Advisors

Thank You Advisors!

Advisory support is critical to the success of our University recognized fraternities and sororities. Most Greek organizations have a chapter advisor that is an alumna of the organization or an advisory board composed of multiple alumna. Additionally, University policy requires every student organization to have an on campus faculty/staff advisor.

Each fraternity and sorority’s team of advisors plays an important role in the growth and development of our Greek community. We cannot thank you enough for your time, energy, and commitment to the development of our students and their chapters.

Our hope is that this page will provide you with useful resources to advise your chapter. Additionally, most national organizations generally have guidelines and training materials available for chapter advisors. We encourage you to utilize all of these resources and to contact Fraternity and Sorority Life at 910.630.7022 if we can be of assistance in any way.

University Resources Available

Other Resources Available

The Role of a Fraternity or Sorority Chapter Advisor

Each advisor perceives his or her responsibilities to a fraternity or sorority differently. Some advisors play very active roles. They attend meetings, work directly with the student officers, and assist in program planning and development. Others chose a less involved role with the chapter.

At a minimum, a fraternity or sorority advisor must be available to communicate with chapter members to complete necessary forms. Completing the forms can require conversations about the academic growth of the chapter and event planning for philanthropy and social events. A chapter advisor should be accessible, interested, and provide counsel to the chapter and individual members. A chapter advisor should meet with the chapter president regularly to discuss chapter activities, goals, and organizational challenges. They provide continuity and assist during officer transition periods.

We have found that the more successful fraternities and sororities have advisors that maintain regular contact with the chapter. Those advisors keep informed about chapter activities and for advise officers on the appropriateness of policies and activities. The advisor should assist in holding students accountable for their actions in accordance with the organization’s and University policies.

The Role of a Faculty/Staff Advisor

The importance of a faculty/staff advisor is that he or she can help provide academic and leadership mentorship to a fraternity or sorority and connect the chapter with University resources to improve individual member’s involvement within the chapter and the university community. To be most effective, a faculty/staff advisor should:

  • Meet regularly with the chapter’s scholarship chair and/or president to talk about scholarship related issues
  • Attend at least one chapter meeting each semester to emphasize academics and create open communication with the chapter and its members
  • Be knowledgeable of university resources
  • Be available to meet with individual members who need academic or leadership guidance
  • Attend scholarship banquets or receptions hosted by the fraternity or sorority
  • Attend advisor trainings or meetings hosted by the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life
  • Help the chapter formulate academic incentives to reward members who do well academically
  • Review the scholastic achievement of the chapter in accordance with the national organization’s expectations
  • Attend one chapter event (other than a chapter meeting) each semester

*These are a few examples, while there is a much larger range of our advisors’ involvement*