Seating Charts at meeting

adpiucf · #1 01-29-2007, 03:50 PM

Are you a local? If you are a national, there should be a policy in place for seating.

You could do alphabetical, or alphabetical by pledge class seating.

Talk to your members-- why are they up in arms about seating arrangements? I think it helps every chapter to do an annual "Town Hall" meeting where the members can voice concerns and opinions without fear of being squashed for raising what they feel are relevant issues toward chapter improvement. Try that out, too.

33girl · #2 01-29-2007, 03:56 PM

Do you mean where the exec board sits, the order they sit in etc

or

do you mean a seating chart for everyone by pledge class or otherwise?

I know that some groups advocate having a seating chart so the same cliques aren't always sitting together and giggling and things like that. This is a good idea, but not necessarily for every meeting of the year...it's too much like being in high school. Maybe every 3rd week or so have everyone pick a number as they walk into the meeting and that's where they sit, but other than exec having a "you must sit in seat 23 every week" is definitely too much. It's a sorority. It's supposed to be fun.

cheer04 · #3 01-29-2007, 04:14 PM

sorry! i meant seating chart for chapter members... our E-board sits in a specific order but we recently made one up so that members wouldn't chit chat so much and that meetings ran more smoothly. the chart is based so that voting also runs smoothly becasue we have some members who are not allowed to vote and this way our advior knows who to collect votes from, also its a way to meet more of our sisters if your sitting next to someone you may not have sat next too.

Do other chapters have seating charts? or do you just allow them to sit where ever?

33girl · #4 01-29-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheer04

sorry! i meant seating chart for chapter members... our E-board sits in a specific order but we recently made one up so that members wouldn't chit chat so much and that meetings ran more smoothly. the chart is based so that voting also runs smoothly becasue we have some members who are not allowed to vote and this way our advior knows who to collect votes from, also its a way to meet more of our sisters if your sitting next to someone you may not have sat next too.

Do other chapters have seating charts? or do you just allow them to sit where ever?

I can understand why people wouldn't like that, especially if the not allowed to vote people are all in a certain area - it would make them feel self conscious and if they can't vote because of $$ or grades or whatever, they probably already feel bad enough about it. Can't you trust them to not vote? Plus, why can't your advisor have enough of a clue as to know who the people are who can't vote? How many members do you have?

I would definitely change it up from week to week rather than forcing people to sit next to the same people every week.

ETA for everyone who's saying their HQ has a chart for everyone, not just exec - what does it entail? Do you have to sit by pledge class or office or what? Ugh, I just can't imagine sitting next to the same person every single week of the year.

#5 01-29-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheer04

sorry! i meant seating chart for chapter members... our E-board sits in a specific order but we recently made one up so that members wouldn't chit chat so much and that meetings ran more smoothly. the chart is based so that voting also runs smoothly becasue we have some members who are not allowed to vote and this way our advior knows who to collect votes from, also its a way to meet more of our sisters if your sitting next to someone you may not have sat next too.

Do other chapters have seating charts? or do you just allow them to sit where ever?

Are you local or NPC? If you're NPC, your HQ might already have a seating policy enforced.

Tom Earp · #6 01-29-2007, 04:22 PM

Why are some members not allowed to vote?

If not, why are they even there?

Being to regimented can become tedious.

They as OTW said, President, VP and Treasure should be at the head table and the rest be seated in chairs in front of them, or around a table if it seats all voting members only!

GeekyPenguin · #7 01-29-2007, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Why are some members not allowed to vote?

If not, why are they even there?

Being to regimented can become tedious.

They as OTW said, President, VP and Treasure should be at the head table and the rest be seated in chairs in front of them, or around a table if it seats all voting members only!

Because they are still members who have lost voting privileges for one reason or another - grades, finances, etc. Losing your vote is not the same as losing your membership.

Tom Earp · #8 01-29-2007, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

Because they are still members who have lost voting privileges for one reason or another - grades, finances, etc. Losing your vote is not the same as losing your membership.

Then that means they are not on suspension?

If they are suspensions, then why are they there?

Granted, they are still members, but under suspension and have no voting rights or should be there?

Is this correct? You let suspended Members enjoy all of the rights of full members?

33girl · #9 01-29-2007, 05:43 PM

They don't have the privileges of voting or maybe other things (like social privileges) but it's still their duty as a member to attend chapter meetings and know what's going on. Every group is different.

Suspended members would be something quite different and a lot more serious than someone who is on academic or financial probation. Those are two reasons for not being able to vote. The only time I can think someone would be "suspended" is if she's up for a termination vote that week, or something.

KSUViolet06 · #10 01-30-2007, 03:30 PM

We always sat in order of initiation. If there were new members present, they would be seated between active sisters so the actives could answer any questions they had.

ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl · #11 01-31-2007, 10:34 PM

We sit in initiation order and we do have "socializing" problems even though we know that isn't allowed. I'm guilty of it too...that's sometimes the only time of the week I see most of my sisters. But mostly the meeting still runs smoothly because we're quiet or someone will remind us, nicely, to stfu so we can get done on time.

As for voting, why don't you just make sure the advisors have a number of how many are in good standing. Then if they have a total vote count above that number they can make the chapter repeat the entire process until whomever is voting when they shouldn't gives up.

tunatartare · #12 01-29-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Why are some members not allowed to vote?

If not, why are they even there?

Being to regimented can become tedious.

They as OTW said, President, VP and Treasure should be at the head table and the rest be seated in chairs in front of them, or around a table if it seats all voting members only!

By us, members have to wait for a semester after initiation before they can vote.

tunatartare · #13 01-29-2007, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

By Us, I feel that you are talking about a Local group! Correct?

If they are Initiated Members, then why do they not have the right to vote?

Newly initiated members have to wait a semester before being allowed to vote to give them a chance to learn the bylaws and all the roles of all the positions so that when they vote they fully know what the position entails and know that they're voting for the best possible candidate.

Drolefille · #14 01-29-2007, 06:20 PM

I would not single out those on probation, etc. by seating them seperately.

My chapter usually seated alphabetically for our formal meetings, but we'd change it occasionally, reverse alphabet or something. None of us knew our initiation numbers w/o looking at our pins

Tom Earp · #15 01-31-2007, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tunatartare

Newly initiated members have to wait a semester before being allowed to vote to give them a chance to learn the bylaws and all the roles of all the positions so that when they vote they fully know what the position entails and know that they're voting for the best possible candidate.

Maybe that is because You are in a local!

If there is a suspension, there is a suspension not only from Social but anyother rights of the GLO! That is being suspended from all rights of the GLO!

But of course yours is different!

Your and your groups decision!