Early Alumni Status

[Wen]

I'm just curious about what other chapters have in place for early alumni status.

My chapter (Lambda) implemented an early alumni/Emerald status last academic year. Now, with the new year, we are having some problems with people wanting to go early alum.

We stated specifications in our bylaws for circumstances required for the status, however there is a lot of confusion. Right now an active can take 2 quarters of early alum (equivalent to over 1 semester)... which is a lot of time!

Can anyone give me some feedback about successful early alum programs???

Thanks!

Wendy

[Tanya*TSU]

We have also had members want to go early Alum in the Alpha Zeta Chapter. Please let me know how your amendment was worded and any problems that you ran into. I would appreciate it!

You may e-mail me at st_franke@tarleton.edu

Thank you!

[jennyc]

Alpha Kappa requires Early Alum to be in their 8th or last semester before graduation, and they have to have a significant reason for going early alum, i.e. they are working on senior thesis or interning or someother issue. We tend to look at it on a case by case basis. Also, if they left univeristy on good standing before actually graduating or if they have graduated with a degree from Ag but are remaining to obtain a second undergrad degree.

I hope this helps. We have had a lot of confusion as well. WE require contracts to be signed by the early alum and the president of the chapter showing both sides understand the terms.

[rrastani]

Can you explain what is meant by "early alumnni" status? Are these sisters able to help alumni chapters or is it more like an inactive status?

Originally posted by Wen:
I'm just curious about what other chapters have in place for early alumni status.

My chapter (Lambda) implemented an early alumni/Emerald status last academic year. Now, with the new year, we are having some problems with people wanting to go early alum.

We stated specifications in our bylaws for circumstances required for the status, however there is a lot of confusion. Right now an active can take 2 quarters of early alum (equivalent to over 1 semester)... which is a lot of time!

Can anyone give me some feedback about successful early alum programs???

Thanks!

Wendy

[Wen]

For our chapter, people go on early alumni (emerald status) when they are still enrolled as undergraduates, but they are within 2 quarters (translates to 20 weeks) of graduation and they have some kind of circumstance that is very time consuming and preventing them from committing their required amount of time to SA. Such as wedding plans or job search, or grad school application. Once they are Emerald status, they are treated as alumni, not actives.

-Wen

Originally posted by rrastani:
Can you explain what is meant by "early alumnni" status? Are these sisters able to help alumni chapters or is it more like an inactive status?

[sarahann]

Our chapter has an early alumni policy that you can request this "inactive" status your final semester of undergraduate studies. You're supposed to have a good reason, but sometimes they don't really have a good reason. We still require that they pay dues and come to functions as their schedules allow. The member has to write a letter requesting the status and then the actives vote to grant early alum status.
We never had a big problem with it until the spring 2000 semester. We had eight graduating seniors and from that five took early alum. For our small chapter it was a good percentage of the membership. We active members had a really hard time granting that many. I had to end up looking at it as they don't want to be there so if we don't let them have the status there will be hard feelings and that will hurt the chapter in the long run. If you have the policy you have to accept the fact that people are going to abuse it at times.

[ntnylion21]

At the Epsilon Chapter at Penn State, we have Eta Beta status which is early alumni status. You have to be a sister for 4 full semesters prior to becoming this and it has to be your last semester. Being a MC does not qualify as an semester. The sister requesting eta beta status as i said, it must be her last semester and she has to write up reasons why she wants to go Eta Beta and turn it in to exec board who will then decide whether or not to grant her this status. A sister with Eta Beta status can be a voting member if she pays dues. If she pays dues, she cannot vote. When a sister has Eta Beta status, she can go to whatever she wants or miss whatever she wants and not have to worry about the fines.
We also have an inactive status here at PSU. Again the sister must have at least 4 semesters as an active sister. If she has 19 credits in a semester though, she can automatically go inactive if she chooses. If she doesnt have 19 credits and still wishes to go inactive, she must write up to the exec board the reasons why she wants to go inactive and things like how many credits, and what else she will be doing.
Our last status at PSU is professional status. With this, it is like being inactive. But a sister will be away on an internship, or student teaching or such.
Inactive status and Eta Beta status may be denied if the exec board feels that the sister doesnt have good enough reasons or whatnot to become this status. It works pretty well and the spring semester is the time when we have more sisters inactive or eta beta. If anyone has any questions, feel free to respond or email me at LBS121@psu.edu

Lauren