[Zillini]

How I became an advisor: I had no idea what advisors did. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have run screaming for the hills. I joined House Corp as a way to meet local women since I was new to the state. The House Corp Treasurer who was also the Finance Advisor quit. I swear all I said was I'd be willing to put my name on the bank signature card thinking I’d sign an occasional check. Next thing I knew I was getting mailings from Inatl addressed to the Finance Advisor. Huh? What's that and what am I supposed to do? I hung in there and was later asked to be the Chapter Advisor too.

Time commitment: Depends on the time of year, what’s going on and how many other advisors are on board. At times I was the only advisor and did everything. (Hubby was ready to divorce me!) I’ve lost my Recruitment Advisor so I’m covering that again until I find and train a new one. I've never tracked my hours per week on the phone or email. Obviously problems require more time. I talk/email regularly with chapter officers, other advisors, our Province Director and House Director. As needed with House Corp, our accounting firm, other Inatl officers, members and parents.

Typical attendance for me (not counting Recruitment):

- Weekly lunch at the house with Treasurer and Pres. All officers are invited to join us. Any form/report/check requiring my signature needs to be there & ready. If not it's up to them to drive to my house. (Part of learning responsibility and time management.)

- Exec Board once a month, Sun evenings.

- House Corp meetings (non-voting member) 2-3x a semester, Sun afternoons.

- Some Chapter meetings each semester, Wed's at 6:15, 1 1/2 hours +/-. In addition to random regular meetings, always prior to elections, Bylaws revisions and Initiation to explain procedures. Also there for elections and Bylaws voting.

- Some Exec Committee meetings each semester (occasionally via speaker phone), last spring on Mon’s at 9pm.

- Officer candidate interviews in late fall, 2-3 evenings.

- Officer Transition, weekend in January just prior to classes starting.

- At least 1 new member meeting in fall, preferably the 1st.

- At least 1 spring Recruitment workshop to cover procedures for new members.

- Monthly campus-wide advisors luncheon to cover topics affecting all Greeks.

My advisors and I share the burden of attendance so no one gets burned out, is away from her family too much or simply scheduling conflicts. One must be at: Initiation, Chapter Retreat, date parties, Standards meetings including grades. One tries to be at: philanthropy events, Parents Weekend, Officer Installation, alumnae events. I know I've forgotten some things.

Relationship with collegiates: I try to teach my members to be good leaders by example. I'm a straight shooter and speak my mind, but always calm, polite and with respect. I admit when I’ve made a mistake. I admit I don’t know everything, then research the policy/procedure. I listen to legit complaints, but not unfounded bitching. I always explain the how’s and why’s behind decisions. I will go to bat for my girls with the Administration, Panhellenic, Inatls, House Corp, angry parents, etc. I will not tolerate being lied to. I can’t support you if you aren’t entirely honest with me. I will play the bad guy and announce/take the blame for unpopular yet necessary decisions so officers don't have to.

Challenges: The biggest was when I accepted the responsibility as Finance Advisor. I discovered the Chapter was basically bankrupt due to poor financial management and dues not being collected. It took a year of hard work with the Treasurer to turn things around. They've been financially sound ever since.

The most annoying and too frequent challenges are dealing with unhappy parents when I'm not at liberty to tell them the whole story. They only know what their daughter told them. She's always the innocent angel and we're the big bad meanies persecuting her.

Unreimbursed money: None, unless you count gas money to and from the house. We even budget for babysitting reimbursement to help our advisors, though it's only been requested a few times over the years. Registration, gas, airfare, hotel, etc for Inatl events are reimbursed. I believe advising is voluntary and shouldn't cost anything otherwise few would continue to do it.

Travel: Once in February for district training. It's within driving distance, leaving on Fri afternoon and home by Sun afternoon. All advisors are encouraged to attend. I've only missed a few over the years. In June there is Convention or leadership training depending on the year. This usually involves air travel, leaving on Wed and returning on Sun. Only 1 advisor attends. It depends on who can work out her schedule, but it often ends up being me because I’ll make my schedule work if I have to.