Wow, I cannot believe my 2 years on the AFA Board of Directors are coming to a close at the Annual Meeting. It seems like yesterday that AFA past president Chris Graham tapped me on the shoulder to serve as an appointed member of the board. While I have been an AFA member for the last 10 years, it is not my professional home (I started my career in housing). I am an “outside insider” – not new to the association yet not steeped in its history, people, policies, politics, or proceedings. Nonetheless, I was fully embraced by the board and staff and brought up to speed on what I needed to know in order to effectively fulfill my duty.
Being on the AFA Board of Directors (let alone serving as the treasurer!) was not on my professional development bucket list. So why did I accept the call to serve? Frankly, because I believe I can help. I offer a different perspective as a senior student affairs officer for over a decade that, due to the nature of our Association and of our profession, does not always find itself reflected directly around the Board table. However, I have also been a supporter and/or supervisor of fraternity and sorority life on 4 campuses, so I view this opportunity as a chance to “level up” and broaden my impact from my campus to the broader profession.
I have learned a lot about this organization from my fellow board members and those with whom I’ve come in contact since assuming this volunteer role. I am inspired by the passion that all professionals exhibit for the work of fraternity and sorority life. It has taken me 2 years of learning, listening and leading to understand the current state and future path of AFA. Here are a few of my observations from my view of the association.
- Leveraging relationships within our partner higher education associations is critical to our success; this includes our pre-existing relationships our staff have worked to build, coupled with a need to forge new relationships. AFA has a unique opportunity to demonstrate expertise, relevance and reinforce the interdisciplinary nature of this work across our larger industry.
- AFA has a unique opportunity to serve professionals beyond those who work on campus and in international headquarters roles. There are entities that are AFA-adjacent, such as student affairs leaders, health and wellbeing professionals, insurance carriers, and unpaid fraternal volunteers (i.e., chapter advisors) who can provide an expertise and perspective that’s currently missing. Fraternity and Sorority Life is an interdisciplinary enterprise. Fraternities and sororities are certainly student organizations. There are also homes for housing and dining support, risk management and safety education, advancing community service/philanthropy, building multicultural competency, and facilitating health and wellbeing. Core constituencies include alumni, donors, parents, families, and legislators. I am not suggesting that all of those components are ripe for AFA involvement. However, we can think strategically about who can benefit from involvement in AFA and invite them to our table; they may not think about being involved with us on their own.
- The professional development needs of our community will continue to be our number one priority, and AFA has a unique opportunity to expand our professional development opportunities for new, aspiring, and seasoned fraternity & sorority professionals, allowing our professionals opportunities that dive deeply into subjects of professional concern and significance.
- AFA can and should continue to be uniquely positioned to provide expert resources (i.e., leading practices, model resources, and decision-making strategies) that don’t currently exist.
- I’ve heard fraternity and sorority advisors (FSAs) lament that their SSAO is not engaged with or involved with their Greek community. What I would offer is that, to get the attention and support of your SSAO, it is critical to understand what the priorities are of your division and/or institution. If your institution is concerned about retention, graduation rates and student success, your fraternity/sorority program should be as well. What empirical evidence do you have that demonstrates your community is positively contributing to those goals? If you aren’t comfortable with or care about the data, I would suggest you get comfortable. If you seek to acquire additional human or financial resources, or are interested in higher-level recognition from senior leaders of the institution, this is a critical path towards success.
While I am leaving the board, I am not leaving AFA. I am committed to remaining engaged as a resource for AFA, and committed to being a senior student affairs officer that helps other senior student affairs officers understand the ways in which AFA can be helpful. Our engagement with our respective communities (AFA and SSAOs) is beneficial all the time, and not just when something bad happens. To that end, let me share two actions that AFA is taking to building these relationships.
- First, AFA is working with me and Drs. Aaron Hart at VCU and Lamar Hylton and Indiana University to host an SSAO convening at the AFA Annual meeting on Friday, December 6 to serve as a catalyst for engagement, resource development and information sharing between SSAOs and AFA leaders. If you are a senior student affairs leader, and are interested in participating, you can register by clicking this link. This is a free experience for SSAOs, and we are grateful to Lumen Leadership Strategies for their sponsorship and partnership that allows for this to be a no-cost experience for senior student affairs officers.
- Second, for those able to attend the Annual Meeting, I invite you to attend the program that Michelle Guobadia, FSL Director at UNC Charlotte, and I are presenting on Friday, December 6 at 2:15 pm, entitled, “Can I Talk to the Person in Charge? Your Relationship with your Chief Student Affairs Officer.” I invite you to learn about our partnership, why I care about fraternity and sorority life, and how you can develop a similarly strong partnership with their senior leader.
Noah, Josh, Kate, Hailey, Tara, John, Teresia, Francisco, and Brian, it was my pleasure to serve with you over the last two years.
I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting next month!
