[6927] in APO-L
Advisors
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Phillies Phan (John Given))
Thu Oct 14 16:42:53 1993
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1993 16:39:36 EDT
Reply-To: "Phillies Phan (John Given)" <GIVEN%DICKINSN.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "Phillies Phan (John Given)" <GIVEN%DICKINSN.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
I've been amazed how much adivsers will be helpful if you just pay a little
bit of attention to them. When I became president last January, we had one
adviser, the Director of Volunteer Activities here at Dickinson, and we never
saw her, although she did provide us service opportunities a lot. After I
was elected, I put a simple ad in the faculty newsletter asking if anyone was
interested in joining our ranks. I actually got three responses-- one from
an APO alum of another chapter who works in our chem department and with a
local BSA troop, one who is active with the local United Way and works as the
Assistant to the College President, and also (ironically) my academic adviser
who is a Classics professor. Since then, we have not had one meeting without
at least one of our advisers there, and it has happened several times that we
have had all four of them present. They don't say much during the meetings,
because they collectively feel that it is not their place to do so. But
usually after every meeting I will get a comment from at least one of them
about how something went.
We do have Advisory Committee meetings on an ad hoc basis, but I am in
constant touch with each of them. And I think they put a little bit of
pressure on each other. They see that their colleagues are attending the
meetings, so they feel responsible to attend as well.
I think the most important thing is that you should not be afraid to ask for
help. For example, we have been having some trouble with attendance, and the
advisers were able to offer a completely different perspective than any of
our student brothers or sisters thought of. As long as they feel like they
are needed they will stick around.
John Given
President, Alpha Gamma Alpha
Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
given@dickinson.edu
