Have you ever benefited from an outside perspective?

Outside perspectives offer something we might not get from inside our own environments. They can inspire fresh takes or new ideas, or even connect concepts we hadn’t yet considered, enabling us to move forward.

The value of an outside perspective is not lost on the fraternity and sorority world.

These groups often welcome unaffiliated volunteers to advise, support, and guide their local chapters. I know because I’m one such volunteer.

Although I was unaffiliated in my undergraduate years, I started working with a Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter in an unofficial capacity in 2009. My journey began when one of their members worked as my student employee. Through him, I was introduced to many members, and over the years, I served as a resource, mentor, and friend — until 2013, when I was asked to serve as an official advisor and faculty fellow.

The relationship already existed, so I wasn’t a total outsider. But as an unaffiliated woman, being welcomed to serve a fraternity has been a major highlight of my career.

Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) needs champions.

Amid heartfelt, necessary conversations about hazing, sexual assault, and alcohol abuse, which implore members to rise up to the stated values of their organizations, and amidst some calls to do away with fraternities and sororities altogether, there are students on our college campuses hoping for champions who will help them.

Can you inspire change? Can you create community? Can you develop leadership in others? You’re in. Membership not required.

Volunteers are needed. If you understand student motivation and want to foster positive change, FSL has a lot to offer.

Especially if you work in wellness (like I do), volunteering with sororities and fraternities is a great way to become a person of influence and gain familiarity with students. With its celebratory focus on relationships, FSL can offer you experiences that are both meaningful and fun.

My journey to becoming a SigEp volunteer began with my investment in just one student.

Where does your journey begin?

What if your schedule is too busy and you don’t have time to be an advisor? Good news: FSL offers a continuum of opportunities, ranging from more extremely time intensive to quick and easy — yet still rewarding. 

Here are a few ways you can get involved and make a positive impact:

Be a chapter advisor

Most institution require each registered student organization to have a faculty or staff advisor. This individual serves as a resource to the group and as a liaison between it and the institution. This advisor may also have contact with the organization’s headquarters.

An advisor’s tasks within a chapter can vary. Some approve event submission forms and attend meetings or events occasionally, while others attend things more regularly, getting to know members and becoming a familiar face.

Although an advisor’s level of involvement is a personal choice, what we say to students rings true here: You get out of it what you put into it. This can be rewarding, interesting work with potential for immense impact.

Changemakers, consider this opportunity as a top pick.

Serve as a faculty fellow

This volunteer role is through a fraternity or sorority’s headquarters rather an educational institution, although the local chapter’s leadership still makes the selection. And despite its name, faculty fellows don’t need to be faculty; they can be staff. Faculty fellows promote academic success and learning outside of the classroom, keeping the value of learning at the forefront of the chapter.

Contributions through this role could include creating an academic plan for the chapter, coordinating academic presentations with campus partners, tracking member GPAs, mentoring members who are on academic probation, and more. Faculty fellows may also hold office hours or host educational events.

If you’re an organized self-starter, passionate about student success, or a student affairs professional seeking academic-related experience, this might be the perfect role for you.

Mentor members

Chapters often have mentors for executive board or coordinator roles, meaning there could be a variety of opportunities to work one-on-one with a student. For example, perhaps a vice president of programming would benefit from your event planning expertise, or a vice president of finance could learn from your budget management experience.

Focused on meeting individually with a student weekly or monthly, rather than attending chapter and executive board meetings, this role speaks to the foundation of the larger group’s success. With dedicated mentors, student leaders benefit immensely from support, guidance, and encouragement, boosting their confidence to become successful in their roles.

This role is a good fit if you have a more limited schedule but can commit to regular meetings with your mentee(s). If you’re dependable, prefers working behind the scenes, enjoy leadership development, and like building meaningful relationships with students, look no further — this role might be ideal for you.

Present or facilitate

Chapters usually have an educational component to their member experience, whether through new member education or ongoing development for all members. Yet, student leaders often don’t know how to find engaging presenters or interesting workshops.

By becoming a familiar face to a fraternity or sorority, you could float to the top of its members’ minds as a presenter, giving you an easy way to contribute to this community a few times a year. Better yet, reach out to FSL students you already know to express your willingness to present.

Another approach is to get involved in your FSL’s Lunch and Lead series if they have one. This will give you exposure to a variety of students leaders who may be interested in having you or your department present to their group.

If you are a faculty member hosting a panel event, consider working with a fraternity or sorority; they will likely welcome the opportunity to utilize an already organized event for member education. This will also increase your attendance and expose more students to your work.

Time commitment as a presenter or facilitator is small and infrequent, especially if you already have programs developed. If you enjoy presenting and teaching or are looking to share your material with a wider audience, this is your chance to shine.

Host a meet the greeks

FSL student leaders appreciate support in demonstrating their contributions and achievements to the wider campus community. This enables them to express their commitment to their organization’s values and demonstrate how they break negative FSL stereotypes.

Collaborating with students to host a Meet the Greeks event promotes informal mingling outside the classroom, which faculty and students are sure to enjoy.

If you’re good at making people feel at ease, like facilitating interpersonal connections, or know how to get a strong turnout at events, this could be your perfect project.

Serve as a judge

This one-time contribution of your time can save an event! Fraternities and sororities often organize contests to benefit their philanthropies. But by the time the event is mostly finalized, they may be scrambling to find judges.

Let your FSL students know that — with enough notice — you’re interested in helping in this way. Students will probably only take you up on your offer if they know you well enough, so continue to invest in them.

If you’re looking for an easy opportunity to support fraternities and sororities and want to have fun helping a good cause, don’t miss this chance.

Ask students

This one is so simple, it’s easy to overlook.

Check with your FSL staff about ways you can get involved. They will likely be thrilled to have your support in whatever way your schedule allows and will talk you through opportunities that match your interests and availability.

Be available to students

Ask your students how you can help. But remember: relationships are key. Get to know the FSL students in your world and sooner or later, they may think of you as a potential champion who can help.

Volunteering benefits you

Now that you have a variety of ways to make an impact on FSL students, don’t forget about the benefits that await you as a volunteer.

First, you get to work with students.

At face value, this may seem like what everyone in student affairs gets to do. However, anyone who has climbed the student affairs ladder knows that work can become more administrative with less student contact.

More meetings, more emails, more committees — and suddenly you’re in your office all day keeping up with your to-do list and struggling to remember what all this is for in the first place. Volunteering with FSL can bring meaning, fun, and variety back into your work.

Secondly, this work can invigorate your career by exponentially expanding your network. You can potentially interact with chapter alumni and headquarters staff, attend professional conferences, and meet volunteers from across the country. As an advisor, you can also get involved in professional organizations such as the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. 

Don’t overlook this invaluable benefit of serving the fraternities and sororities; professional development and opportunities to expand your skills are there if you take them!

Whether you’re able to be a dedicated advisor or help out occasionally as a presenter, your contributions are welcomed, appreciated, and meaningful.

By becoming a part of the solution rather than simply talking about the problem, you can be a champion for students. Don’t miss out on this rewarding opportunity that could enrich your career in the most unexpected way.

We’d love to hear about your shining success. Tweet us your beloved tales @themoderncampus.