Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl
I know this is often given as a reason for AIs, but IMO, a chapter that's that remote (especially if they're just beginning) needs women who have been involved with their sorority for a number of years...not those who have just being initiated without any collegiate Greek experience. Unless, of course, the women who do the real advising are doing so via the net/email and the newly initiated advisor is just a formality to clean the ritual catsuits.
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I'm the one who usually gives this as a reason for AIs because of our chapters in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. People who go to college there rarely stay in the area and it is definitely remote. When I first began to oversee these two chapters, one had an AI who was serving as chapter advisor. I don't think she was the CA when she was first initiated as an AI. I think someone else was CA, she was initiated, started helping and eventually ended up the CA. She is also a VP at the University. The current CA there is her daughter, who was initiated into the chapter as a collegian. The current CAs daughter is now a collegian in the chapter! How is that for succession planning? lol. I agree with what you said and think it works best when someone is the chapter advisor and she finds women who want to help and trains them properly so that eventually they could take over.
At our other chapter in the UP, I have an advisor who is advising, as you said, over Skype, email, etc. It has helped them tremendously and is better than nothing but we do need someone local to sign checks and do other things up there. The current advisor gets up there a couple times a year to see family and for work, but it isn't the same and we can't pretend that it is. We're looking at ways to select some women up there to become AIs to be advisors. That said, it wouldn't likely be grad students. We'd like more continuity than that in this case.. women who are settled in that area.. who work at the university, own businesses in the area or who are personal friends of the current advisor.