I work in student affairs assessment. I came up through working in fraternity/sorority life programs and leadership. I have not worked on a campus directly with students in fraternities/sororities for six years though I have done consulting in this area and continue to volunteer in a range of ways. A person asked me why I continue to attend and see value in the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Annual Meeting (AFAAM) because I no longer work in this functional area. There are three main reasons I continue to see value in active involvement in and attendance at the AFAAM.

First, I think functional area associations do more than just educate on the functional area. Many of the skills that are explained as necessary in the ACPA and NASPA Professional Competencies document as intermediate and advanced can be learned in the functional area association. The functional area is often just the context in which you work, but AFAAM has workshops on multicultrual competence, assessment, supervision, etc. While explained in part for a F/S Life Office, these are skills we need in any area and skills we can continue to develop/improve across the career span.

Another reason is that I approach any information as learning. I don’t tend to go to some of the workshops that are a little more activity oriented – such as how to plan recruitment – but there are plenty of sessions at the AFAAM that while I’ve likely attended a session on the topic before, I can pull something new from hearing it again.

Finally, I believe in mentoring and generativity in the student affairs profession. I go to AFAAM and often do several workshops or participate in activities that help graduate students with resume preparation. I get a lot out of contributing to help others and in turn I develop increased competence.

Are you involved in a functional area association even though you’re a mid-level generalist or working in a different functional area? Why do you stay involved?