Meet an Advisor: Brandy VanLoo Beck

Brandy VanLoo Beck (Delta Tau 2009/Oakland) knew she would be an advisor from the time she was Delta Tau Chapter President. After her two terms, Brandy was eager to help the current officers. “I enjoyed providing information and guidance, and I learned the skill of stepping back and encouraging others without doing the work myself,” she said. 

She became the Delta Tau Chapter’s Housing Advisor in 2019. Brandy said, “I mostly assisted the House Manager with any issues within the house. While I appreciated the experience, I knew my skills would be better used elsewhere.” 

In 2022, the Community Relations Advisor position opened up. “I jumped at the chance to serve the chapter in a way I felt more prepared for,” Brandy shared. She had multiple years of Panhellenic experience in college when she served as the chapter’s Panhellenic delegate. 

“[This position] was more about serving as a knowledge database and being able to point out and guide [members] through issues on an interchapter scale,” she explained. In her role, Brandy attends chapter meetings every other week, has monthly meetings with the chapter’s Vice President of Community Relations, and sits in on Panhellenic meetings twice a month. 

Attending Panhellenic meetings allows her to connect with members outside the Community Relations team. “These meetings are attended by quite a few chapter members, and it leaves an opportunity to have organic conversations,” Brandy said. “It allows me to develop stronger relationships with the women since it gives us a chance to connect.” 

Building these relationships is Brandy’s favorite part of her role. “When I first became an advisor, I was nervous I wouldn’t get along with the women since chapters can change and evolve. However, I have been able to build extraordinary bonds with every single Sister I’ve talked to. I’m still in awe of how it can happen,” she shared. 

However, for every moment of connection, there can be one of conflict—even if it’s not among Delta Tau chapter members. In her role as Community Relations Advisor, Brandy continually works with members to address issues within the College Panhellenic, ranging from updating recruitment rules to removing a Panhellenic president who was in poor standing with her chapter. 

For multiple years, there has been debate about transitioning the campus from a fully structured recruitment to a partially structured recruitment. Brandy said, “This has created cascading challenges, and despite all these efforts, the campus keeps voting to stay with what they know. As long as our women want to keep fighting for it, I will keep supporting their efforts to do what is best for our women and the campus.” 

Brandy finds solutions for conflict from various sources, including other Alpha Sigma Tau advisors. “A lot of our chapters are more similar than they are different. I’ve had hours-long talks [with other AΣΤ advisors] about how their Panhellenic or formal recruitment functions,” she said. 

She also has found that advising has supplemented her professional life. “I’ve built communications skills, figured out how to assist without taking over, and learned to balance building connections with getting stuff done,” Brandy said. 

When it comes to becoming an advisor, Brandy recommends three things: 

1. Gain other experiences. After graduating, learn and grow before coming back to advise. It helps distance yourself from the collegiate experience and grow into the alumnae experience. 
2. Have confidence in yourself. You’ll likely be a fantastic resource for collegiate women and be surprised by how much advice and knowledge you can offer them. 
3. Know your strengths and weaknesses. When you know what you can excel at, you can serve as a coach more effectively and feel like you have more to offer an advisor. 

Thank you to Brandy and all the advisors who help our collegiate women grow, learn, and improve daily!