Changes within your GLO - Implications and Relations with Actives

[Kevin]

It's up to the alums to stay involved with the chapter as much as it is up to the chapter to stay involved with the alums.

The Alumni officer in the chapter should not be thought of as a lower-tier stair-stepping position. It should be a pretty big deal.

There should be a great deal of collaboration between the actives and the alumni chapter in the newsletter.

The Alumni chapter needs to make sure it offers qualified advisers to the chapter officers.

The Alumni chapter needs to financially be able to support the chapter.

The Alumni chapter needs to keep the House Corp. staffed with the best it can offer.

The Alumni chapter needs to be willing to offer 'strong guidance' when it is needed, and when it is not to keep its influence to a minimum. Let the chapter run itself.

A healthy interaction will ensure the chapter is a success.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

When I signed up and paid my initiate fee, I was told that it included a lifetime subscription to our magazine, "The Delta."

I wish someone had made the decision for us to do that way back in the dim, dark past, but they didn't, and as I said earlier, it's too late now. Alums get the magazine free for one year after graduation.

Like you, I like having the hard copy -- it's one of the few magazines I get that never gets thrown away/recycled. I have quite a collection.

Originally Posted by Kevin

It's up to the alums to stay involved with the chapter as much as it is up to the chapter to stay involved with the alums.

. . . .

I agree with all that you said here, although we are organized a little differently, in that we don't have alumni chapters as such. We have local alumni associtions, which are made up of alums in a given area, but the alums of specific chapters are not organized in any kind of formal way. (Remember that most of our chapters don't have houses, so housing support isn't an issue.)

Some chapters are better than others about maintaining good communications with chapter alums. I can say I have seen increasing effort and energy coming from our headquarters over the past 10 years or so to increase alumni involvement/connection on national and provincial levels and to support chapters in doing the same on a chapter level.

[Tom Earp]

MysticCat,

I think most of NIC do not Alumni Chapters, but Alumni Associations.

I cannot speak for anyone elses organization, but our LXA Alumni Assoctions are working at the local chapter level working with the chapter with time and money.

But I do know that two areas for LX have Alumni Associations that are combined from several chapters. Dallas and San Antonio are two that come to mind.

Like DeltAlum, we were promised our magazine for life. Life is short especially if the National is hurting. It still was untill a few years ago.

But if someone wants to get it then they do have to notify IHQ of an email address. They still should notify IHQ's about changes of address and phone. Whose fault is it if they don't?

Heck, this is just like the 20-80 % factor. Those that do and those that don't!

[Boodleboy322]

All - We decided to keep the local alumni association dues as is and put the remaining balance in our local treasury.

Kevin - Great point about keeping the actual magazine around the coffee table. I do the same thing. The $5.00 a year subscription is sent to IHQ and is managed there for the printing and mailing of the magazine only. There are other donations sent in to IHQ via some of the offices like our Sinfonian Education Foundation and some brothers will donate a percentage of their estate to IHQ when they pass away.

Mystic Cat - You are correct. We currently have no National type of Housing Office or committee but some of the chapters around the US have their own house facilitated through their own alumni. In my opinion, I hope to see this concept carry over to IHQ and get adopted some day. The Delta Tau Delta website has some really good information on building a house and starting a committee. Some of the leadership and responsibility opportunities that it could bring to the table are worth considering. Sooner or later this will show up at the National Assembly and I will be there.

Everyone here has brought some really good stuff to the table. I appreciate everyone's input.

Regards,

Boodleboy322

[Kevin]

Sigma Nu's National House Corp. is still 'in the works.'

It's on an opt-in basis, and as you can see from the website, some chapters with great facilities have opted in.

http://www.fifthpt.com/services.php

They offer other consulting and design services for chapters as well.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Sigma Nu's National House Corp. is still 'in the works.'

It's on an opt-in basis, and as you can see from the website, some chapters with great facilities have opted in.

http://www.fifthpt.com/services.php

They offer other consulting and design services for chapters as well.

Nice reading.

There is a need and I am sure each Greek Organization is trying to figure out how to accomplish these objectives.

The problem seems to be that each National GLO new or old has the same problem, how to extend services to individual chapters with out cutting cost and where to get the financing.

LXA was in a financial bind and with cost cutting as I mentioned on another thread, we are in the black. The first time in some years. If My Fraternity has run into problems being one of the largest, how many others have had problems.

It still boils down to Alums who donate money.

This then opens up another can of worms. How many Alums are donating money to afford all of the costs to run a business of Greek Life as we know it.