Chapter Meetings- Need some advice!

[Faith4Keep]

How formal are your chapter meetings? (I apologize in advance for the length of this!)

My chapter meeting is more formal than I like. We strictly follow an agenda of several (20 or so) officer reports. A Vice-President reports, and then any officers in her group then report. We continue this until all the VP groups have reported. Chapter members are not allowed to talk during the reports (which take hours, sometimes!) unless they are acknowledged for a logistics quesiton (Can you repeat the location?). During voting procedures we do heads-down hands up- but the procedure prior to voting (motion to bring such and such to the table, second, discussion, motion to vote) doesn't exist, although I really wish it would!!!


I need your advice:
What it boils down to is this- the way my chapter meetings are run is so strict that sisters do not feel they can raise their hand and say something in opposition to an idea, or to contribute their own ideas. They are afraid of talking in front of the entire chapter because it is intimidating! Then, when we have situations girls don't bring up their opinions in chapter. Even if a officer asks for suggestions (Does anyone have any ideas on how to improve on our philanthropy event?), girls stay quiet.

For example, a social is cancelled for "bad behavior" of the chapter. This is announced in chapter with no real explanation as to how the leadership came to the decision. Girls do not want to say anything in chapter, but after chapter run their mouths and gossip with one another!!

Personally I have a HUGE problem with this. Firstly, I feel one of the golden rules of leadership is that you cannot FORCE someone to get excited about something they had no part of creating or developing; meaning, I feel our attendance or chpater morale at our own events is low because the sisters did not contribue to the idea- it is Sally Sister's event, not XYZ's event. In the same sense, I feel that a sorority is supposed to develop you into a refined woman. In the real world, if you want something done a certain way you have to speak up and SAY IT! Nothing will be accomplished by sitting in a staff meeting, thinking something is being done wrong, and gossiping about it after...!

Unfortunately, I am just a chapter member and hold a small officer position, and ideas to change the way things are done are not taken seriously unless you are a member of exec. This too, I disagree with, since I thinking that we are all members of the same group and we should all be able to contribute!

Worse- chapter is so strict and we have to stay silent for so long (sometimes up to 3 hours!) that some members get increasingly upset and others grow increasingly apathetic.


I have 3 ideas:
1. Because our bylaws say we go by Roberts Rules, is to use my RR knowledge to my advantage and to bring this up in chapter. I'm sure everyone would look at me crazy for interrupting a chapter meeting but I feel like this is the only way to get my point across.

2. Attempt to get an Exec position next year and change everything! While I'm definitely capable of doing so, I don't really have the time for this- I just want my ideas heard and taken seriously.

3. Talk to the President or other exec members. So far this hasn't worked.



... help!