Alumnae Politics?

[VikingFan]

I’ve created a new account because I don’t want this to reflect on my organization as a whole.

One of the main reasons I joined XYZ is because I wanted to be able to plan and complete more projects, and get more experience in offices. My pledge class was tiny and I “fell between” two large pledge classes; because I wasn’t “popular”, I wasn’t even able to really do the offices that I was elected to. I chose to look past all of it, and figured that the chapter was/is very young and just hadn’t gotten past the high school mentality.

For the entire time I was active, alumna were allowed to start helping/advising with the chapter as soon as they graduated. I asked to help with a minor office, just to give back in a small way without being involved with the actives (I’m out almost two years, but was only active with 1 girl left in the chapter). Apparently they are now making everyone wait 4 years to help.

I was recommended to organize events for the younger alum group. However, those positions were elected less than a year ago (two year terms) and they don’t do anything, and I was told that I can’t plan anything official (lest I step on the officer’s toes). The advisory board is made up of a group of youngish alumnae who were all active together, and are very cliquey.

I have tried incredibly hard to be the best member I can. Attending everything possible, sending cards to congratulate the chapter on pledging/initiation, still making sure to keep my distance from the actives so it doesn’t look like I’m hanging on. All I want to do is be able to be active member. I still feel like I am on the outside, like I am being kept at a distance. When I was active, the alum always said that once you are an alumna, age/popularity/cliques don’t matter. Not quite sure how they arrived at that.

I guess my questions are: is this alumnae politics thing a normal situation? Should I try to plan events anyways? Or should I not bother to try and do anything with the organization, and just “move on”, so-to-speak? I never thought that I would be at this point, but I have felt like I am on the outside looking in for the entire time I have been in the organization, because I haven’t been “in” with the “right” people.