[Kevin]

I know exactly where you are coming from.

When my chapter was still a colony, we had many of the same problems. It kind of felt like that (and this has changed within our organization since then) we were handed a few books, told we were a colony, given certain goals and then left to fend for ourselves. We came up with a constitution and bylaws, some of us became very well versed in parliamentary procedure (you should if you haven't already) and went through a lot of the growing pains that you are now going through.

You may try toying around with the structure of your executive committee. For example, in my chapter, the executive committee is headed up by the VP. As President, you do want to be in charge of what's going on, but it's better if people aren't always aware of that.

Empower your officers a little more, 21 members isn't bad at all. In fact, it's right on the edge of being really good. You have enough there that every single member should have something to do. If they're not directly in charge of something, they should at least be on a committee of some kind. You can really create committees for just about anything, get your members to take a little ownership.

The more the organization seems to be more about them and less about the person in charge, the more likely you'll succeed.

Also, be a little more patient. Being a hard ass won't win you any hearts and minds. Remember that 18-21 year old kids aren't going to respond well to negative stimuli. The most common response to you just not having your meeting was probably something to the tune of "F--- that guy". You sound like you're pretty highly dedicated to your organization. Just remember to let others share in what's going on.

Do your bylaws specifically lay out what each officer does? If so, get your VP to maintain a checklist for everyone.

Ya'll are only 2 years old, so where you are with what it sounds like very little national support is pretty admirable. Keep up the good work.