Removing an e-board officer

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by greekdee

Clearly, your brother is having some academic struggles. Recruitment Chair can be a demanding position to hold. If he was unable to meet grade requirements for two semesters -- while NOT holding this executive office -- then it's unlikely he'll be able to manage his academics while he does carry the RC responsibilities. It is not in his best interest to be allowed to remain in the position.


>>I was going to say the same thing!! The amount of work in planning and executing even the smallest pledge class - bids, pledge ritual, pledge education and activities and initiation at the least - for any Inter/national Greek organization would likely take up a lot of time.

You say this is the first time this situation has come up since your rechartering. Remember, how you handle this will set direction for the future. If you let him slide (and 2.1 is quite a slide from a semester requirement of 3.0), what message does that send the chapter about your seriousness in regard to grades, your respect for by-laws and your follow through with consequences for members not remaining in good standing?

>> I think it's difficult to foresee the bigger picture - in this case, fraternity life after graduation. This is an excellent point. What you do now will set a precedent. I know it's hard to take the enforcer perspective, but this is why you have an E-board or standards board.

I know you mentioned keeping this quiet and moving forward as though nothing happened, but believe me, this info always finds its way out!

>> Look to your ritual - is keeping this info "mum" on something in violation of your creed/purpose? Whether or not anyone on the outside was to find out, active and new members probably will, and that can erode the level of trust on the inside.

As much as I would hate to have to do it, I would ask him to resign his RC position. This can be done kindly and with assurance that the chapter values his membership and wants to see him succeed. I would certainly ask him what he thinks the problem is and what the chapter can do to help him improve his grades. Do you have mandatory study hours for brothers who are not meeting grade requirements? If not, this might be a good time to implement them. Maybe some brothers can recommend tutors.

>> I also think it's best for him to resign his position, but perhaps he can serve on the committee if there is one? It's an option for him to still be involved, if your organization is set up that way.

I understand that RC is often a difficult position to fill. Why? Because it's not an easy-breezy role to be in. As with any office, it really does need to be held by someone who has demonstrated their ability to balance academics with Greek Life. Does your chapter have a minimum GPA to pledge? If so, imagine how you'll feel upholding this when your own RC isn't even in good academic standing?! That's just not quite right.

Back in my day, and in my chapter, this would have either been handled by the standards committee, or possibly only by the president and another board member who actually saw the grades (sounds as though that may be you in your chapter). You really have an open and shut case. Qualifications to serve have not been met, and the resolution is clearly defined in your by-laws. However, do take this up with your chapter adviser.

As unpleasant as these situations are, you are actually getting some "real world" experience, as similar dilemmas come up in the professional realm as well. Good luck to you -- you sound like a level headed young man who wants to handle this responsibly, ethically and maturely. And best wishes to your brother. I hope he gets back on track with his academics and returns to good standing.

>> Good luck as well. It's not always easy doing the right thing.But in the long run, it pays off to adhere to your standards. Once you start to lower them in one area, things can start unraveling everywhere.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Kevin

The chapter is still in control of its own bylaws. If they are willing to let this slide, they can change the bylaws. If not, if they bylaws say he's removed from office, unless there's a procedure for suspending the bylaws, he's outta there.

Bylaws are useful, but make sure they're serving you and not the other way around.

For us, this is a hard and fast rule that cannot be changed. This is why it is important for them to find out the rules and procedures for their organization. None of us can speak to that without knowing the organization.

[Kevin]

And that's why I inserted a disclaimer at the top of my post. I have no clue how his group operates. Neither does anyone else here.

I'm not going to say what they should or should not do. That's none of my business. I was just pointing out that they may not have an alumni adviser handy as y'all assume they do. NPC is very different from NIC. Y'all have your stuff together. We, I will admit are about 10-20 years behind where you are organizationally.