¶ Welcome!
Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem
Welcome to board, and specifically the important role of being the Brothers Director. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of planning socials and the famed Winter Retreat, it’s important to acknowledge why you’re HERE. As a Brothers Director, the community and your fellow colleagues on board believe you are such an involved and caring brother that you will have what it takes to support the rest of your brothers in any capacity you can. You are the Big Brother of the MSA. Anyone, from a prospective freshman to an indecisive senior will see you as someone they can trust. Being chosen for this role is a huge testament to your character and personality; you make the brothers around you feel welcomed, loved, and a part of a larger community. This is important to keep in mind because as the year goes on, there will be times when you will be swamped with work and begin to question yourself and your qualifications. Just know, all the brothers believe in you and trust your judgement, so as long as your intentions are to serve and be a good Big Brother to your community, you’re doing your job right 
.
With this position comes a lot of responsibility, too. The Brothers and Sisters Directors are arguably the most visible board members in the community; you will be leading events, planning socials, and constantly in touch with the community and brothers/sisters individually. Because of this visibility, you will end up doing things that you did not think were ‘what you signed up for’. This could include being the one to give announcements after Jumu’ah or being in charge for ordering food for almost any event. One very important responsibility, however, is that since you will be so visible, community members will feel most comfortable bringing their advice, opinions, questions, and at times complaints, straight to you. This can get emotionally taxing, but understand that these brothers and sisters really look up to you and only choose to share their thoughts with you because they see you as someone they can trust. You answer to and represent the community, the Brothers specifically, and this allows people to be very comfortable around you. You will find yourself ferrying information from the community to the rest of the board and vice versa. Also, people might bring their own personal dilemmas and issues to you as well. As a Big Brother to the brothers and the sisters of the community, it is your responsibility to make sure these people feel loved, respected, and to make sure they are directed to the resources they may need. Again, at times this can feel like a lot, but understand how you are seen to the community and consider this an Amaanah (a trust), and carry it with honor! When things feel like too much, however, do not think twice about asking the Sisters Director or the rest of Board for help/advice, you all are a team and a family!
