Kappa Alpha Theta Case Analysis

Introduction
I am a member of a Kappa Alpha Theta at Chapman University, and have recently considered running for a position. With the new slate of officers changing, positions were opening up once again and surprised as I was many of my peers encouraged me to run for a position. Due to studying abroad I couldn’t, however I am still debating whether or not to in the future. However, I am concerned that taking a position will affect my relationship with my peers. Personally I am very reserved around the members with positions and feel like they have so much authority over me. Even one of my best friends, who is the new CEO, I feel awkward around because she now has power over me as a member. To better understand if this feeling is mutual …show more content…
This sorority was established in 1870 and since then has spread to have about 130 chapters nationally (Kappa Alpha Theta). Within this social group there are several positions to be had by members, the most time consuming and important are the executive positions. These are: Chief Operations Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Education Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Recruiting Officer, Chief Panhellenic Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer. Underneath all of these officers are several more positions that members of the sorority may hold. In my sorority there are in total 8 executive positions and 17 other positions members may have. Whereas this does seem like a great amount of women who hold positions, in comparison with the about 150 members overall only a small amount of them keeps the organization running. There is also a specialized section of the executive board called RISK that encompasses all executive members, including the events director who is not on the executive board. The RISK board are specifically the members who interact with other members in a more authoritative manner. Members who display actions and …show more content…
All of these members were upperclassmen, with 4 of which are seniors and 3 are juniors. In order to better understand their relationships with the members who do not hold positions I asked them several questions. I asked each member if they felt their relationships with other members had changed due to their position. 3 of the women said no and 4 of them said yes, with the majority who said yes (3 to 1) being on the executive board. The next question asked how this relationship changed and only four of the members answered the next question, but interestingly 2 of them said their relationship with other members had changed for the better and 2 of them said their relationships changed for the worse. One of the interviewees said, “I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with more members than prior to my position”, whereas another said, “People are more hesitant around me.” These are two very different answers (include if a member of RISK was neg/pos) It seems like relationships do change for the most part from having a position, and it is more likely relationships will change if the members are on the executive board. However, the nature of how these relationships change is inconclusive and overall it seems like it depends on personal experiences and there is no overall