Being an Over-Active Alumna
The person all alumnae dread becoming (no, not your mother): the over-zealous, over-controlling, out-of-her-mind, active alumna. Every sorority has experienced the over-active alumna and it can be a very difficult situation to deal with.
How to Avoid Being Too Active
As an alumna, the best way to handle the situation is not to let it happen. Monitor your activity with the chapter and if it seems like you’re doing too much, you’re spending too much time at the house, or you’re beginning to resent your work, it may be time to step back and reevaluate. Remember that while all alumnae have their chapter’s best interest at heart, your best interest should be priority number one.
If You’re Already There
If you disregard the previous suggestion and the situation gets to the point where you’re approached by active members, just remember to see it from the active member’s perspective. While they don’t want to be disrespectful or come off as ungrateful, they are the ones running the show.
As an alumna, you want to help your active members develop management, organization and leadership skills that will help them later in life. This means supporting them in their efforts, lending a hand whenever possible, and answering questions that come up. Anything beyond that is teetering on overbearing, controlling, and not-your-place.
One other nasty side-effect of the too-active alumna is less alumnae involvement overall. The too-active alumna tends to make others feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and useless. And, as alumnae activity in the chapter is voluntary, this usually results in less volunteers. Alumnae involvement is key to a successful sorority, and you don’t want to be the one who chases all the other alumnae away.
This post was generously provided by ChapterBoard.
Category: Alumni
