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This one might get me in trouble with some of my Greek Advisor friends, but I think there are way too many Greek council presidents who do a better job of serving their advisors than their members.
I think it's terrific when a council president and his university-paid advisor get along well. I think it's fantastic when a mutually-beneficial working relationship exists between council leaders and the university's student affairs staff. But, at the end of the day, it's important to remember that your role as an elected student officer is to serve the members who pay the dues, and sometimes that means doing a gut check.
What do your member organizations want from the university? Is the university doing enough to support the growth and success of your organizations? Are your members feeling empowered in their relationship with the university?
Do you spend all of your time as council president implementing the demands of the university? If so, who is serving your members?
If asking these questions sometimes means that tension exists between you and the university as you seek to hammer out contentious issues, then so be it. If it means you have to sit in front of your Greek Advisor and say, "I have a problem with this," that's OK.
Your Greek Advisor is very clear about whom he or she works for. Your advisor knows that his or her job is to represent the university's interests while maintaining productive relationships with the students involved. It's similar for you. Your job is to represent your members' interests while maintaining a productive relationship with the university. Those two missions sometimes blend, but sometimes they clash. That's the reality.
The job of an elected council president is not to make the Greek Advisor's job easier. I frequently find council presidents who think their duty is to take the wishes of the Greek advisor and pass them down the chain of command to chapter presidents and general members. It needs to work the other way as well.
When is the last time you hosted a small focus group of regular members to see what they would like you to pass up the chain of command? You were elected to represent the people paying the dues. How good of a job are you doing?
