Other gender Advisors/Honorary?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

So back to the OP... you're foolish if you exclude what someone can offer simply because of their gender. We may be single-gender organizations, but that doesn't mean that the best ideas are always going to come from within.

What is foolish is people believing that what their GLO eats makes other GLOs defecate. GLOs do what works for them. If they only allow members to be advisors, they are advanced and equipped enough to get advice and access resources without every advice-giver and resource-provider being an actual advisor.

Delta chapters have primary advisors (Sorors) and, at the colleges/universities that require it, have faculty advisors (any faculty member who is not an asshole--if there are eligible faculty Sorors who are not assholes, that is even better). The faculty advisors for the Delta chapters (at the schools that require faculty advisors) are helpful for doing basic things like reserving rooms and setting their calendars. There are also faculty advisors who do absolutely nothing but have their name on the website or sign their name when rarely needed--that works for some chapters because these chapters prefer only using their off-campus primary/Soror Advisor.

The rest of the chapters that only have off-campus Soror primary advisors (no faculty advisor) do absolutely fine getting what needs to be done using the plethora of resources. These chapters (mine included) often do not want nonDeltas telling us what to do and how to do it, just point us in the right direction if we need/want your help with something. Afterall, that is what Student Activities and Greek Life offices are for at some campuses.**

**There are campuses where the Director of Greek Life is listed as the campus/staff advisor for every GLO--in addition to their off-campus advisor (member of the GLO). That is a necessary formality for these chapters to be recognized at the school but serves no purpose at some schools beyond quality control. This grates the nerves of some GLO chapters and their GLO member off-campus advisor.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

What is foolish is people believing that what their GLO eats makes other GLOs defecate. GLOs do what works for them. If they only allow members to be advisors, they are advanced and equipped enough to get advice and access resources without every advice-giver and resource-provider being an actual advisor.

Delta chapters have primary advisors (Sorors) and, at the colleges/universities that require it, have faculty advisors (any faculty member who is not an asshole--if there are eligible faculty Sorors who are not assholes, that is even better). The faculty advisors for the Delta chapters (at the schools that require faculty advisors) are helpful for doing basic things like reserving rooms and setting their calendars. There are also faculty advisors who do absolutely nothing but have their name on the website or sign their name when rarely needed--that works for some chapters because these chapters prefer only using their off-campus primary/Soror Advisor. The rest of the chapters that have off-campus primary/Soror advisors (no faculty advisor) do absolutely fine getting what needs to be done using the plethora of resources. These chapters (mine included) often do not want nonDeltas telling us what to do and how to do it, just point us in the right direction if we need/want your help with something. Afterall, that is what Student Activities and Greek Life offices are for at some campuses. There are campuses where the Director of Greek Life is listed as the campus/staff advisor for every GLO--in addition to their off-campus advisor (member of the GLO). That is a necessary formality for these chapters to be recognized at the school but serves no purpose at some schools beyond quality control. This grates the nerves of some GLO chapters and their GLO member off-campus advisor.

In addition:

Everyone who is helpful to a chapter doesn't need to have the title Advisor or have a formal relationship with the organization.

[ASUADPi]

I don't know if this was an ADPi chapter that I heard about or another sorority, but I remember someone telling me about a chapter that had advisors that weren't members of that sorority. I guess it was because the chapter was at a school that didn't have an alumnae association so getting advisors was incredibly difficult. I believe that the main chapter advisor was of the sorority, but the other ones weren't.

For me I personally don't see a problem with having advisors that aren't of the same sorority. Obviously I don't believe they should be allowed to any ritual events. I would do it. If another sorority approached me and asked me to be like their recruitment advisor because they couldn't get one, I would do it. Recruitment is recruitment. The sororities have to follow the same rules. I would understand not being allowed to do some things.

I am also one of those people, while I love ADPi, I understand that we need to support each other. As one of my recruitment shirts said "no matter what the letter, we're all greek together".

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

In addition:

Everyone who is helpful to a chapter doesn't need to have the title Advisor or have a formal relationship with the organization.

How on earth can people get advice and resources without the advice-giver and resource-provider being a formal advisor or having a formal relationship with the organization? Say it ain't so!

/sarcasm

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by 33girl

One of our chapters had a male advisor for many years. I think he was a Beta Theta Pi alumnus.

We can recognize males for contributions to the sorority (as a sweetheart, or as an advisor) and have ways of doing so, but they cannot receive honorary membership. And no, no boys at initiation (regardless of age of boy).

As for your original question...it was the 60s.

Beta Kappa also had a male advisor. He was Kappa Alpha, and I think our Financial advisor.

[KSUViolet06]

Our advisory board members must be alumnae, but our chapters have had men serve as faculty advisors (at schools where faculty advisors are required.)

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by Titchou

An advising a chapter of the opposite gender would not impact a group's single sex status but being an initiated member would. Both NPC and NIC have agreements that restrict that in order to maintain their status.

I'm not sure about that. I can think of at least 2 NIC orgs that are coed at least at a local level.

[Titchou]

From the NIC web site:

Statement of Position Regarding Single-Gender Membership

Fraternities and sororities have the right under the United States Constitution and civil rights laws to exist as single-gender organizations and to maintain that status, especially under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Further, Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972 provides that sexual discrimination shall not apply to membership practices of a social fraternity or social sorority that is exempt from taxation under section 501 of the IRS Code of 1954, the active membership of which consists primarily of students in attendance at an institution of higher education.



Beyond this, the North-American Interfraternity Conference affirms that men's and women's fraternities offer excellent opportunities for men and women to share a fraternal experience, and it supports the National Panhellenic Conference in its Resolution on Single-Sex Fraternities. The NIC believes single-gender organizations develop the character of an individual by
• Providing students with campus communities that provide an intimate, family-like structure;
• Providing a focus on scholarship, personal development, trust, mutual assistance and friendships;
• Offering full membership to men and women in their respective single-gender organizations;
• Opening membership with no discriminatory clauses related to race, creed or national origin;
• Allowing the chapter and candidate an opportunity for mutual agreement on membership; and
• Allowing the members of these private organizations to identify their friends without restraint.

The Conference believes strongly in single-gender membership and the acceptance of entirely male or female members, and it asserts the rights of every member fraternity to confine membership to men and to exist

[Psi U MC Vito]

I read that more as affirming the right for member organizations to be single gender, not as saying that they can't be coed.

[Titchou]

The complete last paragraph - didn't all copy to begin with:

The Conference believes strongly in single-gender membership and the acceptance of entirely male or female members, and it asserts the rights of every member fraternity to confine membership to men and to exist as single-gender organizations.

[Titchou]

And another resolution:

Statement of Position Regarding Little Sister Groups

The North-American Interfraternity Conference believes sororities and women's fraternities offer excellent opportunities for women to share a fraternal experience and that auxiliary women's groups organized by some men's fraternity chapters, commonly referred to as "little sisters," are inconsistent with the concept and philosophy of separate and equal women's fraternities. The Conference joins the Fraternity Executives Association and several member fraternities in strongly discouraging "little sister" groups as inappropriate adjuncts to the collegiate chapters of men's fraternities. One of the Standards of the NIC calls for member fraternities to work with their chapters to eliminate these programs.

[AOII Angel]

Still says they have the RIGHT to be single gender not that they must be single gender.

ETA: Vito should know since several Psi U chapters are co-ed, Kappa Alpha Society had co-Ed chapters until 2003 and Delta Psi also has co-ed chapters.

[Titchou]

The issue was whether having members of more than one gender would impact their Title IX rights. It does. So if they don't care about that, then fine. But NPC groups do care about that. NPC does not want to be required to have male members - hence TWO Unanimous Agreements addressing that question. And one has to invoke a "right" in order to maintain that membership requirement. Hence, NIC's resolution wording. Perhaps there are a few that don't care about Title IX issues but NIC would prefer that their membership maintain single sex status - like NPC and NPHC.

[knight_shadow]

^^ You're reading it with your NPC glasses. NIC doesn't regulate its members the way NPC does. It's more "We stand behind you all because each of you do things to protect your Title IX status" rather than "You better not let women in or else you're out!"

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

^^ You're reading it with your NPC glasses. NIC doesn't regulate its members the way NPC does. It's more "We stand behind you all because each of you do things to protect your Title IX status" rather than "You better not let women in or else you're out!"

That's exactly how I'm reading it. It doesn't sound anything like a unanimous agreement a la NPC. Just bc you can find a phrase from the NIC containing the words Title IX and rights doesn't mean that they are enforcing an agreement or a ban. Shoot, the NPC doesn't regulate EVERYTHING we do either...we do have some autonomy.