, i observe the voting and attend the bid matching and make sure that i know the most current panhellenic recruitment rules. i was formerly the general advisor-i sat in on the executive officers meetings and attended the chapter meetings, which were held on the same day.
different advisory positions require a different amount of time. if you are the general advisor(or whatever asa calls it) then i would imagine your duties would be to attend the chapter meetings and the executive officers meetings. the girls really run the show though. in the executive officers meetings, they each bring information unique to their position to the table, the vp1-coordinator of committees shares her committees plans with the other execs, they set an agenda for the chapter meeting and all this is observed by the general advisor. she is not telling them what to do(unless they are way off base)-she lets them make the decisions. she is there to help keep them on track and to answer any procedural questions they might have. she should be famaliar with the national general manual as well as the colleges rules.
has this chapter been operating without advisors for a while? if so, then the avoidance is not aimed at your personally, but rather, at you the ADVISOR. i would hazard a guess that the chapter thinks that they were doing fine on their own, and somewhat resent an adult presence. this will take some time to conquer, but after a few of the chapters administrations have come and gone, and you have hung in there, they will come to accept you.
i have found giving suggestions, rather than telling them what to do works wonders. for instance, you felt that the chapter would benefit from an educational program. there must be some officer, either elected or appointed that is ordinarily in charge of something like that. speaking to her directly about your idea for an education program might be the way to go. let her make the arrangements, line up the speaker, schedule the time, etc. you just pass on the idea and answer any questions as they arise.
you need a manual!! you should contact your headquarters and request one, be sent to you. you should also have a copy of your national by laws.
do you have an advisory board or are you it? find an older alumna who has served as an advisor and pick her brain. contact the national officer that is over your areas collegiate chapters .
as for not feeling appreciated-i think that goes with the territory. but honestly, how often are you appreciated at your job? does someone say to you on a daily basis,"gee, thanks for X"? most likely not. but i think that most of us who advise do it because, like you, we want to remain connected with our sorority on a local level, and we want to make a difference in some young womans life.
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