Sigma Kappa Handbook for the General Advisor 2017 Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook . page 2 FOREWORD "The purpose of Sigma Kappa Sorority is to provide women lifelong opportunities and support for social, intellectual, and spiritual development by bringing women together to positively impact our communities." Article II, Section 1 Sigma Kappa Sorority Constitution This purpose builds on the values of our organization: friendship, loyalty, service and personal growth, all bound by a promise. National council affirms that Sigma Kappa collectively can only grow through the prosperity of each individual chapter. Such prosperity must begin with sound and lasting leadership. Each chapter officer is provided a handbook designed to give her the information needed to perform the duties of her office and assist the chapter in achieving the Sigma Kappa Standards of Excellence. Serving as an officer exemplifies Sigma Kappa's purpose and values. © 2016 Sigma Kappa Sorority TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome and Appreciation 4 The Advisor Role 5 Resources for Advisors 6 Technology Resources 7 Leadership Development Resources 8 The National Organization - The People Resources Who Support You 10 Who is "Nationals"? 10 National Council 10 National Headquarters 10 Additional People Resources in the Sorority 11 The Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inc. 12 The National Housing Corporation 13 Working with College Students 16 Sigma Kappa Sorority . General Advisory Handbook page 4 WELCOME AND APPRECIATION Congratulations on volunteering as an advisor! Being able to impact the lives of collegiate members while forming relationships with other alumnae on the advisory board and beyond is a great opportunity. Whether this is your first volunteer role with Sigma Kappa or you have been advising for 15 years, this resource will help you navigate the ever changing landscape of working with collegians and help guide you in your time as an advisor. As things are constantly evolving, this handbook and the resources on the members only side of the Sigma Kappa website will be your best tools for success! Sigma Kappa Sorority . General Advisory Handbook page 5 THE ADVISOR ROLE As an advisor and mentor, you will work to teach collegiate officers personal and professional skills so it is important that you emulate the behavior you wish to see. By being positive, encouraging, communicative and attentive, you will model the way for the officers and help them become stronger officers, friends, students and friends. The general expectations the national organization has of each advisor are: Be knowledgeable about Sigma Kappa policies and procedures Have knowledge about the position(s) you are advising Contact your officer(s) at least once per week (at minimum) Attend advisory board meetings as scheduled Attend chapter meetings and events as needed Communicate with advisees, other advisors and the ABS Role model engagement as an alumna, which includes paying national alumnae dues each year Become familiar with your resources Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 6 RESOURCES FOR ADVISORS Sigma Kappa has a variety of documents outlining policies, procedures and best practices. As an advisor, you should be familiar with and utilizing the following documents: Website - Members Only Side of Sigma Kappa The members only side of the Sigma Kappa website is available to all members of Sigma Kappa in good standing. It is a password protected website. Members log in creating their login name and individual passwords. If you do not already have access to the members only side, visit www.sigmakappa.org to claim your account. National Policy Handbook (NPH) Edited annually by national council, the most accurate source of information regarding the policies and procedures that govern Sigma Kappa. NPH is available in volunteer general supplies on the members only side of the Sigma Kappa website. Every advisor should be thoroughly familiar with the NPH, and should reference it in her work with the chapter. Sigma Kappa Bylaws Voted on at convention and available in volunteer general supplies, this document outlines the structure of Sigma Kappa nationally and locally. Every advisor should be familiar with the Bylaws, and should reference it in her work with the chapter. Officer Handbooks These handbooks serve as "how to" guides for chapter officers, and are available on the members only side of the website. Each officer should be familiar with and regularly access their handbook. Every advisor should be thoroughly familiar with the Chapter Advisor Handbook and the handbook for the office(s) they advise. Annual Supplies Each officer has a page section on the members only side of the website with officer-specific information including report forms, handbooks and other useful information. Annual supplies are updated per office each January. Every advisor should access the advisory board annual supplies section on the volunteer resources tab of the members only side for forms and information. NPC Manual of Information (MOI) The NPC Manual of Information (MOI) outlines all policies and best practices voted and agreed upon by the National Panhellenic Conference member Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 7 organizations. The information in this document details how College and Alumnae Panhellenics govern recruitment, judicial proceedings and other areas of Panhellenic operations. It should be referenced as these topics arise. The MOI can be accessed in volunteer general supplies. Standards of Excellence (SOE) The SOE rating system gives national council a better assessment of each chapter and helps to identify the chapters who need additional assistance. National council is confident that each and every chapter can attain the minimum standards level of achievement and are committed to providing the resources and support to ensure a chapter's success. It is the goal of national council to notify those chapters that are at minimum standards or below as early as possible in the spring term following the rating year. By doing so, the chapter has ample opportunity to develop a plan of action to ensure that all minimum standards are met for the current calendar year. Chapters receiving a critically below standards rating receive a Letter of Challenge (LOC) from national council. Please refer to the current SOE Brochure available in volunteer general supplies for the most up to date SOE information. Brand Style Guide The Brand Style Guide outlines guidelines to help members produce, promote and print high quality materials that reflect Sigma Kappa's brand, which was updated in 2016. All printed and online materials should adhere to the brand standards outlined in this guide. Access the manual under the Toolbox on the members only side of the website. Advisory board members should be comfortable with these resources so they can reference and guide officers to resources as needed and when questions arise. Review each document, but remember that not all resources will be relevant for all advisors. These documents are updated regularly so always reference the Sigma Kappa website for the most up to date version of each document. Additionally, there are local chapter policies and resources that advisors must be familiar with to effectively perform their role. Those local resources are listed below: Chapter Code of Conduct (COC) House/suite rules Chapter goals Chapter calendar Contact lists If you do not have access to these local chapter policies and resources, contact the advisory board supervisor (ABS). The ABS will be able to share these documents, as well as any other relevant pieces of information about the local chapter, with the advisory Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 8 board. Technology Resources As an advisor, it's important that you are familiar with Sigma Kappa's technology resources. Many of these resources are new or updated. The members only side of the Sigma Kappa website was created to provide all members with a way to gain access to resources at any time. Resources available on the members only side include: SKILLab: Sigma Kappa's Interactive Learning Lab. Once logged in, go to your member profile and click on the SKILLab link. SKILLab contains training modules for collegiate and alumnae as well as the online portions of the new Promise for New Members program. Workshop Warehouse: A one-stop resource for ready-to-present programs and workshops. This centralized location houses all Sigma Kappa workshops on a variety of topics. Each workshop file is complete with any necessary handouts and instructions. Workshop Warehouse will be useful to you if you are invited to facilitate a program for a chapter. Recruitment Resources: This page is located in the Toolbox on the members only side of the website and provides collegians with a variety of resources to help them plan and execute a successful recruitment. Information relating to room décor, song, chant and speech ideas and event planning tips are all housed here. Collegiate General Supplies: The resources available on the collegiate general supplies page are applicable for use by multiple chapter officers. Some examples include supply order forms, Standards of Excellence information, online reporting guidelines and information about Sigma Kappa policies. Officer Resources: Individual chapter officers will find many of their resources here, including but not limited to officer handbooks, petitions, meeting templates, important ceremony guidelines and annual report outlines. Familiarizing oneself with her officer page and supplies is a key first step in preparing to execute her new officer position. Dove Hub Dove Hub is an online resource for chapters to manage their membership. Dove Hub will allow officers to view current officer and advisors, edit scholarship and recruitment statistics and view current membership statuses and pending membership statuses of collegiate members. SmarterSelect SmarterSelect is an online reporting resource used by collegiate chapters to complete and submit officer reports. Each chapter is assigned a username and password that should be used for all chapter reporting. ABSs are also provided with a unique username and password to access chapter reports submitted through SmarterSelect. Chapter Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 9 officers can download and share their reports (whether in progress or completed) with their advisors. GIN System The GIN System provides each Sigma Kappa chapter with a communication tool they can utilize to share information with their membership. The GIN system also gives each chapter the opportunity to build and maintain a chapter website. Approved templates are available for chapters to customize. Maintaining an updated website through the GIN System is required for Standards of Excellence. No other chapter websites should be used, as the GIN System websites are linked to the Sigma Kappa website. To learn more about the GIN System, visit www.sigmakappagin.com Billhighway The GIN system also connects to Billhighway, the tool chapters use to manage their finances. Chapters use Billhighway to bill their members for any dues or fees, and the system allows the chapters to monitor each member's balance. Individual members have access to their own Billhighway account through the GIN system to view statements or make payments. The ABS and vice president of finance advisor are given access to Billhighway. Internet and Related Technology Policy Sigma Kappa Sorority has general usage guidelines pertaining to the official "Sigma Kappa Internet," which includes both the public and private sides of the sigmakappa.org website, any chapter websites, any individual websites which reference Sigma Kappa or use Sigma Kappa trademarks and any public Internet websites where members identify themselves as Sigma Kappa members (including social media). The policy can be found in the National Policy Handbook. Members are reminded that website pages are public documents and have a wide potential audience, including non-members. Leadership Development Resources RLC The Regional Leadership Conferences (RLCs) are the required officer training and transition program for Sigma Kappa collegiate chapters. The RLCs are designed to train incoming collegiate chapter officers efficiently and effectively, and serve as the final developmental piece of the resources provided to chapter officers. In addition to the RLCs, all chapter officers have a handbook specific to their position as well as online training modules housed in SKILLab: Sigma Kappa's Interactive Learning Lab. Convention The purpose of the national convention is to conduct the business of the grand chapter of Sigma Kappa. It is only through the Convention assembled that changes can be made in our Sigma Kappa Bylaws and Standing Rules. The convention may also adopt resolutions that affect Sorority policy or philosophy. In addition to the business sessions, Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 10 time is allotted for educational workshops and fun sisterhood activities! Traditional convention activities include the confirmed conventionite banquet, Initiation and the achievement banquet. The national council for the biennium is also elected during this gathering. Constitutionally, each college chapter is allowed three voting delegates (two collegians and one advisor) to convention. Because a thorough knowledge of Sigma Kappa policies and the national structure is needed, it is recommended that a chapter send the chapter president and one other executive council officer as delegates, in addition to one member of its advisory board. Delegates must be in good financial and academic standing. Collegiate Leadership Development Opportunities In addition to Sigma Kappa hosted leadership development opportunities, there are also a variety of campus and community programs that exist to help members build their leadership skills, increase their personal awareness and positively impact change within their chapter. The Sigma Kappa Foundation provides scholarships to encourage and support the scholastic development of Sigma Kappa's collegiate and alumnae sisters. Many of these scholarship funds are designated for collegiate members to attend leadership development programs such as UIFI and LeaderShape, and many chapters also budget funds to sponsor members attending leadership programs. As an advisor, you have the opportunity to help identify emerging leaders and chapter officers who would benefit for these experiences and encourage them to apply. A full list of the Sigma Kappa Foundation's 60+ scholarships can be found here. Applications open every year on December 1 and the yearly deadline is February 1. Most campuses also provide leadership development programs. Encourage chapter members to learn about these campus-based opportunities and have members participate in them annually. In addition to helping members develop their leadership skills, participation in campus-based leadership development will also help the chapter to establish a strong reputation on campus. Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 11 THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION - THE PEOPLE RESOURCES WHO SUPPORT YOU Who is "Nationals"? Each of us is a part of the national organization. National Council is not "nationals." National Headquarters (NHQ) is not "nationals." The term "nationals" does not exist but is frequently used by collegians and some alumnae. Every member of Sigma Kappa is a representative of our Sorority, all 165,000+ of us! National Council The Sigma Kappa national council is selected by the membership to maintain the ideals of our Founders and ensure sorority growth and success. National council is composed of eight members. Each member is elected or appointed to a two year term of office and is a volunteer. In simplistic terms, the national council operates in similar fashion to the chapter executive council. The eight women on national council work individually and collectively. Each woman has an area of direct supervision and provides input in the business proceedings of national council. The work of national council is demanding, therefore, each member relies on directors, ABSs, collegiate coordinators, other national officers and local advisors to collect, analyze and summarize information on the organization and communicate it to council. A current national council organizational chart can be viewed on the Sigma Kappa website. National Headquarters NHQ is our administrative center. It houses the Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inc., the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and the Sorority staff. The executive directors and staff are salaried employees. Most of the staff are members of Sigma Kappa. As the administrative center, the Sorority staff at NHQ provides a variety of services to Sigma Kappa members and chapters, some of which include: Providing materials needed for effective chapter management and record maintenance, available for order through the chapter supply department. Annual supplies and additional resources for all collegiate officers, advisors and national officers are available on the Sorority's website. Servicing and maintaining collegiate chapter financial records, available on a fee- paid basis through the chapter accounting program. Processing official jewelry orders, including membership badges, new member pins and Order of the Triangle pins. Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 12 Maintaining membership records on the computer system via chapter reports, address changes. Publishing the Sigma Kappa Triangle magazine. Preparing the administrative details of biennial conventions and annual Regional Leadership Conferences (RLCs). Coordinating mailings, research and special projects to support the national officer structure of Sigma Kappa Sorority. All staff members are available to provide support and assistance to collegiate chapters. In particular, chapter members and advisors are encouraged to work with their assigned collegiate operations specialist (COS) at national headquarters. The COS is a resource for chapter members and advisors who shares updates and new resources with the chapter, is available to answer questions and who can connect members to resources and volunteers as needed. If you are unsure where to find information or which volunteer to reach out to for assistance, start with the COS and she will connect you to the best resources. Additional People Resources in the Sorority The national organization has a web of people who support our chapters and members that an advisor might interact with on a regular basis. The following list identifies these roles. Names and contact information for these volunteers can be found on the members only side of the website. An advisor may seek the support of any volunteer by directly contacting them at any point in which she needs assistance. In most cases, it will be the ABS who will contact the district level coordinators to discuss an area of need within the chapter. However, if chapter officers solicit assistance directly from the district level coordinators, it is the coordinator's responsibility to contact the ABS and communicate the collegian's request and to solicit her input. Collegiate Management Volunteers National Vice President for Collegiate Chapters (NVPCC) - The NVPCC is responsible for all matters concerning the conduct and functioning of collegiate chapters, oversees the selection and training of field officers in charge of collegiate chapters and directs all field officers engaged in chapter work. She supervises the work of the collegiate district directors and director of risk management. Collegiate District Director (CDD) - The CDD is responsible for managing collegiate chapters and for recruiting and supervising the ABSs within each district. The collegiate district director serves as a liaison between the NVPCC, collegiate coordinator, ABSs and advisory boards. Other responsibilities include maintaining accurate chapter records, reports and statistics, evaluating SOE and making recommendations for collegiate awards. There is one collegiate district Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 13 director for each district, one for colonies and new chapters and one for specialized chapters. Collegiate Coordinator (CC) - The collegiate coordinator works under the direction of the CDD and NVPCC to provide supervision and assistance to collegiate chapter advisors and to monitor the progress of assigned chapters in all areas of chapter management. Director of Risk Management (DRM) - The DRM is appointed by national council to work closely with volunteers and the chapter members on harm reduction education. She ensures risk management policy violations are appropriately handled on the collegiate level and works with the programming team for member education. Risk Management Coordinator (RMC) - The RMC works under the direction of the director of risk management to ensure that all collegiate chapters are following the National Policy Handbook requirements for risk management/harm reduction and provide guidance to collegiate chapters within the assigned district on risk management. District Coordinators There are district coordinators who specialize in the following areas: finance, programming, alumnae relations, recruitment, public relations, Panhellenic. Collegiate Public Relations Coordinator (CPRC) - Monitors chapter communication pieces to ensure consistency and the appropriate use of visual standards and registered marks. Serves as a resource for developing a chapter marketing plan to promote positive campus image. Provides tools/help for using GIN to keep website and social media up-to-date. Programming Coordinator (PC) - Works to identify needs of collegiate chapters and deploy solutions to meet identified needs. These volunteers have a clear understanding of how to execute and support the various member experiences provided by the national organization, including but not limited to the new member experience, scholarship, and informal programming experiences. Collegiate Finance Coordinator (CFC) - Works under the direction of the director of chapter finance and national vice president for finance to ensure that all collegiate chapters are in good financial standing with the national organization. Recruitment Coordinator (RC) - Secures, trains, guides, supports and empowers recruitment advisors/supervisors to develop and implement a successful membership recruitment plan for their chapter. She also provides support and guidance to recruitment advisors/supervisors and collegiate vice president of memberships (VPMs) and continuing membership chairmen (CMCs) in her district in developing and implementing a competitive recruitment program for each particular campus. Collegiate Alumnae Relations Coordinator (CARC) - Fosters the relationship between alumnae and collegiate chapters and serves as a resource for the Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 14 collegiate vice president of alumnae relations. Panhellenic Coordinator -Under the direction of the NPC delegate and alternate NPC delegates, the Panhellenic coordinators are responsible for providing guidance, direction, interpretation and recommendations for collegiate officers, national officers and alumnae advisors on Panhellenic matters. The Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inc. The mission of the Sigma Kappa Foundation is to create and fund leadership, scholarship and philanthropic initiatives that reflect the values and spirit of Sigma Kappa Sorority. The Sigma Kappa Foundation carries out their mission by awarding scholarships to collegians and alumnae of Sigma Kappa, supporting educational programming such as Regional Leadership Conferences, sponsoring speakers for national conventions, promoting leadership development programs and materials, awarding research grants to combat Alzheimer's disease and gerontology, contributing to the Maine Sea Coast Mission, and giving financial assistance to Sigma Kappa alumnae with special needs. The Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inc., is funded through the generosity of collegiate and alumnae chapters and individual members of Sigma Kappa. Money is sent to the Foundation for distribution to the Maine Sea Coast Mission and for Alzheimer's disease and gerontology research. Contributions by individuals to the Foundation are tax deductible and all Sigma Kappa members are encouraged to support Sigma Kappa through Foundation donations. These funds are also used to support the Sorority's educational programming for chapters and scholarships. An elected board of trustees governs the Foundation, which is made up of Sigma Kappa volunteers. Members of the board of trustees serve four-year terms and are appointed after nomination by the Foundation nominating committee. For more information on the Sigma Kappa Foundation and Foundation sponsored programs, visit www.sigmakappa.org/foundation. The National Housing Corporation The Sigma Kappa National Housing Corporation (NHC) is an independent legal entity. The purpose of the NHC, along with providing much needed services to ease the burden on our local housing corporations, is the pooling of assets to enable participating corporations to have the ability to finance housing projects. Supporting Property Management Sigma Kappa offers support and guidance for property management. The responsibility falls either under a corporation coordinator or corporation liaison depending upon participation in the NHC. All Sigma Kappa chapters not having a local corporation board Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 15 or property committee were made participators in the NHC in 1994, when the NHC was incorporated. The participation of a local corporation in the NHC is by mutual agreement of both parties. Sigma Kappa has two types of local management groups for property: house corporations and property committees. The type of property management needed depends on the chapter's housing, employees, and the fees collected to maintain the property. House Corporation A house corporation is a separately incorporated entity that has legal and binding obligations to pay the mortgage or lease payment, utilities, salaries, etc., while maintaining a safe, functional environment for collegians. All initiated members of the corporation's associated chapter are lifetime members of the house corporation, like shareholders of a corporation. The corporation board is the house corporation's board of directors, which is elected by the members of the corporation at its annual meeting. The board is responsible for the physical property, furnishings, and employees. The corporation board must include at least two collegiate members with voting privileges. These are usually the chapter president, house manager or vice president of finance. A liaison from the advisory board is also encouraged to attend meetings of the corporation board as an ex-officio, non- voting member. A joint corporation board/advisory board meeting should be held at least once each year to discuss issues of mutual concern. Property Committee A property committee oversees chapter property and/or a housing facility. Chapters may have a property committee if they do not own property and/or have employees. The NHC maintains a chart of accounts, invoices members, and pays bills under the same fee structure as a participating corporation. Advisory Board Responsibilities for Housing Issues The advisory board works with the chapter to ensure that national policy concerning housing as outlined in the National Policy Handbook is followed. Policies of utmost importance regard requirements for members to live in chapter property if space is available. Exception to this policy is outlined in the National Policy Handbook. It is the responsibility of the chapter, not the corporation board, to fill the chapter property. Failure to fill the house will result in the corporation billing the chapter for the empty spaces. The chapter should establish a system to ensure that chapter housing is at capacity each year. Acceptable systems include a lottery or points system. The system should be included in the chapter Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 16 should be reviewed to ensure that national policy is correct with regard to housing related policies. Questions can be director to the collegiate coordinator. Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 17 WORKING WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS A chapter advisor is just what the name implies: an advisor, not a director or dictator. The major role is to offer advice, when it is requested or when it is critical that the chapter hear it. Those two situations do not always occur simultaneously. If a chapter advisor has established both rapport and credibility with the undergraduate members, she will frequently be asked for an opinion. As an advisor, you need to allow the chapter to learn from their mistakes. This is much easier said than done. As experienced adults, we may be able to see when things are starting to go awry sooner than a collegian can. Discuss as an advisory board what is a "small mistake" worth letting collegians experience and learn from and agree on when advisors should intervene (breaking national policy, potentially harmful plans/activities, egregious member behaviors, etc.). One of the greatest advantages of sorority membership is the opportunity for leadership experience. The effective chapter advisor realizes this and will frequently allow the group to learn from its mistakes. What distinguishes a good advisor from an adequate advisor is the ability to gauge the impact of the results and determine when intervention is not only desirable but absolutely essential. The chapter advisor is a role model-she is a living illustration of the fact that sorority affiliation continues after graduation and that the values and principles taught in the chapter have a very real application in the everyday world. Advisors should be aware of the following guidelines for working with college students: 1. Know as many students as you possibly can and know them well, while maintaining an appropriate advisor/advisee relationship. Nothing is accomplished without these individual relationships. 2. Treat each student with the dignity and respect that you would like for yourself. 3. Deal with the important and relevant aspects of your position. Avoid getting burned out in dealing with petty differences. 4. Be honest with yourself and others. It does no good to tell students what you think they want to hear. 5. Recognize that the values and attitudes you take to your position will to a great extent, determine the way the students react. 6. Understand that you work more by persuasion and the power of your personality than any amount of formal authority. 7. Be available - there is no such thing as a "standard work day" for an advisor. The job is time-consuming but rewarding. Part of being available involves setting clear guidelines with your students regarding appropriate communication, including how you prefer to be contacted (phone call, text, etc.), in what Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 18 situations is it okay to call after hours, etc. 8. Realize that your position is at best non-descriptive. No job description will ever suffice for your intelligence and the qualities which have led to your selection for this task. 9. Accept the fact that we are not an end in ourselves. With each new program and student, we should work to the end of eliminating our necessity. 10. Finally, never underestimate the power of your influence on a student. Your conduct and conversation are what you are - a model for others. List compiled by Dr. David Ambler, former vice-chancellor for student affairs at the University of Kansas and well-respected higher education leader. Common areas of skill development for chapter officers As an advisor, you have the unique opportunity to help the collegians master their Sigma Kappa position while also helping them develop important life skills they will use in their futures. Below is a list of areas where advisors can help collegians develop these skills. With each area, there are tips listed for helping the advisee achieve that skill. Reporting - Many collegians wait until the last minute to begin their reports. While procrastination may be a typical quality in many of our collegians, helping them learn to complete reports early and thoroughly will help break them of this habit. Encouraging your advisee to work on their reports throughout the year will help them complete a thorough report by the deadline. Set goals with your officer of when she will complete sections of the report. Example: The VPNME could fill out the entire report in May filling in all information as it pertains to her spring new member class. In the fall, she would only need to add the information from fall for it to be complete. Request that your officer complete the report in advance of the deadline so they can ask you questions. If they complete the report early, that gives you time to review it for them before they submit the final version! Communication - Collegiate officers have to communicate with a wide variety of people. From communicating with you to the executive council to the chapter to a campus professional to a general alumna, helping your advisee navigate what communication needs to look like with each group of people is important. When officers are communicating well with all of these groups, the chapter sees more success. Set up a communication plan with your officer. This will help you and your officer have a mutual agreement on when you communicate, how often you communicate and will help you ensure your officer is practicing strong communication in all aspects of her position. Communication plan samples can be found in advisory board supplies on the members only side of the website. Encourage your officer to communicate with people in person, if possible. There is nothing more beneficial or efficient than a face to face (or phone call) conversation to talk through ideas or conflict as they arise. Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 19 Time Management - For many officers, this is their first leadership position. Since school should be the top priority of each collegian, set goals with your advisee of how she will successfully fulfill the expectations of her position while also balancing school, her personal life and potentially a job. Office hours: Office hours are a great way for the officer to devote a certain amount of time to her position and to be available to chapter members each week. Ex. Each Tuesday, the vice president of finance is available on Mondays from 1 - 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 5 - 7 p.m. on campus in the student center. This gives chapter members a set time they can meet with her about payment plans and finance related questions. If no one meets with the officer, this gives her time to work through her email, evaluate Billhighway and officer budgets to see where the chapter is in regards to member payments and the budget and to work on other miscellaneous tasks that come up with her position. Delegation: Your officer may be compelled to do all of the work themselves instead of delegating to others and utilizing the ideas of their chapter. Encourage your officer to assign tasks to her committee members and to utilize other chapter members when she can. This will help create buy-in for the members as well. Help your officer learn how to check in with those to whom she delegates in a positive way to ensure they complete the tasks as assigned. The officer should always provide specific instructions in writing with a deadline to the chapter member who is helping her. This ensures that the officer can hold the member accountable if the task if not completed. Ex. Social chairman providing a survey to the chapter to find out what type of social functions they would like to see that semester. One member suggests the chapter do a non-alcoholic function at the local bowling alley that she works at. The social chairman could connect with this member and have her help with the planning of the event. Tip: Check in with your officer about what aspects of her position she is delegating. For certain positions, there are responsibilities that cannot be shared with others. Ex. The EVP cannot delegate chairing the standards council meetings. She could delegate compiling ideas for changes to the Code of Conduct from chapter members to bring to standards council to one of the members of her standards council. Motivation - Being a chapter officer is not always fun. Chapter officers take the brunt of complaints when chapter members are upset about changes being made. Many times the things they are dealing with are out of their control as well. When your officer is apathetic, you can make all the difference by helping motivate and engage the officer. Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 20 Small wins: Rome was not built in a day. This also applies to our collegiate chapters! Encourage your officer to celebrate the small wins. Ex. The vice president of scholarship (VPS) may have revamped the entire scholarship program and the chapter still did not meet the all-sorority average. That same semester, a member who was on academic suspension raised her GPA to be in good standing again because the VPS met with the woman each week and held her accountable to the program. That is a huge win, even though the VPS may feel like the term was a wash. Teamwork - Though each officer has separate responsibilities, it is important to work with your officer to help her see the bigger picture. When officers work together as a team, they are able to meet the responsibilities they need more quickly. Encourage your officer to focus on her responsibilities while also thinking about what is best for the chapter as a whole. Asking Why? As an advisor, you have the unique opportunity to work with a chapter different from your own. Whether you are volunteering for your collegiate chapter or one that is in a completely different area of the country, it is always important to ask the chapter why they are doing things a certain way. Advisors are able to help ensure our collegiate chapters are abiding by Sigma Kappa national policy and their chapter's Code of Conduct (COC) while also helping them find the most efficient and effective ways to operate. Below are some examples of specific times to ask why and challenge what the chapter is doing. Traditions: "We've always done it this way" or "this is how the last officer told me to do it" are great examples of ways to identify chapter traditions. While some traditions enhance the collegiate experience, others do not. Just because a chapter has done the same activity for many years does not mean that it is a positive use of the chapter's time. By asking "why" about a chapter's traditions, you will be able to uncover whether the traditions are in line with the National Policy Handbook and the chapter's COC. You will also be able to help that collegian decipher whether that tradition lines up with Sigma Kappa's values. It is okay to let a chapter know that the activity they are doing, while tradition, is not in line with policy and needs to be changed. Remember, it is very important to give the chapter the "why" behind the need to change so that they understand why that tradition is not helping their chapter grow. Inefficient practices: At times, the chapter may be following all policies but they are doing activities and events in a very inefficient manner. This is another great time to ask why the chapter is doing things in that particular way. For example, the chapter you work with may have events three nights a week and the members are feeling burnt out and over-programmed. Asking the chapter officers why they are having events on three different nights a week may help the officers articulate why they are doing this. Many times chapters say that they have to meet SOE requirements and campus standards. This is a great time to talk to the officer Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 21 about combining events so the chapter continues to meet the requirements while not over programming the members. Chapters do not think to have a small sisterhood event, like an ice cream party, before or after a chapter meeting. The chapter is already gathered together, why not take advantage of that? Tips for Remote Advisors While it is ideal to have advisors that live close to the chapter and can be present at chapter meetings and events, what is more important is having knowledgeable and engaged advisors. Many advisory boards are beginning to introduce virtual or remote advisors who do not live within driving distance of the chapter, but who are able and willing to provide strong support and guidance to officers from afar. Remote advisors have the same responsibilities as all other members of the advisory board. However, remote advisors often carry out those responsibilities a little differently. If you serve as a remote advisor or have members of your advisory board who serve as remote advisors, remember to keep the following things in mind: Establish regular communication. Use the Communication Plan Template to establish communication expectations for both the advisor and the advisee. Schedule a reoccurring meeting time to check in once a week and if possible, utilize web conferencing services (like Skype or Google Hangout) to engage in a face to face conversation. Check your email regularly and provide timely responses to ensure the advisee feels supported. If a question arises, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call! The opportunity to verbally discuss a question or issue can help strengthen the advisor/advisee partnership. Utilize technology. Attend advisory board meetings using a conference call line or a video conferencing service. Work with chapter officers to see if remote advisors can virtually participate in executive council and chapter meetings. Be engaged. Avoid distractions and background noise when virtually participating in meetings. Request meeting materials, including agendas or previous meeting minutes, over email before the meeting begins if those items are typically shared in hard copy at meetings. Ask questions and make suggestions. Thank you for donating your time, energy and talents to our collegiate women! Serving as an advisor is a very rewarding role and it can be a thankless job at times. Know that without you, our collegiate chapters would not be as successful. You will impact the lives of the members Sigma Kappa Sorority General Advisory Handbook page 22 you work with by helping them grow personally and professionally, helping them succeed as they enter the phase of alumnae membership. Thank you for taking the time to invest in the future of Sigma Kappa. SIGMA KAPPA Live with Heart 695 Pro-Med Lane, Ste 300 Carmel, IN 46032-5323 317-872-3275 f: 317-872-0716 e: info@sigmakappa.org www.sigmakappa.org Sigma Kappa Sorority . General Advisory Handbook page 23