president + -

[BGanchor]

Hey everyone! I posted this on the general forum but I wanted to ask you girls too incase you dont read that.....
I am considering running for the president position in the fall, but before I do I want to make sure I am completly aware of what I am getting myself into. SOoooo I just need your thoughts

If you were a president in your chapter- What do I need to know? helpful hints, suggestions, advice for success?

If you've never been president- What makes a good president in your opinion? What were the pros and cons of your president(s)?

thanks for the help!!
DG love!

[hannahgirl]

Having also been a candidate for the presidency....here are my thoughts.

Be a leader. Be on time, prepared, and in attendance at everything. You are the prime example for your chapter and if you don't show that....the chapter won't follow.

Be open. Be willing to talk to the members about everything, whether it is recruitment, HB issues (obviously confidential between her, HB, and you), personal problems, finances, EVERYTHING! They need to see that you care about the chapter and also that you care about them as individuals and as your sisters.

Be helpful. Allow younger members to shadow you in order to let them see what it is like to have a large position on CMT. Offer help to other officers (CMT or directors) especially if they have an event coming up. Keep your advisors and nationals up to date on anything that is or might be going on that needs to be addressed.

Always ask for help if you need it!

Have a good relationship with Greek Life. The office personel, other members (NPC, IFC, NPHC), and exec council members. Make yourself known to them so they don't say...."who's the president of DG? oh that girl? who is that?" (trust me....it's happened!)

Be accessible at all times. I know work and class, etc. present challenges to having such a large office, however, the members of your chapter need to know that you are accessible to them when they need you. Return missed phone calls as soon as you get them, take action if something needs fixed or something has happened. Be prepared at all times to be the #1 person on everyone's list.

Be experienced. I have seen many presidents go by that have never served as a VP on CMT. They served in a director position but had no idea what they got into. Have some sort of leadership experience to back you up. CMT, Panhellenic, etc. They look for this leadership because they know that you are knowledgeable about what you are doing.

Most of all though.....have fun. Yes this position can/will be stressful at times, but you don't want to always feel bogged down. Take some time out for yourself to hang out with the girls, go home, spend time with a boyfriend, etc. It'll most likely keep you from burning out by the end of the year.


I wish you the best of luck if you pursue this and if you need any more advice or have questions, please feel free to ask!

[ncsudgalum04]

i've never been a president, but i have some pointers as a chapter member. make sure you are organized for your chapter meetings because if you don't have some sort of agenda, things can get out of control. plus, it lets the members know about how long they will be there and what the meeting will consist of. you don't have to pass an agenda out to the chapter, just get a flip chart or something to put at the front of the room and go over it once chapter starts. also, make sure your vp's are organized too for their part of the meeting so it doesn't get out of control. if they are passing things out, like tee shirts or prizes, try to get them to do it discretely so that it doesn't cause a lot of distraction.
a biggie that i had a concern with with one of our former presidents was that once she stopped being president, she was like, "whew, now i don't have to be nice to the people i don't like anymore." i thought to myself, how horrible of her to say that about her own sisters! just make sure that you are genuine to everybody. you can't be nice to everyone, but you don't want to take the authority thing to the extreme. just be who you are and you'll be fine. good luck!
-beth

[AnchorAlumna]

Such good advice! It's hard to add anything to that, except that if you are checking it out now, it's a good indication that you have what it takes to be a president. I have seen presidents who just burned out during their year in office and never did anything with Delta Gamma again, even as an alum. And I've seen presidents so full of DG that they have gone all the way to the top and served on Council.
You will want to careful look at the listing of officer responsibilities in the Collegiate Chapter Officers Manual, of course. And talk with your chapter adviser.