[Measi]

Reading through some of the more recent responses (since this is a long time thread), I thought I'd give some insight in what's happened with my own chapter.

I'm currently the "old" alumni who is willing to help the chapter out-- I graduated in 1997. At the recent degree ritual to welcome our newest class into the active chapter, I was the oldest at 29, despite the fact that I personally know about a half-dozen other alumni older than me who live in the area. My chapter had a literal shut down the year after I graduated because of a bunch of different issues (both internal and external). Since the chapter was reinstated-- all the pre-shutdown alumni have drifted off... many have no desire to be a part of the chapter in any form. Many are too far away.

I was not one of those people and have tried for the past five years to get back in touch with them and get involved-- this year, with our chapter's 20th anniversary, I FINALLY was able to make headway. And things have happened fast.

In the course of literally two months, I've worked with chapter members to do the following:

1) Get an updated list of all alumni... get a bi-semester newsletter out, and start rebuilding contact with alums

2) Begin developing a website that's both readable and informative. I explained to the chapter that the website isn't as much for the actives as it is for alumni and potential new members as they look through their options in college life. Since Tau Beta Sigma is a specialized sorority for band musicians, we need information out there to create interest as well as keep alumni informed-- with dates in advance-- of important events.

3) Created an alumni liason position to help support the alumni and historian positions for next year-- and hopefully make it a permanent chapter "alumni active" position.

4) Spurned the idea of rekindling a ceremony our chapter had called the "Kin Sister" where each MC received an alumni big sister-- allowing alumni with dead family lines to have a reconnection to the active chapter. Since only ONE family line in our chapter now exists back to the founders, this need for connection has a more poignant stress to it.

The astonishing thing that I've found since jumping in here is that the chapter always wanted the help... but often times really don't know where to look or know how to contact alumni (who can be intimidating by the simple sense of being older). I have to admit that it does feel a bit awkward being ten years older than many of the actives (the chapter doubled to 18 members this year with an MC class of 9), but it's more frightening to me that these active members don't have the memories of the older alumni helping them out-- the oldest "regulars" who come to degrees and other events are two or three years out of college.

It just takes one or two alumni who are willing to help out and get the ball rolling!

~ Mel.