Lambda Chi Alpha Evaluation Report Gettysburg College

Transcription

1 Lambda Chi Alpha Evaluation Report Gettysburg College 2014

2 Evaluation Grading Rubric Academic Achievement and Intellectual Engagement Criteria 5 pts 10 pts 15 pts Bonus Points (1-5) There is a full Struggling members Pieces of the The full plan is being scholarship plan in have a Scholarship Plan scholarship plan are implemented within place approved by demonstrated submitted the chapter Academic Advising increase in Academic Events Faculty Advisor Member Leadership Planning Attend 2 events per year with 70% of the members present Chapter has a faculty advisor Chapter is within 0.1 of the All- Men's/All-Women's Chapter describes how they utilized lessons from other involvement to influence chapter leadership Co-sponsor 2 events per year w/70% of members present Chapter meets with the faculty advisor at least 3 times per semester Chapter meets or exceeds the All- Men's/Women's Older member presents to new members on nonchapter leadership role Co-sponsor 2 events per year: 1. w/ 70% of members present 2. open to the campus w/ 70% members present The chapter and faculty advisor report regular engagement Chapter is at least 0.1 above the All-Men's/Women's Creation of a 3-year membership development plan that is implemented Innovation in creating the event; campus participation Option A: 0.1 increase in fall compared to spring Option B: highest fraternity/sorority Career Planning & Networking Engaging with Center for Career Development 1 program per year; have a student serve as a liaison Have 75% of members utilize Career Development in an individual capacity Work with alums & parents on an event for chapter with Career Development assistance Chapter Officer Trainings Attendance at all GL sponsored retreats & trainings & HQ convention Utilize HQ resources for transition workshop 1 per year Organize a collaborative conversation with other chapters on or off campus Attendance at other leadership institutes (UIFI, NGLA, etc.) 2

3 Member Recruitment and Retention Criteria 5 pts 10 pts 15 pts Bonus Points (1-5) New Member Education Program Submitting program & initiating on time 100% participation in core NME curriculum Attending Collegesponsored hazing prevention program Recruitment Data Not found responsible for recruitment violations Meet average class size/quota or meet class size from last year Exceeds quota Retention of Members (throughout new member education) 90% of enrolled in good standing of all members Multi-year program in place 95% retention 100% retention Ritual Implementation Verified initiation occurred on time Ongoing trainings about initiation Utilization of regular ongoing rituals Wellness, Health and Safety Program 70% of chapter members attend 1 program per year No members have more than 5 points Members utilize bystander intervention or training - 2nd program 100% attendance (TIPS does not count) No members with any points New Member New Member is no more than 0.1 below the All- Sophomore New Member meets or exceeds the All-Sophomore New Member is at least 0.1 above the All-Sophomore Option A: 0.1 increase in fall compared to spring Option B: highest fraternity/sorority 3

4 Community Engagement Criteria 5 pts 10 pts 15 pts Bonus Points (1-5) Alumni Relations Communications sent twice per year to alumni Hosting official gathering for alumni other than Homecoming or Reunion weekend Host educational/career event utilizing alumni (not during Homecoming or Reunion Weekend) Participate in Twilight Walk/Founders Weekend activities Public Relations 2 articles per year in more than one source Maintaining positive, current online presence for chapter members Featured media coverage Community Service 3 hours of service per year (every member) 6 hours of service per year (every member) Participating in a semester-long service program Philanthropy Host or co-sponsor 1 event per year Host or co-sponsor an event and educate on the supported cause Event, education & college support and/or sr. class gift committee Parent Relations 1 communication to parents Multiple communications with parents Host educational event involving parents Campus Engagement Between 85%-90% of chapter membership is involved in at least 1 campus organization outside of the Greek community each semester. Between 90%-95% of chapter membership is involved in at least 1 campus organization outside of the Greek community each semester. Between % of chapter membership is involved in at least 1 campus organization outside of the Greek community each semester. CPS Dialogue group participation or cosponsor a dialogue conversation Citizenship/Social Justice Program Not responsible for any bias incidents and attend 1 program per year w/70% of members present Co-sponsor a conversation/discussion with a social justice dialogue group or community agency Host a service event with a social justice campus group or community agency with 70% of members present Inter-Greek Relations 50% of members attend Greek alcohol-free event Co-sponsor an alcohol free event with 50% of members attending Attend or sponsor multiple alcoholfree Greek events 4

5 Organizational Management Criteria 5 pts 10 pts 15 pts Bonus Points (1-5) Risk Management Social event management plan and/or Crisis Management plan submitted Utilize social event management plan and/or Crisis management plan Host educational event(s) on Risk Management Have no reports of underage consumption, common source, or medical distress coming from the chapter Judicial Record (Organizational and Membership) Chapter members are not involved with any major judicial incidents No repeating conduct incidents for the chapter No conduct incidents for the chapter Insurance Obligations Fulfilled Insurance certificate on file with the College including College listed as additionally insured and waiver signed All insurance reduction education sessions completed Host an external speaker or community-wide educational event about liability Governing Documents (Bylaws and Constitution) Bylaws and constitution submitted annually Bylaws updated and chapter can discuss purpose behind any changes Chapter has an external review of their documents Awards Facility Management Organizational Structure Chapter applies for 1 award through headquarters or submitted HQ recognition materials, Gettysburg College or other entity No major life safety violations Chapter officer positions filled and roster submitted on time Chapter applies for more than 1 award through headquarters, Gettysburg College or other entity No life safety violations in any personal rooms or common areas Demonstrated use of a chapter committee structure Chapter applied for award and received the award All chapter members serve on a committee Chapter or member wins non-greek specific award Financial Management Create budget and submit budget and chapter fees Demonstrate chapter use of the budget Participate in financial management training 5

6 Academic Achievement and Intellectual Engagement Rating Gettysburg Great Above Average Satisfactory Underachieving Unacceptable 0-19 Points Chapter Earned: 50 Member Recruitment and Retention Gettysburg Great Above Average Satisfactory Underachieving Unacceptable 0-9 Points Chapter Received: 52.5 Community Engagement Gettysburg Great Above Average Satisfactory Underachieving Unacceptable 0-19 Points Chapter Earned: 62.5 Organizational Management Gettysburg Great Above Average Satisfactory Underachieving Unacceptable 0-24 Points Chapter Earned: 45 Overall Rating Scale Gettysburg Great Above Average Satisfactory Underachieving Unacceptable 0-85 Points Chapter Earned: 210 6

7 Lambda Chi Alpha Evaluation Summary The remainder of the evaluation report is feedback from the evaluation committee based on both the written materials and oral presentation for the 2014 calendar year. Understanding that this process is in its initial pilot phase, chapters should all be commended for their efforts to learn and participate in the process. The notes included in the remainder of this report contain direct feedback from the 8 panelists serving on the committee for Lambda Chi Alpha. These notes include best practices, identify areas for growth, and should be utilized by the incoming executive board as they develop their strategic plan for Academic Achievement and Intellectual Engagement The chapter has basic elements of a scholarship plan in place, with their High Sigma (Scholarship Chair) responsible for oversight and implementation of the scholarship program. The committee recommends that the chapter work with Academic Advising to have the plan approved and provide additional support in this area. The chapter has Tim Good, Physics, serving as their faculty advisor. Knowing that the chapter has a connection to Professor Good, the committee believes that the chapter has a great opportunity for strong relationship with their faculty advisor that is not currently being utilized. The committee could not find evidence that there was regular engagement with Professor Good in Outgoing president, Kevin Bardin, also works in the Center for Career Development and served as the chapter s liaison in Moving forward, the Center for Career Development will have a more formalized program that will require someone serving in this official capacity. The connection the chapter had with Kevin is one that the panel believes would be beneficial to continue through the liaison program. The chapter s met the second tier of points for 2014, but there is a slight downward trend in the chapter s grades that the committee would like to see them reverse for The chapter is hovering just above the all-men s average, but the past two fall semesters have been among their poorest in a decade. The chapter received full points for participating the College and HQ-sponsored leadership programming, utilizing their officer transition, and engaging in conversations with other chapters of Lambda Chi Alpha on the online portal system. The committee will require increased documentation of the conversations with other chapters in future years. Member Recruitment and Retention The chapter submitted and had approved their new member education program by the deadline, but failed to have full participation in the core new member curriculum during the fall semester. The core curriculum participation is an expectation that could negatively impact the chapter s ability to receive their full request for new member education in future years. The chapter was not found responsible for any recruitment violations in 2014, and surpassed the all-fraternity average for new members. The chapter initiated 21 of 22 new members during the spring and fall semesters in The chapter had an alumnus attend the initiation ceremony and utilizes the Big Brother Ceremony, Associate Member Ceremony and prescribed open ritual in conducting chapter meetings. The committee commends them for their use of ritual and encourages them to continue building on the education of members about the rituals to ensure their use in guiding the chapter operations. 7

8 The chapter participated in Total Safety Move to fulfill the Wellness, Health and Safety minimum requirement. The committee hopes that the chapter will work to enhance personal member conduct to ensure that members stay in good standing at the College. The new member for Lambda Chi has continued to decrease in the past several years, bottoming at a 2.39 in spring This is a particular concern to the committee, and a strong recommendation to the chapter that they revisit their scholarship plan and overall new member program for future years. Working with Academic Advising to create a sophomore-specific academic program could be a good strategy for reducing this trend. Community Engagement The chapter had increased engagement with alumni during the past year after the election of new housing corporation officers. The organization uses Affinity Connections to send out newsletters and s to alumni on a regular basis. During the summer, undergraduate members and alumni members participated in a work weekend at the house during which they completed several projects. The committee hopes that the chapter will build on this increased alumni participation to include career networking or educational programming. The chapter had positive public relations articles printed during the past year, and started to utilize twitter as a way to build an enhanced online presence. The committee encourages the chapter to continue exploring different mediums for growing its external media presence. The chapter hosts the For Jake s Sake 5k each year as its hallmark philanthropic event. This event continues to be a strong event for Lambda Chi Alpha, and raises awareness on campus for the Ronald McDonald House. The chapter also organizes a food drive each spring to benefit the local food bank. The committee commends the chapter for its members presence in other campus organizations, and encourages them to keep striving to have 100% participation in other groups on campus. This participation in the larger campus community is both a great recruitment tool, and a means of fulfilling the mission of the organization in supporting the College community. One communication was sent from the chapter to parents in This is another great opportunity for building a career networking program in future years. The chapter participated in a social justice program and was not found responsible for any bias incidents. The chapter can improve in this area by actively co-sponsoring an event in future years. The chapter worked with their new neighbors and alumni board to host a pig roast and block party last spring, which the committee views as a best practice for the chapter. This is a great way to build positive relationships with the local community. The chapter had a number of individual members in attendance at a variety of alcohol-free campus programs throughout the semester, such as assisting with the First-Year Walk BBQ, serving Rita s Ice to the first-year class, and the salsa dance. Organizational Management The chapter was able to demonstrate that they have revised their risk management plan and that it was implemented past year. The committee recommends that the chapter continue reviewing risk management practices each year. Utilization of the Risk Management Task Force is a great way to evaluate the success of chapter risk management practices and make recommendations for future improvements. 8

9 Facility management is still an opportunity for growth within the chapter. General cleanliness issues rose to the level of impacting the life safety standing of the chapter during the past year. Utilization of campus life safety standards should be practiced throughout the year. The chapter did not apply for any awards through the College or headquarters in The committee views this as another opportunity for the chapter to generate positive external recognition by sharing positive initiatives in the application process. The chapter does have a committee structure with which it governs the chapter. The committee recommends that all chapter members be assigned to a committee to help them stay engaged in regular chapter governance. Overall Comments Lambda Chi Alpha has many strong elements in place that could make it a very strong chapter. The desire among the leadership to strengthen relationships with key constituencies, actively engage with neighbors and the College community, and revamp its risk management practices were all evident to the panelists. The basic expectations for nearly every piece of criteria are being fulfilled by the chapter, but the committee believes there is potential for more. This is a chapter that has active members, whose academic success, even in a down year, is still above many chapters and the all-men s average. It is about seizing the opportunity, and capitalizing on that potential. Lambda Chi was coming off of a tumultuous semester in fall 2013, but worked to re-evaluate many of its practices in 2014 to re-establish some more effective norms within the chapter. The committee believes this recent growth can expand further into critical areas of chapter governance. The time and attention given to the ritual are strengths of the chapter, but technical aspects of chapter operations present an opportunity for further development. Implementing a stronger house cleaning program, understanding headquarters policies regarding proper use of the budget, and formalizing partnerships on campus are all potential areas for evaluation. The committee also recommends that the chapter capitalize on the potential that exists in its relationships and resources on campus. As presented to the committee, there is still an opportunity to better utilize the role of the faculty advisor. The chapter has many members involved in different academic and co-curricular areas of campus with whom the chapter as a whole could partner for events and programs. The new neighbors, alumni board, and parents have considerable career and life experiences to share, and the committee would encourage the chapter to explore ways to take advantage of these individuals willingness to work with the group. The committee would like to commend the chapter for providing a wealth of information in advance of the presentation, which helped them gain valuable insight into the chapter. Using this information, the new officers should be able to build on this year s success to further enhance the overall success of the chapter. 9