The Alumni Board members at least get some info at CLA but mostly about the business aspects of housing and risk management, and some information about how to be a successful Alumni Association. I have not heard of a Sig Ep program dedicated to teach people how to be Resident Scholars, Chapter Counselors, District Governors, or for that matter any of the 'hands on' volunteer positions.
It seems that we may be missing a huge opportunity here. We could get more and better volunteers to work directly with Chapters if we gave them more training than a copy of the "Volunteer's Guide" and a two hour visit twice a year from the 90-day wonders we call RDs.
We have a series of programs to develop undergraduate leaders, but the unfortunate reality is that most of the Chapter Presidents will not get to a Ruck Institute and even fewer of the rest of EC members. They need someone with a steady hand close by to give guidance when needed. Our volunteers are dedicated, but it is all too easy to become overwhelmed with Chapter issues if you are new on the job and don't have training in what to expect and 'best practices' for dealing with it.
Even more near and dear to the heart of our leadership, we may be putting assets at risk by not having our volunteers trained to be good stewards of them. If a Chapter is disbanded because of academic, manpower, financial, or other problems its house becomes a "non-producing asset" until it can be sold or leased - possibly at a loss. That is not a way to ensure a long term healthy financial position.
Lets take a look at this program and others like it. We brag that other Fraternities have used ideas and programs we started. There is no shame in returning the favor and using and improving on another organization's innovations.
CORNERSTONE MENTORING PROGRAM
The undergraduate chapters of Sigma Chi are led by young men 18 to 23 years of age. Their task is to lead the chapter academically, socially and morally. It is asking a great deal of young men to be skilled in handling all of the relationships involved in those tasks. As such, the only truly effective way to help our chapters, and in turn to perpetuate the order, is to provide strong local support.
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Designed to provide our alumni leaders with the tools and training that they need to efficiently support our chapters and guide our undergraduates, Cornerstone represents a monumental change in Sigma Chi. With professionally-trained mentors at every Sigma Chi chapter, the increased level of leadership training, academic performance and general operations of these chapters will be substantial. Chapters will recruit better members, train better brothers and perpetuate Sigma Chi's status as a leader in the Greek world.
The objective of Cornerstone is to provide sustained, consistent, well-prepared and supported mentors, at the local level, for advice and counsel to chapters and its individual members.
This article relates details of a recent training event:
CORNERSTONE ROLLS OUT IN THE SOUTHEAST
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