commitment

[decadence]

In fledgling groups, it takes lots of commitment and work from the people getting things off the ground to really make things happen. In y'all experience how much time would you expect people to generally devote to the group? Mainly in terms of officers I guess.

Also do you think it's a good idea for someone in their final year to become a (senior) officer or does it make zero difference?
Thanks!

[adpiucf]

I think the level of committment depends on each member. I have not been part of a colonization, but I understand there are certain demands on one's time and leadership opportunities that might not exist in an established group.

Working with alumnae advisers and the greek director, as well as the expansion team of the international group, bylaws should be drafted that clearly outline the mission of the group and the expectations for membership. Each member of this group should have a copy for review and should be allowed to voice her ideas and thoughts before it is put up for approval and ultimately adopted. As for a senior who wants to lead, I think an older student can make a huge difference in terms of her ability to manage her time and work with others.

[ThetaPrincess24]

In my sorority, Seniors generally dont run for an office because we have elections from fall to fall, so if they get elected in the fall and then graduate in May, then everyone has to do the process over again so the office will be filled till next elections. However, sometimes a senior has to step up to hold the office even if temporary, so the office will be filled. This happened in my chapter once for reasons I cannot say here.

My business fraternity however, elections are held in the spring generally. However if someone doenst return in the fall or quits their office in the fall, it's not a big deal to this group if a senior steps up and takes it over till they leave. This groups election process is not-----as tedious i guess you can say as my sorority's. I know that's vague but I'm bound not to give the details of how we do those things. I hope you got my point though.

[IvySpice]

Seniors generally dont run for an office because we have elections from fall to fall, so if they get elected in the fall and then graduate in May, then everyone has to do the process over again so the office will be filled till next elections.

This is the reason that every school group I've ever been in held elections in the spring...is it a tradition for your chapter/GLO to do them in the fall? Seems like a spring election season would allow you t take better advantage of your seniors' experience.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally posted by IvySpice
This is the reason that every school group I've ever been in held elections in the spring...is it a tradition for your chapter/GLO to do them in the fall? Seems like a spring election season would allow you t take better advantage of your seniors' experience.

Yes it is..........Apparently it's been done that way long before I became a member.........I've often thought it was strange too. BUT that's how it is.

[Glitter650]

We have elections at the end of fall semester, (December) then they shadow and attend training and get installed in April. Seniors take on roles in my chapter, depending on the office it can take anywhere from an hour of extra work during your week to about three or more hours ( I know recruitment chair takes A LOT OF extra time, but a lot of it happens over summer so most people don't have TOO many other committments) It also depends on how "into" your job you are. For Example we have an outstanding SDC (new member ed) this semester who made all the new ladies binders and planned her meetings a month in advance with like lesson plans and everything, researched different things she could do etc... this took her probably 6-9 hours worth of work, but is not required, She coudl've just had them use their reflections manuals and their own binders and played it by ear what she was going to teach them at every meeting. she coudl've spent less time and still gotten the requirements of her job done, she just chose to put some extra love into... it depends on the person but I'd say at least an hour or two extra a week if you take on an fairly "simple" office, that is above whatever time a regular member has to put in. If it's a colony then it's more time than that most likely, although I don't have experience in that department...so.

[decadence]

Thank you for all your helpful comments and shared experiences on seniors in office, they've really helped .

Originally posted by adpiucf: Working with alumnae advisers and the greek director, as well as the expansion team of the international group, bylaws should be drafted that clearly outline the mission of the group and the expectations for membership. Each member of this group should have a copy for review and should be allowed to voice her ideas and thoughts before it is put up for approval and ultimately adopted.

One thing which does affect things a bit, is being new we don't yet have any alumni (I don't think the org. we want to charter to has any in our area either); it's a non-greek campus so we haven't a greek director or anyone with experience of greek life. One of the reasons I heart Greekchat so much!

Originally posted by Glitter650: It also depends on how "into" your job you are... ...it depends on the peroson but I'd say at least an hour or two extra a week if you take on an office.

Oh. An hour or two a week is regular for officers? I was hoping for too much from folks.

I def. agree on the time to hold elections and understand what everyone was saying; I'll make sure it's built into our bylaws. At the mo we aren't having elections since we're not set up enough for everyone to vote (lots of people don't really know each other much yet) but we definitely shall have them as normal parts of the group! Thanks to everyone above me in the thread!

[Kevin]

In my personal experience, yes, the colony took lots more work and dedication. As a colony, you're challenged to grow (and at the same time survive). You have no benefit of the experience of those that have come before you. So yes, I'd say it was tough as a colony.

As for seniors being officers... if they're qualified and the membership wishes to elect them.. why not?

[Optimist Prime]

I was a pledge to a colony. Then I was an active in the colony before initation. Chapter Instilation was about a week later after pledgeing ended. It was the busiest time of my life. Other people gave more time than me, brothers in the colony before me. I'd say about 15-20+ hours a week.

[kddani]

it also depends totally on the type of GLO you're trying to establish.

a professional is going to take a lot less than a social.

i'm all about appointed officers and spreading out the work as much as possible. knowing from experience that things just get to be too much when there's only a few people doing A LOT or ALL of the work, they're going to get disgruntled and discouraged and probably want to quit. For instance, there's 8 officers, and about 3 or 4 of us do all the work, and we end up very pissed off at the other officers and frustrated.

how are things for your colonization going? I know that the international org is trying to cut down a on expansion because they're spending a lot of money on it, and right now's a time when they need to be very conservative with their spending. this i heard from the 3 international exec board officers that were at our district conference last weekend. i know that we're affiliating with a group in australia or new zealand, but it's not going to be official because the cost to expand overseas is just too great for them.

hopefully this post makes sense... i've been at the bar for a few hours

[Little E]

The time committment will be much higher for a new group. Our founder's (last of them graduated last year) spent probably at least 10 hours a week. but now we have that more trimmed, I would say 5-6 hours is pretty standard. Remember burn out. this is a big advantage of allowing seniors to hold office. You have more eligable people, you can spread the work loads out. And they trying to make sure that the extremely hard classes won't conflict with the job. Our poor recruitment dir. has genetics and she is way stressed. Anyhow, not the point. Seniors are hard to deal with because they (well maybe not in a new org) have ideas of how they entered the house and that can be frustrating, but it still is important to have them involved. After being in AST for 3 years i see why we do stuff they way we do it in way i never realized before. That knowledge is extrememly valuable. Good Luck!!!!
Lil E

ps- all our positions (exec/staff) are one semester, minus webmaster.

[Tom Earp]

Decadence,

starting a Local or a Colony of a National is a butt/back breaking situation. But, it is well worth it when say I have after 38 years still see it continuing. It is especially gratifing when you go back to functions to see The Brothers/Sisters who dug in the dirt to plant a seed!

A lot depends on how many members you have to decide if Seniors can or should be Officers. Usually the older people are a more stabilizing factor. The new members must learn from the older hands.

I know that in some chapters that are small, some of the New Associates must take on the cloak of an Officer to fill that position. It is a tuff job, but that is the time that All Members work together.

The Very Best of Luck in your endevor!

[decadence]

Well, I wanted to wait to update until I had some real news to share. So kddani and others here goes...

I just came from a student union meeting before the 50 strong union council (well it was a big square table so not strictly before them) where one item was the affiliation of the XYZ interest group to the Student Union i.e. making us an official group, all the benefits that brings, yadda.
I don't think I'm the greatest public speaker but I had to be there obviously (I was the only one for the group). There were several questions/objections asked to me. Mainly due to hazing and what we would do given the reputations fraternities have from films (sigh), how much this'd cost for the union - would we expect them to pay travelling expenses etc, exactly what we'd offer that another law society couldn't (there is one), how many existing campus branches of the fraternity there were in the country currently, what benefits being part of the group would have over a normal society etc. Felt kinda vulnerable. Anyway, eventually it came to a vote (or someone called for one). And by a close majority the interest group is now an official student group at NTU (my university). The club and socs officer was on our side and I am grateful for that. I guess right now I should be feeling elated, right now I just feel like there's a big uncharted road and a difficult journey ahead? Maybe there’s no pleasing some people!

Other news is I met Friday with the Asst Dean/Head of the Law School - my faculty where I’m an undergrad - (this is an interest group to petition a professional fraternity), re faculty recognition. He said he was not saying no and didn't want to dampen enthusiasm but wasn't saying yes because he couldn't say yes. He continued that he spoke with a departmental head (he's like overall head) and they'll have a new Dean starting early next year and it would be best to make a decision with him installed. So what they want to do is review us as a group, early next year (Feb probably). This is on the twin concerns of it being an old boys network/selectivity (really speaking as far as any selectivity all we have are some member obligations like attend a few meetings). He said he knows I feel I have answered and dealt with those concerns and his position is not that it is an old boys network but it could potentially be (obviously I see it as our duty to make sure it isn't and is fair and above board) so they shall review us and our activity as a group. In the meantime we CAN put posters up in the faculty, email faculty students and have activities etc just not position ourselves as an official group within the law school (so no website links on their website for example). And though there won't be a faculty advisor we can speak to any faculty staff if we need assistance as long as we let them know we're not (the other society).
I don’t know what the International Fraternity will say when I get in touch with them following what the Dean said and stuff, I really really hope they'll be okay with the review of us thing. I know either way they will make the best decision for the international Fraternity but I just hope for us that the door will still be left open for us to petition them for a charter when we are ready.

Other news, still doing most of the work, an officer isn't speaking to me at time of this post since I brought up that something which that officer produced to be sent out to members and interested members missed out lots of vital info and wasn’t the standard it should be, resulting in me having to do it.

Geez this is such a miserable sounding post I dunno why I'm not euphoric, I mean there was debate in the meeting earlier but ultimately we got a yes vote. 361 times I’m reminded of Space Camp where our counsellor would just make a duck-hand gesture and go “waah” whenever we complained like this. It always made us shut-up and smile.

[Tom Earp]

Yo Dec, dont cave in Man! Yep it is a shi* Back pack load of work, many times thankless. But, when it happens, Holly S**T, do it feel good!

Trust me I know from starting a local Social Ogr.

It is the greatest feeling in the world when it gets the recognition.

[navane]

Originally posted by decadence
only one for the group). There were several questions/objections asked to me. Mainly due to hazing and what we would do given the reputations fraternities have from films (sigh), how much this'd cost for the

I'm not surprised.....but PUH-LEASE, does NTU have an Athletics Union "initiation" like we do at the University of Bristol?? The AU at Bristol hazes in an incredibly dangerous and excessive manner. They do it *in* the Student Union building *and* it even gets an article in the student newspaper with full color photos of students being sick!

I also read an article on [British] university student binge drinking in the Guardian online. It reported how members of the Alley Katz dining society from Cambridge were reprimanded for an initiation ceremony which includes new memebrs having to eat cat food and wash it down with alcohol.


Come on, most university Fresher's weeks amount to hazing in some form or another!


I would recommend that you look up some of these things as a defense in case it comes up again. That is, it's not fair for members of your student union to object to your law fraternity interest group because of stereotypes they falsely hold regarding American fraternities as seen in films when British university societies blatently do things much worse and do it publicly.


I saved a copy of the University of Bristol Union newspaper article reporting on the AU initiation night. When I can get my computer equipment set back up, would you like me to scan it and e-mail it to you?

And by a close majority the interest group is now an official student group at NTU (my university). The club and socs officer was on our side and I am grateful for that.

Rock on, Dec!! Way to go!!

Not bad for someone from NTU. (hehe you know I'm just giving you a hard time cos Neil is an NU grad!)

This is one the twin concerns of it being an old boys network/selectivity (really speaking as far as any selectivity all we have are some member obligations like attend a few meetings).

Heh...if they want to see old boys network, try starting up the fraternity in the Faculty of Law at the University of Bristol!!! That would be funny...


Anyway, you're on your way, Rich! Keep working hard and it will all come together!


.....Kelly