As the fall semester comes to an end, so do executive board leadership positions for many sororities and fraternities on the University of Maine campus. Around this time every year, many Greek organizations will have a chapter-wide election and vote on who will be chosen for leadership for the upcoming year. Most people do not know the duties and responsibilities of each position, or the kind of work that may go into each one.
From each chapter there may be different names for the many positions on the executive board, but they all include a chapter president, some form of wellness and accountability, finance and marketing and recruitment positions. There may also be community relations as well.
As a chapter president, their duties are to the whole chapter. They are the ultimate leader and mentor to the members. They represent the core values of the organization and help guide the chapter in a positive direction. A chapter president is the foundation of the sorority or fraternity.
Whoever is selected for the wellness and accountability position, which may be named something else such as risk management, may be in charge of making sure that every member in the chapter is upholding core values of the chapter. They make sure they are acting with integrity. This position makes sure that each member is safe and accounted for during events and other activities. When coordinating an event with a large group of members such as a sorority or fraternity, risk management is very important in the process and during the event itself.
The finance position will be in charge of drawing up a budget for the chapter. This is how the chapter will gauge how much money can be spared towards events for philanthropy. They are also responsible for making sure each member is paying their dues and making sure that the chapter is financially stable. The person in this position has to be someone good with numbers and money management because it is a real budget that needs to be kept balanced and well maintained.
Greek organizations keep their chapters active and able to participate in events by bringing in new members each fall semester. There is also continuous ongoing bidding which means a person may join in after the formal recruitment period as well. Since membership is so important for the upkeep of sorority and fraternity chapters, someone has to be in charge of recruitment duties each year. This person is usually called something along the lines of “vice president of recruitment” and they often have other active members in smaller positions under them. This executive position works on planning the events for potential new members to attend to come see what the chapter is about. They are in charge of making sure all active members in the chapter are ready for recruitment activities and are able to represent the chapter with integrity during the recruitment process. Usually preparations for recruitment start months before the recruitment period so that they may provide potential new members with the best recruitment experience possible. They also work hard to portray their core values in each chapter during recruitment so that potential new members may find the organization that truly fits them.
Another executive position that is important to have in most chapters is the vice president of marketing. This person would be in charge of social media accounts for the chapter as well as designing merchandise for chapter events. This position also helps uphold values in the chapter by making sure the outer appearance reflects the core values that they may represent internally. The person chosen for this position is usually creative and someone who stays up to date with the latest trends.
A lot more goes into a chapter than just what meets the eye. Many students involved in Greek life work hard behind the scenes to represent their chapters well and to bring their chapter to the best possible version of itself. Ultimately, an executive board in a Greek chapter is the foundation that each chapter relies on.
