Keeping Upperclassmen Involved
As students attend college and rise through their individual four year degree programs, it has been found that they frequently will narrow their focus to the completion of their major. This is unfortunate, as little time is spent on mentoring and passing on important life experiences to younger students as the need for grades takes precedence. This can have an adverse affect on the college experience as a whole, but is a special problem within Greek life. The fraternities and sororities have a vested interest in engaging their upperclassmen/women, as this lends continuity to the Greek experience, and guides the traditions and history of many of these organizations.
Keep the older members of your fraternity or sorority engaged and active through promotion and responsibility. By electing older members to the positions of chapter officers, they can develop leadership skills and see opportunities for connecting with other chapters in colleges near and far. Officers can also assist with and continue the traditions associated with Greek life including “paying it forward” to the new members.
Motivate your senior members to keep chapter morale and involvement high as they continue their undergraduate journey. This could mean vying for executive positions with other campus organizations (explore those limited to juniors and seniors, such as honor societies).
Utilizing upperclassmen in alumni relations can also further the goals of any chapter. By having local alumni return to mentor upperclassmen, further connections can be made for opportunities for philanthropy, community service, life skills and business experience.
So, as you can see, by keeping upperclassmen engaged and active, chapters can benefit from better connections to the community, and potentially future business opportunities or life goals.
