[luv n tpa]

I agree with the other responses regarding the organization is what you make of it.

Each semester, we have at least two or three scheduled "Good and Welfares". We add more should tensions rise/big problems occur. Maybe this is like your pass the Gavel, Tom, but we do that too, and it's more of a "I just had the worst day ever", "I passed my 84 page exam!" kind of thing.

Anywho, each sister, anonymously, writes on a sheet of paper her feelings about an issue. The key is "I statements": "I feel ____ when ____ because ____." (No personal attacks!) All of these get sorted and read by the president, usually grouping together similar statements. They are read and subsequently discussed.

It can get pretty heated, but most of the time it really helps to alleviate tension and stress between us. And more importantly, it solves problems. Sometimes we forget the "good" in good and welfare, so a good rule of thumb is if you have a negative/unhappy/problem statement to say, throw in a good one as well. If the entire thing is negative, no one will walk out of there in a good mood, despite things being resolved.