[twhrider13]

Back when I first joined my chapter, I was elected to the position of Vice-President of Programs about two weeks before I was actually initiated! Of course, I didn't start the position until the next semester, but our chapter was so small at the time that we pretty much had to get new members to take Exec positions.

In my case, the responsibility of the Exec position didn't lead to burnout. My burnout was actually caused by the exact opposite. While I was VP of Programs, I really enjoyed implementing new things to make the running of the chapter easier and doing things to help the chapter grow. The following year, I did a slate interview for VP of New Member Ed instead. I was the only person to do a slate interview who had been on Exec the previous year (everyone else was a brand-new initiate), and I was not slated for any position at all. By this time, the chapter had grown enough to where it wasn't necessary to bring new members up into Exec positions. It seemed almost like a slap in the face, a "we-don't-appreciate-your-efforts-at-all" kind of thing. (Not saying it was--maybe I was just being overly sensitive.) I just felt like I was a bit more qualified, having been on Exec for a year, than the girls who'd just been initiated just a week earlier! So I didn't even bother writing my name in on the ballot, which I regret now.

Anyway, the point of that long-winded story was to say that I started feeling burned out when I started feeling like some of the older sisters and I were being pushed aside. A lot of things happened that I didn't necessarily like. We felt like we didn't really have a voice to speak for us, and we felt useless and unappreciated. I'm one of those people who likes to feel like she's doing something--ok, a control freak!--, so being left without a position led to my burnout more than anything.

*Disclaimer: The above post may make little or no sense. I had a terrible migraine earlier, and the medicine I took for it has made my room start spinning right now. I'll come back and edit it later, if necessary!*