Shelley Sutherland

Co-founder of the House Directors Conference

Not so long ago, Linda Orman and I were reminiscing about the past 30 years and how the role of house director has evolved with the constantly changing times. That conversation made me think back to my time as an undergraduate member, a new professional, someone fortunate enough to be a leader in the field, and all the ways the fraternity/sorority experience has enriched my life. In that moment, a grateful grin appeared on my face and my heart was suddenly full.

The Beginning

Early in our professional careers, Barb Robel and I learned from our experience what wonderful women were serving in our chapter houses 24/7/365, and doing so for little more than room and board as a house mom. Those women loved being needed, loved serving others, and loved being valued by students.

At that time, the qualifications seemed little more than having raised children past college age. That’s it. It was a bonus if the house mom had job experience outside the home. Ties to the restaurant industry, managing an apartment building, or having volunteered with a church group, scouts, etc. were also great qualifications. Membership in a sorority? Well, that may have been considered a plus or a minus.  

Big Influences that Changed Things

Fast forward through the years and we saw major changes influenced by culture, politics, world events, etc. For instance…

• In the 50’s, fraternities and sororities were at their best - lots of members, lots of alums, lots of money to maintain the property.

• In the 60’s, it became unpopular to join – hippies, war, houses stayed empty, some closed and/or deteriorated due to lack of members or money.

• In the 70’s, the women’s movement or feminism became a force for change. Strong alumni went to work in business and learned how to more effectively manage a facility.

• In the 80’s, underage drinking was prevalent. Fraternities were the party place. Little care was provided to the facility, and as a result, very few students wanted to live in the chapter house.

• In the 90’s, fraternity/sorority houses aged rapidly. They were often run down. Finding funding for maintenance and preservation became impossible. Budgets had to be cut and one of the first things to go was the quality of the food being served. Thanks to this misstep, the next budget cut was to stop paying wages and benefits to employees.

• In the early 2000’s we saw a resurgence in alumni and membership. Fraternity and sorority houses needed financing to build new or to fund major renovations. During that time, businesswomen began to form what we now call national house corporations, or the NHC. Strong, capable women with time to volunteer became hard to find.

So things continued to change…significantly. Students became of legal age at 18. The desire for a single room became the trend. Sleeping porches began to exit stage left. Given the number of members who worked part-time and the increased complexity of class schedules, sitting down to Monday night dinners became more and more difficult. And technology? We could write another twenty pages on how smartphones and social media have negatively disrupted authentic community and connectivity within our homes. Add in the fact that over 20% of students are arriving on campus with a diagnosable mental health challenge, and this field, your profession, has asked more of each of us than we could’ve imagined. For all these reasons and many more, a commitment to bringing resources to the house director community to help stay current, or slightly ahead of the curve has only proven more necessary as the years have passed. 

Growing Resources

Barb Robel & I realized in the early 1990s that being a house mom would likely never earn the respect, the salary, health & retirement benefits, and the liability insurance that the position deserved, especially considering the hours, responsibilities, and expectations.

In an effort to compensate for some of the missing development pieces, we started the house director conference based on what we learned from our Kansas State and University of Oregon house director community. We focused on university and community resources for speakers, as we didn’t have the money to pay speakers from many years.

We strongly encouraged house directors on each campus to start their own group and to invite campus fraternity & sorority advisors, the campus nutritionist, fire chief, etc. to attend the meetings. A house director group is a much-needed network and a highly accessible source for nearby care, community and connectivity. The campus house director community can also solve problems, kill rumors with facts, manage and recommend vendors, and provide a mental break from life at the chapter house.

Years Fifteen through Twenty-nine

Fifteen years into this journey, we’d hit our stride. House director campus groups were popping up and creating safe, inclusive places for conversations of substance and support. The conference itself was thriving. Each summer, between 100 – 150 house directors would assemble to grow professionally and connect personally. The vision was becoming a reality and we were thrilled to play some small role in it.

Present

By the time I had retired and AFLV began managing the conference, we were able to call upon professional colleagues and prominent leaders in the fraternity/sorority world to serve as presenters. With the exception of a few gaps to fill, the level of expertise we were bringing to the house director community each summer was almost exactly what we’d dreamed long ago. As the conference transitioned to CSL when AFLV made the strategic decision to focus on student programming, I was admittedly concerned. I did not know them. Beyond Scott Fussell keynoting our Louisville conference, I just wasn’t familiar with the organization or what they’re about. That hint of anxiety quickly subsided as I began to work with their team in preparation for the 30th anniversary conference in Denver. As I got to know them, their advocacy and appreciation for house directors was apparent. Once it was clear their hope for the conference was to provide the premier personal and professional development opportunity for house directors, I knew the conference was in good hands…make that very good hands. Their commitment to this experience and to recruiting some of the finest presenters in the industry has been an extraordinary project to be a part of and I’m thrilled with the direction their team is taking our annual gathering. The event we shared in Denver was absolutely top notch from start to finish. What we have planned for Nashville is perhaps the best conference design I’ve seen in the history of the event. 

Thirty-one years of conference experiences have produced some of the most cherished memories of my professional life. For the relationships, experiences, learning, and laughter we’ve shared during that time, know I’m grateful. I’m looking forward to more of the same this June in Nashville. See you there!