Problems with my chapter

[agzg]

When I was an active, I was in a similar situation where I felt like (along with a couple of other sisters) my chapter was going down the tubes. We didn't have numbers problems but we did have other problems that were causing lots and lots of drama in the group. We put it before the whole chapter, nothing got done (except it caused a big fight), we called our advisor, nothing got done, finally we had to have a heart to heart with a Leadership Consultant.

This caused HUGE drama in the chapter, because they claimed that "no one told them" and we "just went over everybody's heads," even our Chapter advisor claimed that we never talked to her, even though I had phone bills that proved that I called her and spent over an hour on the phone with her at least three times before the LC got there.

Regardless, that's just my personal drama - not really part of the advice I'm going to give you.

Find out who, in the chapter, is in line with your ideals. The more there are of you, the better (in my situation it was 3 out of 40 that were vocal about their concerns, and about 4 others that agreed but were not vocal about it - not really great odds). Try to figure out a way to bring it up to chapter that the bid thing was upsetting to you guys, and you really felt like this PNM in particular would have been a great asset to the chapter. Talk to them, and weigh the options of a recruitment advisor. See if you guys can get a recruitment advisor in there to help you out WITHOUT pulling THAT drama into the mix.

As far as the underage drinking goes - it's going to happen. I don't know one member of my chapter that did not have a drink, underage, at various sorority functions. Mixers with fraternities that are not at third party vendors happen. It's stupid and goes against the RM policies of your sorority (in fact, it might go against the RM policies of ALL NPC organizations), but they happen. Does your chapter have a membership or standards chair? Ours was on exec board (Vice President of Member Development), and we had "talks" during business meetings about the negative aspects of facebook, and how important it was to realize that we're representing our chapter, even on the internet. Our VPMD often said "it's alright to have pictures of girls having fun (bowling, going to the movies, going to sporting events), it's not alright to have pictures of girls getting drunk."

Sometimes the drinking issue you can't really fight until something bad happens, unfortunately. But you can promote responsible drinking situations, and promote the values that keep you together and help you take care of each other.

And I'd definitely talk to someone about advisors giving out bids.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

This caused HUGE drama in the chapter, because they claimed that "no one told them" and we "just went over everybody's heads," even our Chapter advisor claimed that we never talked to her, even though I had phone bills that proved that I called her and spent over an hour on the phone with her at least three times before the LC got there.

The moral to this story is....document, document, document! Send and email to your advisor, executive committee and save it. Make sure that your recording secretary includes any discussion of the topic in your minutes. If she doesn't, have someone who is like-minded take notes. In medicine, we always say that "If it's not written down, it didn't happen." Your HQ will appreciate having the facts as well to get a picture of what is really going on.

P.S. I missed the part about your advisers deciding who gets bids. That is a huge problem! I have little doubt that your GLO would not be okay with that!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

The moral to this story is....document, document, document! Send and email to your advisor, executive committee and save it. Make sure that your recording secretary includes any discussion of the topic in your minutes. If she doesn't, have someone who is like-minded take notes. In medicine, we always say that "If it's not written down, it didn't happen." You HQ will appreciate having the facts as well to get a picture of what is really going on.

let the church say AAAAAAAMENN. And if you have a phone or in-person conversation with an advisor, Greek life director or anyone else, send a follow up email asap - "This is to confirm our conversation regarding blah blah blah" and outline all the pertinent points made or discussed.

It sounds like you're being anal and bitchy, but belieeeeeve me, once you get burned, it's a lesson you will never forget.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by 33girl

let the church say AAAAAAAMENN. And if you have a phone or in-person conversation with an advisor, Greek life director or anyone else, send a follow up email asap - "This is to confirm our conversation regarding blah blah blah" and outline all the pertinent points made or discussed.

It sounds like you're being anal and bitchy, but belieeeeeve me, once you get burned, it's a lesson you will never forget.

True. So I suppose that was the point in posting part of my story.

[FSUZeta]

even if "everyone drinks underage" at a sorority sanctioned event at one time or another-it can cost a chapter its charter. does your chapter have a judicial board? sounds like someone needs to go to judicial to me.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

even if "everyone drinks underage" at a sorority sanctioned event at one time or another-it can cost a chapter its charter. does your chapter have a judicial board? sounds like someone needs to go to judicial to me.

Right obviously you can lose your charter because of underage drinking, but you can't play "mommy" to all members at all times. Yeah, just because "everyone drinks" doesn't make it right (I think I mentioned that it goes against the RM policies of NPC organizations), but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.

Turning them into HQ, without trying to solve some of the problems at the chapter level? Overkill. There needs to be a balance between girls wanting to have fun and what's safe within that spectrum, plus chapter members need to keep in mind how it portrays the organization when pictures from that event are plastered all over facebook.