Category:Corresponding Secretary

Theta Tau Bylaws require that the Corresponding Secretary;
1. Correspond with other chapters 2. Correspond with alumni and Alumni Associations, being the main point of contact to alumni and Alumni Association for the chapter
 * Forward invitations to chapter sponsored events
 * May also use the CorSec Facebook Group
 * Regional Facebook Groups: Atlantic, Great Lakes, Central, Gulf, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Western
 * Forwarding invitations to chapter sponsored events
 * Organize Alumni focused events.
 * With the local Alumni Association, if there is one.


 * Keep up correspondence with or endeavor to establish an Alumni Association in the region
 * Distribute an Alumni Newsletter
 * At least one per calendar year, though more often is recommended
 * Outline past events, upcoming events and special occasions
 * Update on ongoing chapter focuses like pledging, fundraising or rush
 * Inform of changes to chapter policies, management, and new members/current pledges
 * Announce accomplishments
 * Try to make alumni feel connected to the active chapter. This also serves to keep the alumni invested in the chapter's future, especially if donations are required for larger events or initiatives not covered by the chapter budget.

3. Correspond with the [mailto:central.office@thetatau.org Executive Director]
 * Generally, this is no longer need since the alumni database is centralized and not on paper files
 * They may also assist the Scribe by sending recent graduates' information to the [mailto:central.office@thetatau.org Executive Director], since it is already the Corresponding Secretary's duty to keep the alumni records

4. Ensure alumni records are up to date and include recent graduates 5. Submit articles to The Gear
 * Name, permanent address, non-school email, phone number, pledge class, rank/roll number, date of birth
 * May also include family names, hometowns, nicknames, majors, employers, etc.
 * Submit by March 1st to the [mailto:sly.stafford@thetatau.org Editor­-in­-Chief] of The Gear
 * Article should highlight successes or innovations

The Corresponding Secretary may also;
1. With the Regent, correspond with the Chapter Advisory Team or Faculty Advisor
 * CC the Regent in emails to advisors
 * Keep the advisors up-to-date on chapter business, concerns, issues and questions beyond the Executive Council's scope
 * Suggested to facilitate meetings with the Chapter Advisory Team and the Regent, or produce "State-­of­-the­-Chapter" letters
 * If there is not currently a chapter advisor on file with the Central Office, ask an alumni and/or faculty member to be the Faculty Advisor
 * Advisor Recommendation Form

2. Collect and submit information for the chapter's National Awards Package (is this what it's called???) 3. Keep membership cards and certificates (shingles) for past and current members 4. Maintain the chapter's website and/or social media presence 5. Keep a record of alumni's careers and jobs 6. Keep past pledge manuals examples, past alumni newsletters, and records for Alumni Association
 * Collect pictures for Best Photo, hours and information for Best Community Service Program (title accuracy??), Best Professional Development Program, etc. A list of awards to be applied for can be found in ((DOCUMENT OR LINK))
 * May also be the duty of the Scribe and the Regent ((is this true??)
 * As a record, this is normally the duty of the Scribe and therefore also the Regent, though it can easily be delegated
 * Can streamline the process for getting membership cards and certificates to alumni off-campus
 * If members do not collect these items within a reasonable amount of time or do not respond to correspondence about collecting them, the items are to be destroyed or returned by mail to the Central Office.
 * This is not a nationally prescribed duty, so it is at the discretion of the chapter who will do this
 * It is recommended to have a Webmaster or Public Relations Chair outside of the Executive Council
 * May also be done by/with the Professional Development Chair
 * See Alumni Relations
 * May also be done by/with chapter Historian (link needed to duties/other positions?)
 * Digital records are the easiest to access and keep, though you do not want the wrong information getting out. See Social Media presence

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 * How-to Alumni Newsletter
 * Professional correspondence in general
 * Keeping Alumni Records

---Old Manual---
2.5 Corresponding Secretary

The duties of this important position may be briefly stated, but when diligently executed, they can be most extensive and of much service to the chapter and to the Fraternity.

2.5.1. Duties

The Corresponding Secretary's duties are outlined in the Ritual, page 99, and in the Bylaws, Chapter IV, Part B, Section 5. He shall correspond diligently with the other chapters, the alumni associations, the Executive Director, and the alumni of the chapter, shall be the chapter's correspondent to The Gear, and shall keep the chapter alumni record up-to-date. In order to correspond regularly with a large body of alumni, the Corresponding Secretary should prepare and distribute at least annually a chapter newsletter. Also, the Corresponding Secretary is often required by his chapter to issue invitations to alumni to participate in chapter-sponsored events. Suggestions on both of these matters in Paragraph 3.7 of this Manual should be studied.

As the chapter's correspondent to The Gear, the Corresponding Secretary is responsible for submitting chapter letters at times designated by the Editor for publication in The Gear, (Bylaws Chapter I, Part B, Section 2). These should follow the theme specified for the issue, but may also contain other material of general interest to the members of the Fraternity at large. Captioned photographs, news stories, feature stories, and alumni notes involving any members of the Fraternity should also be submitted prior to the established deadline. The Corresponding Secretary should handle on a timely basis the ordinary correspondence of the chapter, including that with nonmembers — invitations, expressions of thanks, congratulations, and sympathy when these are in order.

2.5.2. Membership Records

So long as there is one alumnus of the chapter whose address is unknown, the Corresponding Secretary's work in this area is incomplete. Concerted effort to locate a "lost" alumnus will usually result in success. There are several potential sources of information: The latest Theta Tau Membership Directory, the engineering division office, the university alumni association, his parents, classmates, technical society headquarters, a telephone call to directory assistance in the city of his last known address, and the Theta Tau Central Office. The Central Office can provide a printout of pressure-sensitive labels showing alumni addresses by chapter and/or geography upon request. The labels can be provided in ZIP Code order for use in distribution by bulk mail. Use a Computer Printout/Disk Order (Appendix, item 17) to request such material. It is far better and easier to get information on a member while he is still a student, and then to maintain close contact with him through the years so that extensive research will not be required to obtain a current address later.

When one completes his pledge form, he should also complete (to the extent possible) a membership card for the chapter file. Such cards for pledges should be kept by the Corresponding Secretary in a special "Pledges" section of the card file. At the time of initiation, and again at graduation or leaving school, the Corresponding Secretary should have the individual complete the card further. In addition to the section containing the cards of Pledges, each chapter's membership file should have three other alphabetized sections: "Student Members," "Living Alumni," (including honorary members), and "Deceased or Expelled." The roll book pages of those in the latter section should be appropriately annotated (Bylaws, Chapter VII, Part D, Section 12). File cards (4x6) with imprinted form (see Appendix, item 12) are available from the Central Office in quantities needed to maintain a complete file. Periodically, the file's completeness should be checked against the roll book record. Only initiated members should view the roll book pages.

A chapter should use computer produced labels from the Central Office for its general mailings to alumni, but if the chapter file cards are ever divided among those assigned to some task using them, the cards should never leave the chapter headquarters. Alumni address information from the Central Office should be entered promptly in the chapter's records. Similarly, the Corresponding Secretary should inform the Central Office of new addresses which come to his attention. In this way, contact between the member, his chapter, and the national Fraternity can be maintained effectively.

2.5.3. Letters

When writing letters on Fraternity business, the Corresponding Secretary should observe the standards cited under "Correspondence" in paragraph 3.14 of this Manual.