On any given day, Angela Daniel, the chapter president of Kappa Phi Gamma and a senior legal studies major, balances meetings among all other student responsibilities. While Daniel is proud of herself when her chapter is recognized by their National Board, being valued and compensated in a leadership role would help dedicated officers feel supported, she said.
Temple University is home to 34 Greek chapters making up the four councils: Multicultural Greek, National Pan-Hellenic, College Panhellenic and Interfraternity. More than 1,800 undergraduate students participate in Greek life on campus, according to Temple Student Activities
Greek chapters have a hierarchy of officers involved in managing and growing the chapter. All officer roles are important, but none are compensated. Greek national organizations should compensate chapter leaders by waiving dues to increase officer involvement among members because most officer responsibilities are comparable to those of a full-time job.
All Greek organizations require members to pay dues each semester that help fund formals, socials and chapter building events, among other chapter expenses. Dues can range from $60 to $400 per semester, depending on the chapter. All officers pay dues, but the work they put into their role should be viewed as compensation toward the chapter itself.
“I do wish that the way the structure was, either that we didn’t have to pay dues or that they were reduced,” Daniel said. “Or that I didn’t have to do as much work as I do, from my position I’m overseeing everyone.”
For chapter presidents, the position isn’t a normal 9-5 workday. Daniel receives calls from officers who are working at 2 a.m. She dedicates 30 to 40 hours per week to running her chapter and sometimes feels overwhelmed because the work is a lot for one person, she said.
“Recruitment season is probably the hardest time of the semester because there’s so many moving parts” said Neil Chaturvedi Sigma Beta Rho’s chapter president, and a junior psychology major. “Organizing events and recruitment is definitely what takes up most of the time during the first few weeks of every semester.”
During semesters with low member enrollment, chapters struggle to fill key positions with motivated members. Keeping members engaged and recruiting potential new members is essential to chapter life on campus and without organized leaders, events could become impossible to plan.
“I agree that there is a lot of important work both our council and chapter officers do, and compensation would be a nice benefit,” wrote Mat Greer, the assistant director of student activities, in an email to The Temple News. “Certain chapters have struggled for certain roles to be filled, but it really is a case-by-case basis and a chapter-by-chapter basis.”
Many positions prepare members for future jobs by working in specific roles like managing a chapter’s social media or member finances, and students can explore skills that they can use in future careers. Being properly compensated by a Greek organization’s nationals would incentivize the position for potential leaders, thus increasing the number of applications.
“If officers did have support, that would make students more interested to go into leadership and be a part of a community”, said Issa Kabeer, the president and vice president of chapter programing for Multicultural Greek Council and president of Psi Sigma Phi, and a senior social work major. “It’s not about just getting paid. It’s about saying, ‘Hey, I honor the work that you put into this.’ You’re being honored for what you’re doing.”
Although service and philanthropy are most important in chapter leadership, officers deserve to feel supported in their role. Greek nationals can recognize an officer’s hard work by waiving dues during their term.
“Sometimes it seems like you put a lot of work in and then you don’t get really the support for all the work that you’re doing,” Kabeer said. “It can make you a little bit jaded and bitter. The best outcome would be to have support for the officers who are doing all the work.”
Many chapter officers put their heart and soul into a role and aren’t adequately compensated for the work. With the work put forth during an officer’s term they deserve to be relieved of their membership dues. By compensating leaders, they will feel valued by their national office, and chapters will see an increase in eager member applicants.
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