Did I get your attention? Good. My only worry is that this message is going to the wrong people. The Hypocrites are the ones who are not listening…or that have forgotten. (Editor’s note – this message is to all Greek Alumni).
Almost 20 years ago I joined my Fraternity as a freshmen. I did so for a number of reasons but I remember one part of the pitch being “we have alumni”. The perception provided to me was that there was this huge base of men out there that cared about me as an undergraduate member. I envisioned 100′s of men coming back for events, scholarship money, mentors and internships. Boy was I naive.
In my daily job I hear the question “where are the alumni?” more often then I would like. The sad truth is that many of them have forgotten. They forgot about when they asked that question themselves. They forgot what the feeling was like of having to manage budgets of $1,000′s of dollars without guidance. They forgot what it was like to stand up to bad behavior without a mentor or support of a bigger membership base (the alumni) standing behind them. They forgot what it was like to shell out your only available cash to attend a leadership college or Conclave. They forgot what it was like to have to make choices between Fraternity or work because school is expensive and the scholarship money and loans have dried up.
After joining Alpha Kappa Lambda I remember saying “I won’t be that way.” I told myself that when I graduated I would come back and support the chapter. I would donate when I could. I would keep in touch with what is going on with the chapter. I would try to mentor others. Ironically I found myself in a job that makes me do all of that. Because I see what happens when others don’t come back I am committed to continuing my efforts when I eventually leave this profession.
I won’t let myself off the hook though because I am a hypocrite too. When I ask myself “have I given to the best of my ability?” I know the answer is no. That is something I am going to have to change.
There is hope my fellow Alumni! It is never too late to remember. If you do remember, if you do care, you can still help. Give to your Foundation to support scholarships, leadership education and service. Give to your Fraternity to support recruitment and expansion of a great experience. Get involved with a chapter…even if it is not your own and even if it is not your Fraternity. Assist with internships and job mentoring, or simply keep in touch. Make a Difference so that the next freshmen that joins not only hears “we have alumni” but sees “we have alumni.”
Filed under: Uncategorized
Great post, Jeremy! In the rare instances that an alumnus does come back and wants to help – the chapter better be prepared to have some productive options for that person’s time or money.
I hope this gets the attention of those that “aren’t listening”.
@hust0058, “the chapter better be prepared”? Who’s serving whom? How does one know what a steak tastes like having never tasted one before? If they have never seen alumni involvement in the chapter, how would they even know where to begin in connecting alumni to the program?
This generation has not the slightest idea how to engage active members let alone alumni. How about showing up with some ideas? Get connected to the national and understand the educational and leadership goals – better than the chapter thinks it does – and then help the chapter to understand that vision and how to start moving toward it? I would be willing to bet that the long-term vision of most chapters is a one year window in which it hopes to survive another year.
If you expect to show up at the doors of the chapter house and be welcomed with a well thought out blueprint of how your time and money would be best spent, you are deceiving yourself. I would suspect that you’ll be seen as more of a problem than a solution.
Thanks for the reminder Jeremy. All to often as a volunteer for in my sorority, “I hear that was for college not life.” And then I say, if you only tried it you would see the fun begins when you are an Alumna. Maybe we need to keep telling our undergrads through out their short time in college that being an alumnus is important so when they graduate there is not a gap!!
“Well done is better than well said.”
Active members will begin to believe in the importance of alumnae when they see them integrally involved in the life of the chapter. Currently their frame of reference is probably a bunch of older women showing up on the doorstep at Homecoming, wanting to relive the “wild and crazy” nights they had as sorority sisters.
So long as the common perception is that FSL is “social” rather than a life of leadership, service and values, most will not see the purpose of being an alumnae sister.
great answer! The alum support/friends I have is the greatest part of my life. I moved to a city where I knew no one. The alum chapter and now a collegiate chapter that I work with are the best part of my life (spouse and kids excluded). (DG, Lawrence Univ, Appleton, WI)
Oops, most post is in response to Lisa, collegians will see the best is yet to come (and not just reliving crazy college days)
Great article! I just started joined the advisory team of the chapter of my initiation and many reasons that you stated above were the reasons why I got involved again.