The following amendment to the Alumni Corp.’s bylaws will be voted on at Alumni Weekend on Oct. 15:

PROPOSED: To remove the position of adviser from the Executive Board and add a new position: the Alumni Communications Coordinator.

Why would we get rid of the adviser position?

The position of adviser has always been elected as a member of the Exec Board by Zeta Chapter alumni during Alumni Weekend. In the past the Exec Board has informed National HQ of the results of the election, and the winner has subsequently been recognized by National HQ as the official alumni adviser to Zeta Chapter.

At some point in 2015 National HQ discovered that the Alumni Corp. was electing two advisers: one who was the adviser officially recognized by National HQ, and the other, who National HQ was not aware of.

National HQ read this as an attempt to conceal information from them, although this was never the intent of the second adviser. In addition, National HQ has stated to the Exec Board that Zeta Chapter has historically operated with more independence than they would like. For example, National HQ often appoints their own chosen advisers for other chapters, and HQ staff has declared their intent to do the same for Zeta Chapter.

They have further declared their intent to appoint an adviser who is not a Zeta Chapter alumnus and who lives in or nearby Lancaster. Further, they have warned the Exec Board that appointing a Zeta Chapter alumnus to serve the function of adviser but under a different title could result in disciplinary action against the alumni chapter and the undergrad chapter.

In order to ensure that (1) a person who is not a Zeta Chapter alumnus cannot be made an Exec Board member, and (2) to avoid disciplinary action immediately after ending a year-long period of probation, we are removing the position of adviser from the Exec Board.

This does not mean that the Exec Board will stop providing assistance and oversight of the undergraduate chapter; rather, the person officially recognized by National HQ as the liaison between HQ and Zeta Chapter will now be appointed by HQ rather than elected by the Zeta Alumni Corp.

Why do we need to add a new position to the Exec Board?

In order to maintain the current count of seven members on the Exec Board, a new position must be introduced to take the place of the adviser. The current Board members feel that decreasing the number of decision makers would not be beneficial to the functioning of the Board. We also hope to add a recent graduate to the Exec Board via this position, thereby providing a more balanced representation of the alumni base as a whole.

What would the responsibilities be for the proposed new position?

In addition to holding the full rights and privileges of an Exec Board member, including voting on all business introduced during Exec Board meetings, the Alumni Communications Coordinator would adopt some duties currently performed by the secretary, including the following:

• Manage all communications to alumni of the Zeta Chapter of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity by the Zeta Alumni Corporation. He shall also maintain the Corporation’s online presence.
• Coordinate print and online newsletters for the Corporation and assist in the same for the active chapter.
• Assist the Secretary in maintaining the Corporation’s contact list of alumni.
• Organize programs for the betterment of the alumni members, including networking and career advancement programs.