2 Subjects: Academics and Alumni

[AXID455]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to raise GPAs? Our sorority is pretty divided into great grades and horrible grades, no one really in the middle. On avg we dont look like we have a problem, but we have to suspend so many members because they cannot make grades (2.5). Anyone have any ideas on how we can improve grades??

Another thing we need to work is Alumni support. We have very little and I found out the reason why. People cant wait to leave. I dont understand it, but at our senior ceremony, some seniors said things like, i feel like im not a part of the chapter anymore, it was fun when i was younger, im ready to move on. Obviously, these people are not ever coming back to help us active sisters. How can we keep older sisters interested so that they continue support as alumni?

[Peaches-n-Cream]

You might want to check out the Alumni section. There are a lot of great ideas about getting and keeping alumni support.

Your chapter should have a scholarship chair who is aware of the programs your academic advising office hosts and informs your sisters and new members. She can organize study hours and tutoring of students whose grades are subpar. Also, if a sister has a GPA that is below your campus or your HQ minimum, she needs to utilize everything that your campus offers in order to raise her GPA.

[WCUgirl]

Do ya'll have an academic advisor? If not, talk w/ your chapter's president and have her ask the chapter advisor if she'll set up an advisory board, including one w/ an academic advisor. This could help w/ the grades issue.

Also, setting up the advisory board might help get alumnae involved. The rule is that you have to wait 2 years to become an advisor for your chapter, but at least you could get some of the older alumnae involved, which will set a good example for the current sisters.

[Kevin]

We hold our actives accountable for their grades. There are sometimes some pretty serious consequences. Our house just instituted a new Academic plan. Took the collective GPA from a 2.6 to a 2.92. We are by far the #1 GPA on campus (I think TKE is #2 with a 2.7something).

Basically, what the plan does is categorize brothers according to their grades. Then it prescribes a certain number of study hours based upon their GPA. 3.5 and up doesn't have to study (becuase we figure they'll do it on their own), 3.0-3.5 I think does 2 hours, on up to I think 7 hours.

If you don't do your hours, I think the fine is something like $5.00 per hour. It's great because it raises money for the house while encouraging good grades. I'd credit it with a few GPA turnarounds from last semester (it's tough to study 7 hours a week and flunk).

We also have brothers call out the number of classes they missed during roll call. There's a little accountability there.

***

What any academic plan needs to do is to make grades a major part of your chapter's culture. If your chapter likes to party constantly, maybe folks are in need of a reminder as to exactly why it is they went to college? Not to spend mommy and daddy's money, but to get educated.

Hope my suggestions are helpful.

[winneythepooh7]

The grades stuff is good. I think in order to maintain alumnae support, chapters should reach out to their alumnae regularly, hold alumnae weekends, even go to places where a large group of alumnae may live. For example, I know a lot of us live in NYC, I think it would be great if some of our chapters took a road trip to visit us one day. We're really not too far away from many of the NY chapters and alumnae are often really busy and can't make it back to the school for an entire weekend. I've heard of certain chapters never contacting their alums unless it has to do with needing money. This is not nice, not nice at all. Lastly and most important, with new members, please please please talk about us and stress the importance of alumnae. I've heard stories from some of my alumna sisters that they have gone up to visit the chapter and the new girls have no idea who they are. I find this to be very sad, especially because the importance of alumnae was so stressed when I was in undergrad. I know one of the things my chapter did one alumnae weekend a few years back which I thought was so sweet and cool was they made a family tree on one of the walls in the house. All the sisters ever were on it and you got to see who everyone's bigs, grand bigs, and littles were dating back to the founders. It is hard though sometimes especially with the differences in generations between current actives and alumnae. I'd like to hear everyone else's suggestions too

[33girl]

Originally posted by AXID455
People cant wait to leave. I dont understand it, but at our senior ceremony, some seniors said things like, i feel like im not a part of the chapter anymore, it was fun when i was younger, im ready to move on.

Make sure that you are doing programming that EVERYONE can enjoy. Mixers and homecoming floats are a blast when you're a freshman - but if you join your first year, by the time you get to be a senior sometimes it's a little old. (This is one of the reasons I am for deferred rush, but I digress)

The schedule should have time for the oldest members to get to know the newest, just among the sisterhood. Everything shouldn't be tied to fraternity socializing. If people commonly live in their soph and/or junior year and move out senior year, that can be another factor. If seniors want to stay in the house, encourage that - don't make them move out just because seniors don't traditionally live in the house. Plus make it a point to hold some events off site - not everything should focus around the house.

EVERYONE is a little burned out when they graduate, but if people are saying they don't feel like they are part of things anymore and they want to get out, that's a problem.

[winneythepooh7]

Originally posted by 33girl
Make sure that you are doing programming that EVERYONE can enjoy. Mixers and homecoming floats are a blast when you're a freshman - but if you join your first year, by the time you get to be a senior sometimes it's a little old. (This is one of the reasons I am for deferred rush, but I digress)

The schedule should have time for the oldest members to get to know the newest, just among the sisterhood. Everything shouldn't be tied to fraternity socializing. If people commonly live in their soph and/or junior year and move out senior year, that can be another factor. If seniors want to stay in the house, encourage that - don't make them move out just because seniors don't traditionally live in the house. Plus make it a point to hold some events off site - not everything should focus around the house.

EVERYONE is a little burned out when they graduate, but if people are saying they don't feel like they are part of things anymore and they want to get out, that's a problem.

I so agree. I went to a school where a lot of the girls were education majors. Senior year, most went inactive to do student teaching and were not involved in the sorority as much obviously. If you can do things to reach out to these sisters on a regular basis that would be great. It doesn't have to be a mixer or party either, since they are so busy they probably won't go. Just stopping by to visit them goes a long way. Just because you go inactive doesn't mean you aren't still a sister. I know that when I was in undergrad (and I know things have changed a lot since then, 1998) new members were not required to visit the inactives really due to their hectic schedules, but I don't really agree with this because I know some of them felt hurt as seniors, like no one cared about them anymore. So don't leave them out of the loop. Try to get some programming where you can really involve the Seniors/inactives so they feel important and also they can get to know the new members. As I said, it doesn't have to be a party (it actually shouldn't be a party really).

[DaffyKD]

Been a long time since I dealt with the grades issue, but as the current President of my Alumnae Association, might be able to shed some light.

1) By senior year, many women (men too, but I will talk from sorority point of view) are becoming burned out on Greek Life. They have grown over the years, as well they should have, developed different interests, and are looking at going out into the working work, starting grad school, starting families,etc.

2) A lot of organizations (school alumni associations, greek AA's, etc) found that it takes about 10 years on average for members to reactivate their interest. By then they are out of school, are getting established and now feel that they can give back.

3) Many chapters think of these "younger" AA members and old and out of it, thus don't want the help. Many are happy when AA members lend support not only with monetary donations, but some AA's made it a routine to bring "goodies" over the the house during finals, etc.

4) If chapter presidents would talk to their local AA and let them know what kind of support they are looking for, the AA will be more than glad to help find a way to assist. My AA feels we exist not only to assist our local communities with philanthropic activities, but are there to assist the houses. We know that if the house does not survive, the AA's lose potential members and support thus leading to a downfall of the sorority as a whole.

Hope this helps a bit.

DaffyKD

[honeychile]

My ideas are more on the alumnae support.

1) Have your alumnae liason get together with your alumnae association in the beginning of each term to set up a good time/date for teas or any graduation programs involving alumnae.

2) NEVER, EVER send out invitations less than 2 weeks prior to the event!! Alumnae have busy lives, too.

3) And, NEVER, EVER change the date of an alumnae event at the last minute!! Alumnae who have to get baby sitters will resent that with a passion!

4) If you have a graduation program that involves the alumnae, and there are certain items that they ask you to provide, DO IT!!

5) If you want alumnae to help you for Recruitment, tell them the dates as soon as you know them. I have known alumnae to actually take their vacation to be there for Recruitment.

6) Let the alumnae know what the theme of each party is, and what the actives will be wearing. No, they rarely want to wear the same thing, but if y'all are in t-shirts & shorts, your alumnae don't want to be wearing a dress & heels! Or, vice versa - would you really want your alumnae to wear shorts to help out with Pref? I didn't think so.

I'm reserving the option to add more.

[dakareng]

I'll echo honeychile as one of those alums who would take a week vacation to help with recruitment... the other thing that was very nice was the chapter member who let me stay on her futon after a late night which was followed by an early morning (the chapter was over an hour drive for me). That was a thoughtful touch (and yes, I took her to lunch later in the semester) but made me more willing to go out of my way to help them (and talk up how much fun it was to help the chapter at my next alum meeting).

Coming from the other perspective, alums sometimes don't know what chapters would appreciate most... money to buy things for the house/ suite, help with recruitment, career networking are all things that my alum association has done for the 2 chapters in the area. Those are things that we initiated. I think the chatper was sometimes at a loss to know what they could include us in. One event that I thought was especially fun was when the chapter invited us to a garden party... no, I'm not talking tea and crumpets! We cleaned up flower beds, trimmed bushes and planted flowers so the house would look nice for recruitment and then had a cookout. We brought garden tools, they bought the flowers.

Daffy KD's comments reflect the research that Pi Phi did recently. Seniors have different interests and priorities. One thing that can be done to keep their interest is for the alum association to invite (and have someone pick them up) seniors to an alum meeting- especially in the spring semester. I've found that chapter members don't always have an accurate perception of what happens at alum meetings (no, it isn't a bunch of blue haired ladies drinking tea and playing bridge). The bottom line is that the line needs to blur more... chapters need to talk to alums and vice versa. We will only survive and thrive if we see greek membership as a continuum not a ending/ beginning because too often. that second beginning (as an alum) never happens

[Tom Earp]

Most all new Grads go through the what me syndrom.

"I did my time and am ready to move on", But, for many, do you go back to your School for Homecoming? If so, where do you go when you get to College Town USA? The Chapter House which is the focla point is where.

Usually, the newer Grads still keep in contact with the Chapter as have close Brothers and Sisters who they keep in contact with.

Then a few more years go by and those who were close are no longer there so interest wanes.

More years go by and there is no contact from the Active Chapter, that Alum is lost.

Beleive it or not, The Alum Chair for Officer should be one of the main Chairs.

Suggestion, have each New Associate member have an Alum who they keep in contact with. Gives the Newbie a sense of History and makes the Alum feel needed.

Give updates on upcoming Ativities and make them early enough for planning schedual so can be there.

Keep Alums updated on GPA, Awards, Functional Awards, and anything else you can think of.

GPA?

I like ktsnakes idea but in the world of P C Risk Management, that is a gray area. All members grades are imporant!

Dinner:

Steak for GPA +'s and Beans for GPA - s'.

If do not make grades, suspended from all social functions and voting privilages.

Realestate is Location, Location, the same principle applys here!

Beleive me, I and ohters have gone through the same thing.

I have been working with My Chapter for 39 years now!

One of the greatest things is when You as an Alum go back, they know who you are and you are welcome. Slept on many couches and beds over the years!

Seeing new Young Members progressing what you did or started there and see it still growing damn what a feeling!