Politically Astute CHO

A few weeks ago at ACUHOI, I was talking to an old residence life friend about the politics of being a Chief Housing Officer. My friend is looking to make the jump from an Associate Director position to the Director position and her only concern is the politics of being a Director.  As I thought about this more on my flight back home and made a few notes, I think I have six things I would say about being a Politically Astute CHO.

I must confess up front I do enjoy this part of my job and therefore my six thoughts will differ from others. In fact some may argue against one or more of my six suggestions. Remember, that at its heart, politics is simply about relationships. While politics carries a negative connotation in many places, the ability to influence others, to impact the decision making process, and to advance your agenda are all political elements no matter what you call them. 

1.       Know who the players are
Not all people, even if their titles are the same, carry the same political capital on a campus. Titles matter, but people matter far more and knowing the person behind the title is critical. You should make it a point to know something about the person and not just their job/title.  

2.       Your success depends on telling your story
Don’t expect anyone to tell your story (or the story of your department/area). You are more than the Director; you are the head cheerleader and storyteller for your office. People confuse this with being arrogant, but there is a major difference. It is only arrogant if it is not true. If you do something for your students better than anyone else on campus does it, don’t be afraid to tell that story. As people learn more about your successes, you are more likely to be given more responsibility, more autonomy, and more opportunities to be part of the decision making across campus. I once had a supervisor who told me her best advice for moving into a Director role was to stay off the radar. Of course I think she meant this in terms of not being associated with anything negative; however, if you adopt this approach you begin to shy away from risk and this I think this is a mistake. If you are not on the radar, then no one looking at you and the things we don’t see, we often forget about.  

3.       Take risks
Higher education can be slow to change and because of our structures, there is an inherent incentive to be risk averse. This is a factor one has to weigh concerning each person’s campus, but the ability of our communication systems to provide 24/7 access to “those in charge” has not helped prepare people for the ability to make a decision and to deal with the consequences. As Director you will not always have complete information, but people still look to you for a decision. Three principles I think are helpful for any Director are:

a.       It is better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.

b.      The best decision is the correct one, the next best decision is the wrong one, but the worst decision is not making one.

c.       Don’t fall into paralysis by analysis; this often comes in the form of let’s get a committee together and then decide.

 

4.       Don’t neglect managing up
Certainly hiring the right people is key to the success of any Director, but so too is making sure you manage up. Make an effort to know what the agenda and priority items are for your supervisor/Vice President/President. You should use this information to connect the work of your department to the issues that are already on the minds of the leaders of your campus. Speak to them in language that supports and helps them accomplish what they are working on. This is more than just good politics; it is also a great way to open the door to help tell your story (see item #2). 

5.       Keep your enemies in your tent, not outside
I know we don’t have enemies in higher education, but the principle is what matters. Whether the issue is money, facilities, staff, access to students, etc. There will be some things as Director that requires you to make decisions that upset others. In these cases you are better served to engage these “enemies” more and not less. Don’t let the disagreement, even if there are some hurt feelings or frustrations involved, keep you from engaging the other person/department. If you really think there is someone or a department that is not helpful in terms of your department’s efforts to serve students, then better to have them close, meaning in your tent where you can keep an eye on them, than outside your tent where you don’t know what they are saying or doing.

6.       Speak in terms of opportunity costs
This might be the easiest, but I think it is often overlooked. When speaking/arguing/debating about things, try and make the issue directly relevant to students. If your department is cut $10,000, how many pieces of lounge furniture does that cost you? If you have to raise a rate a certain percentage, how many Starbucks coffees is this over the course of a year? People hear percentages and large numbers all the time, but when you talk about how a 1% cut will mean 12 lounges won’t get renovated you have structured the discussion differently. In order to do this, you have to know your numbers and budget. This could easily be a separate item, but the difference here is that knowing your numbers is one thing, but being able to use this information to influence others and the decision making process is what makes this political.

Wow… what a year in Greek Life at Southeast

This has been a year of transition for Greek Life and year marked with multiple examples of the very best of what being Greek means. Some of the most notable accomplishments this year include implementation of the Greek Chapter Accreditation program, formation of Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council judicial boards, hosting the first off-campus overnight retreat for new chapter presidents and council officers in several years, reaching the highest number of new sorority women in many years, and welcoming a back Phi Delta Theta, the 19^th Greek chapter to the Southeast campus.

These accomplishment are in addition to the work by the Greek community in upholding our many traditions and successful programs such as Greek Week, participation in Homecoming, NPHC Homecoming Step Show, National Hazing Prevention Week activities, Greek Foundations (for new Greek members), and sending 19 students representing all 3 governing councils to receive leadership training at the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values in Indianapolis.   

Chapter	End of Year Membership
Alpha Chi Omega	92
Alpha Delta Pi	107
Alpha Phi Alpha	7
Alpha Xi Delta	96
Delta Chi	55
Delta Delta Delta	92
Delta Sigma Theta	9
Gamma Phi Beta	96
Lambda Chi Alpha	54
Omega Psi Phi	6
Phi Beta Sigma	11
Pi Kappa Alpha	63
Sigma Chi	75
Sigma Nu	62
Sigma Phi Epsilon	74
Sigma Sigma Sigma	64
Sigma Tau Gamma	61
Theta Xi	40

Membership Information

The Greek community at Southeast has maintained a steady 10% of the total undergraduate population for the past 4 semesters, with a total of 1,069 Greek-affiliated students at the end of the spring 2013 semester.  This May, 136 members of fraternities and sororities graduated from Southeast.  Recruitment plans are well underway for the fall semester, with plans to increase the number of students joining fraternities and sororities through a new initiative being supported by the governing councils.  This “Greek Campaign” is designed to give incoming students more information about the benefits and expectations of fraternity and sorority membership, through outreach events and increased publicity.

Greek Scholastic Information

The All-Greek GPA in Fall 2012 averaged 3.029, and in Spring 2013 averaged 2.974, which is similar to previous semesters.  Scholarship programs and initiatives have been area of increased attention in the 2012-2013 academic year, and will continue to be carefully monitored so that Greek-affiliated students can continue to achieve academic success. 

	Fall 2011	Spring 2012	Fall 2012	Spring 2013
Overall Greek GPA	3.01	3.13	3.029	2.97
Average IFC GPA	2.90	3.01	2.865	2.94
Average NPHC GPA	2.53	2.66	2.499	2.59
Average Panhellenic GPA	3.15	3.29	3.199	3.28

Philanthropy and Service

Fraternity and sorority members completed an impressive 17,049 hours of community service in the 2012-2013 academic year, with 8,289 completed in the fall semester, and 8,760 completed in the spring semester.  Agencies served include the SEMO Food Bank, the Women’s Safe House, the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, The American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Special Olympics, and many more. 

Fraternity and sorority members also take pride in assisting non-profit organizations monetarily.  Greek students donated a total of $52,839.48 in the 2012-2013 academic year, including over $16,000 raised during the annual Greek Week.  Financial donations of the Greek community impact countless national, regional, and local non-profit organizations, such as Autism Speaks, Backstoppers, Jimmy V Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, United Way of Southeast Missouri, and many more. 

Additionally, during Greek Week this April, Southeast Greeks were able to donate 670 units of blood, which made this blood drive one of the largest in the Southeast Missouri region, and equates to enough blood to save approximately 1,110 lives.  The students also donated 30,000 units of food to the Salvation Army throughout the week. 

Accreditation

The Greek community at Southeast began its first year of implementation of the Greek Accreditation program.  The information collected from chapters in this program was used to determine which chapters were meeting the University’s standards for Greek life, as well as to determine which chapters were excelling in multiple areas. 

The accreditation program examines information from the areas of: academic achievement, chapter operations and management, membership education and development, recruitment and sustainability, philanthropy and service, stakeholder relations, and risk management, with minimum standard criteria in each section.  Out of the 18 chapters at Southeast, 11 chapters have earned a status of accredited based on a standard of meeting 70% of the accreditation criteria.  An additional 2 chapters are provisionally accredited based on meeting 60% of the accreditation criteria.  Those chapters who have not been recognized as “accredited” will be supported over the coming year with the goal of helping all chapters to meet our performance standards.  Chapters earning a provisional or full accreditation, as well as the top five chapters in each of the seven individual areas, are outlined below: 

Chapter	Accreditation Status	Distinction Awards
Alpha Chi Omega	Accredited	Recruitment and sustainability Stakeholder relationships
Alpha Delta Pi	Accredited	Academic achievement Membership education and development Recruitment and sustainability Philanthropy and service Risk management
Alpha Xi Delta	Provisionally Accredited	Membership education and development
Delta Chi	Accredited	Chapter operations and management
Delta Delta Delta	Accredited	Academic achievement Membership education and development
Gamma Phi Beta	Accredited	Overall chapter excellence (highest scoring sorority) Chapter operations and management Membership education and development Recruitment and sustainability Philanthropy and service Stakeholder relationships Risk management
Lambda Chi Alpha	Accredited	Academic achievement Chapter operations and management Recruitment and sustainability Philanthropy and service Stakeholder relations Risk management
Omega Psi Phi	Accredited
Sigma Chi	Accredited
Sigma Nu	Accredited	Overall chapter excellence (highest scoring fraternity) Chapter operations and management Membership education and development Philanthropy and service Stakeholder relations Risk management
Sigma Phi Epsilon	Accredited	Academic achievement Chapter operations and management Stakeholder relations Risk management
Sigma Sigma Sigma	Accredited	Recruitment and sustainability
Sigma Tau Gamma		Academic Achievement
Theta Xi	Provisionally Accredited

University Support for Greek Life

In an effort to better support the more than 1,000 Greek students, the University established and filled the first Director of Greek Life position. DeAnte’ Smith, a Greek Life professional with previous experience working in other Greek systems, is the University’s first Director of Greek Life. DeAnte’s is joined by two graduate assistants to help support the efforts of our students. You can reach DeAnte’ at dmsmith@semo.edu or at 573-651-2280

As a University we also a special thank you to Christine Loy, who served as Interim Assistant Director for Fraternities and Sororities. Christine stepped into a challenging role, while still maintaining responsibility for the Greek Housing Area and did more than just maintain the status quo, Christine helped move our Greek system forward in multiple ways.  Christine is leaving Southeast to join her national headquarters and we at Southeast wish her the very best. She is a talented and capable professional who and has a bright future in Greek Life. I also Christine a special thank you as much of the data from this end of the year summary were provided by her.

Summary

While the year was not without challenges there is much to be proud of as the Greek community at Southeast Missouri State University had a productive and impactful year. This would not be possible without the work of countless people, both students, student leaders, chapter advisers, alumni, and University staff. I am personally thankful to be working with the Greek system here at Southeast and look forward to the coming year. There are some committed and talented students and staff who are already working for next year and we should all expect some great things from them in the coming months.