[16117] in APO-L
Re: Advisor's Role - please respond
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Amick Robert)
Wed Jan 29 17:37:02 1997
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 15:34:27 -0700
Reply-To: Amick Robert <amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU>
From: Amick Robert <amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <199701291342.GAA29872@spot.Colorado.EDU>
Lisa certainly covered the most salient points about roles of advisors.
As an alum of Gamma Theta, (back in the "pleistocene age") and later
Advisory Board Chair, I would add a few thoughts about the role.
We had an opportunity to discuss some of these at the Advisor's workshop
at Phoenix, and the synopsis of those presentations will be coming out via
Lisa in the future.
Advisors should whenever possible and as their time permits, certainly
attend meetings, exec board meetings (the Advisory Board Chair or
designate is expected to do so) and to the degree possible,
service/fellowship events. Most of the chapter business is conducted at
meetings and exec board sessions, and if issues are going to arise that
may need input from advisors, that is certainly the venue. If advisors
are seldom present, much of that discussion will not come to their
attention, when perhaps it should for timely resolution or input.
Even those who cannot attend regularly are still of value and should be
encouraged to come when their schedule permits.
Advisors should develop a "sixth sense" about the "health" of the chapter
and watch for trends that may need adjusting or review by members who may
not be aware of the problems, or are having difficulty dealing with them.
Advisors can occasionally help members to avoid
"reinventing the wheel" on some issues; these may have previously
come up, been handled, and long since forgotten, until the "next
generation" of undergraduates is dealing with the same issues.
As Lisa noted, Advisors provide a "curator" role for the chapter and
can provide historical perspective, and continuity between the
generations of members who come and go in a relatively brief time frame.
Similarly, they provide liaison responsibilities with the Institution. The
old adage "its not what you know but who you know" is always relevant in
"opening doors" and facilitating relationships with University
administrators, faculty, and staff, when the chapter needs such
interfaces. Often the role is simply to provide information on who can
best resolve a problem for a member and sending them off to make that
contact.
On rare occasions, advisors may need to act as an advocate
to "step in" and help the members represent the chapter to an
administrator in difficult situations; even if only by being present at a
meeting and listening to the discussion, a message is sent to the
administrator that there is care and support for the chapter from a
colleague.
But for the most part, we try to stay "behind the scenes" and help
members find their own solutions, which is as it should be.
It is important for members to "discover" new ways of
dealing with old issues, and often their approaches are more innovative,
creative and relevant to current times, than prior approaches.
So, it is often helpful for an advisor who has
experienced a similar situation to present the "historical perspective"
and to allow the members to weigh that approach along with solutions of
their own and reach a conclusion on their own.
As with any effective organization, having a diverse group of folks as
advisors, who are knowledgeable, committed, and dedicated to APO can be a
tremedous asset for a chapter. It is often hard to get and keep faculty
members because they are "overloaded, understaffed, and underpaid" and
very reluctant to take on "just one more job." Emeritus (retired) faculty
members are often undiscovered resources who may have the time and
interest in being advisors, and can really be helpful to a chapter. Often
they still teach on a limited basis and have offices and ties to the
Institution which are still very useful to a chapter.
I would certainly second the suggestion for extending honorary membership
to high ranking officials/administrators of the Institution,and community
members as well, who may not have time to be advisors. This is
often very well received and flattering for them, and can certainly "open
doors" when the need arises for "networking." Our chapter gave an Honorary
membership to a former President who is also an Eagle Scout but had never
been in APO as an undergraduate. He was, needless to say,
very pleased, attended our recognition dinner, and displayed his
certificate prominently in his office.
So if you can find some good faculty, staff, Scouting, or other Community
minded folks to recruit for your advisory board, you will find that as
they get to know the chapter and individual members, they will become
"hopelessly addicted" to APO, and the relationship will be synergistic and
symbiotic (I think that means something about "charging batteries" <g>).
So keep up the great work. APO is the most phenomenal organization (but
you already knew that). It's an honor to be a part of it.
Best wishes in L,F,& S
Bob Amick, Advisory Board Chair, Gamma Theta Chapter, University of
Colorado at Boulder
