DELTA CHI Accreditation Report

Transcription

1 DELTA CHI Accreditation Report Intellectual Development Delta Chi ranked 18 th among the Interfraternity Council Chapters in the fall 2011 semester with a GPA, a decrease of.038 from the spring 2011 semester. The GPA placed the chapter below the All Men, All Fraternity, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages. Delta Chi ranked 10th among the Interfraternity Council Chapters in the spring 2012 semester with a GPA, an increase of from the fall 2011 semester. The GPA placed the chapter below the All Men, All Fraternity, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages. Delta Chi s fall 2011 new member class GPA was 3.32, ranking first out of six Interfraternity Council Chapters. The new member class GPA was 3.19 for spring 2012, ranking second out of 18 Interfraternity Council Chapters. Delta Chi had 7.3% of the chapter on the Dean s List in the fall 2011 semester and 17.3% on the Dean s List in the spring 2012 semester. The chapter s new member GPA was exceptional in the fall semester with a The chapter needs to focus on academics and make academics a priority for all members. The chapter commends the chapter for reworking their academic benchmarks to raise their standards for those taking offices. Additionally, the chapter should be commended on raising the required GPA to maintain membership. It was obvious in the chapter s presentation that Delta Chi has taken careful consideration in the reasoning and process for raising their standards. Delta Chi took a trip to New York City to visit Occupy Wall Street and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The committee commends the chapter on the brown bag lunch reflection after the trip. A strong recommendation is to develop similar Intellectual Development programming around a central theme for the entire year and collaborating with other chapters on such a theme. The chapter has a summer transition plan which will be focused on goals and requirements. One goal is developing their Associate Member Coordinator plan to include scholarship plans to have a greater focus on academics during the Associate Member program. The committee recommends that Delta Chi include faculty members in reflection for Intellectual Development trips and programs. The committee recommends the chapter have Assistant Dean of Students Chris Mulvihill present to the chapter on academic integrity. The committee saw this as a possible interest area for the chapter based on their presentation. The committee recommends Delta Chi continue developing academic and intellectual development partnerships with student groups and other organizations. These partnerships could result in increased intellectual awareness for the chapter, as well as creating deeper campus connections. The committee recommends the chapter utilize assessment practices within Intellectual Development. The Center for Academic Success is an excellent resource to consider.

2 What Intellectual Development areas of interest can the chapter concentrate sustained programming initiatives around? In the area of Intellectual Development, the committee rated Delta Chi to be a Bronze Leadership Development Delta Chi has a Little Brother Board which allows Associate Members to learn about each chapter leadership position. Additionally, the Associate Members create their own Executive Board. The committee would like to see Associate Members further reflect on these experiences during next year s Accreditation presentation. The chapter s Executive Board includes a three part officer transition: shadow and observe those currently in office, set goals and recognize strengths and weaknesses, and write legacy letters. These letters are written by older members and alumni regarding specific leadership positions that they held. The committee considers this a best practice. The chapter s hierarchy allows all members to have a role in the chapter. The committee was pleased by the ease with which this was made clear in their presentation. The chapter s chairman, who works to find and create outreach opportunities with the city of Bethlehem, is a great opportunity to increase partnerships with entities in the community. There are many resources at Lehigh that the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs could match Delta Chi up with to increase the effectiveness of this position. The committee recommends that Delta Chi hold an active role in The Southside Initiative. Delta Chi hosts executive board and chapter retreats every semester. The Office of Student Leadership Development and the chapter s alumni assist with the planning and execution of these theme specific retreats. The chapter does a good job connecting alumni with current members who hold leadership positions that the alumnus held during their undergraduate years. The alumni members are able to discuss the issues they had with the positions and give advice to the new officer. The chapter does a good job working with Joe Gurreri and the Office of Student Leadership Development, the Greek Emerging Leaders program, and participating in the Altitude Student Leadership Conference. The committee believes that Delta Chi has demonstrated growth based off of the Leadership Chapter Development Question. The committee recommends that the chapter research their Inter/National Headquarter awards processes to see if they can be linked to the Lehigh Accreditation process. Delta Chi s Standards Board is exploring the idea of submitting a nomination for Delta Chi Headquarter Awards. The committee recommends that Delta Chi apply for both Headquarter awards and the Lehigh Student Life Leadership Awards in the future.

3 The committee recommends that Delta Chi focus on growing their member development program. How can Delta Chi combine Inter/National Headquarters Award processes with the Accreditation process to ensure the chapter reaches and maintains accomplishments of an elite chapter? In the area of Leadership Development, the committee rated Delta Chi to be a Silver Community Development The chapter has a six hour minimum community service requirement per semester for each member. The chapter should be commended on a good job tailoring community service to meet member s needs. The committee would like to see Delta Chi continue to allow for self-reflection from each chapter member on what their service opportunities meant to them. The chapter participated in the Southside clean up, pierogi making with the Holy Ghost Church, sponsored events with Colleges against Cancer, cleaned for Adopt A- Highway, and had two teams for Relay for Life. The chapter helps make sandwiches at the Goosey Gander restaurant to raise money for the Delta Chi national philanthropy, The Jimmy V Foundation. This year Delta Chi collaborated with Zeta Tau Alpha and Kappa Alpha Theta to keep the Goose open late. The chapter reported 121 hours of community service efforts. The committee encourages the chapter to continue to record and report service hours through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The chapter is involved in many organizations on campus including the Greek Allies Program (GAP) and Peer Values Educator Program (PVE) through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs The chapter maintains good involvement with alumni by planning an annual trip to McSorley s Restaurant in Manhattan, New York. Delta Chi had an alumni initiate during their spring semester new member initiation. The chapter s Alumni Board of Trustees is effective and very involved. Their main goal is to bridge the gap between alumni and active members. The committee is pleased to see that the gap in Delta Chi s recognition at Lehigh has not deterred this. The committee recommends that the chapter continues building partnerships with Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta, and other student organizations. The chapter had no code of conduct violations. How can Delta Chi ensure that individual and chapter service opportunities are effectively tracked, reported and reflected upon?

4 In the area of Community Development, the committee rated Delta Chi to be a Silver Organizational Development The chapter should be commended on their chapter meeting organization and execution. The committee appreciated that Delta Chi understands details such as a shirt and tie dress code required of each member, helps underscore the seriousness of chapter meetings. The committee feels that the use of Chapter Spot is a great use of technology and a great opportunity for assessment and reflection. The committee recommends that the chapter think long term and begin to create a strategic plan for the years ahead. Delta Chi is at the point in their reformation that chapter operations should be more forward thinking and less on a year to year basis. The committee commends the chapter on the utilization of the chapter Historian position. Delta Chi is showing an understanding that such a position can assist in maintaining the deeper meaning that comes with an organization that is truly values based. The chapter has a good financial status and does not use an outside billing agent. Instead, Delta Chi works internally on all budgets and other financial matters in conjunction with their alumni corporation. Delta Chi utilizes a stepped dues system to collect individual chapter member dues. This is a good incentive for members to pay their dues within the first two weeks of the semester for a discounted cost. The committee commends the chapter on the implementation of this stepped dues system and believes this to be a best practice. The committee expects the chapter to be able to provide a detailed explanation of their dues structure for active and new members, as well as articulate the reasoning behind their dues for , and how this reasoning was explained to active members during the year as well as potential new members during the recruitment and new member education processes. How does Delta Chi utilize their support and resources to create a plan for sustainable of chapter programs and practices for the next three to five years? In the area of Organizational Development, the committee rated Delta Chi to be a Silver Overall Rating Overall, Delta Chi has been rated a Silver chapter by the Accreditation Committee. Delta Chi has continued to augment the successes shown by the chapter over the first two years of their reformation at Lehigh. The committee believes that Delta Chi is now at a critical juncture in the history of the organization. Delta Chi has the opportunity to become a consistent, upper-tier chapter. However, for that to happen, organizational successes need to become rooted permanently into the culture of the chapter. Intellectual and academic

5 practices need to be heightened, and a plan for organizational long-term sustainability needs to be enacted. The committee expects to see Delta Chi take a major leap forward in The Accreditation committee assigns Delta Chi an overall rating of Silver, which is considered a high level of achievement in the Accreditation process, with all the privileges that accompany such a rating. Chapter Development Questions What Intellectual Development areas of interest can the chapter concentrate sustained programming initiatives around? How can Delta Chi combine Inter/National Headquarters Award processes with the Accreditation process to ensure the chapter reaches and maintains accomplishments of an elite chapter? How can Delta Chi ensure that individual and chapter service opportunities are effectively tracked, reported and reflected upon? How does Delta Chi utilize their support and resources to create a plan for sustainable of chapter programs and practices for the next three to five years? Best Practices Delta Chi s Legacy Letters is a great way for current members to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a member of Delta Chi, what to expect in certain officer roles, and how to approach issues in relation to that specific office. The committee considers this continual learning process to be a best practice. Delta Chi utilizes a stepped dues system to collect individual chapter member dues. This is a good incentive for members to pay their dues within the first two weeks of the semester for a discounted cost. The committee commends the chapter on the implementation of this stepped dues system and believes this to be a best practice.