KAPPA ALPHA THETA Accreditation Report 2011-2012 Intellectual Development Kappa Alpha Theta ranked sixth among Panhellenic Sororities in the fall 2011 semester with a 3.29208 GPA, a decrease of.00715 from the spring 2011 semester. The 3.29208 GPA placed the chapter above the All Women, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages and slightly below the All Sorority average. Kappa Alpha Theta ranked sixth among Panhellenic Sororities in the spring 2012 semester with a 3.23791 GPA, a decrease of.15417 from the fall 2011 semester. The 3.23791 GPA placed the chapter above the All Women, All Greek and All Undergraduate averages and slightly below the All Sorority average. Kappa Alpha Theta s spring 2012 new member class GPA was 3.2041 ranking third out of nine Panhellenic Sororities. Kappa Alpha Theta had 33.3% of the chapter on the Dean s List in the fall 2011 semester and 22.7% on the Dean s List in the spring 2012 semester. The chapter s GPA rankings have remained consistent over the past two years. Kappa Alpha Theta utilizes their chapter Inter/National headquarters Balanced Women Program. This program includes modules that focus specifically on each year of college and topics that are pertinent to those years of academic and personal development. The chapter hosted Professor Savino to speak on the topic of branding your chapter at their bi-annual Scholarship Dinner with Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. The committee commends the chapter on the use of the academic organization sheets. These sheets allow members to strategize their weekly academic goals and reflect on achievements from the prior week. The committee believes this to be a best practice. Kappa Alpha Theta continues to utilize their Kite Sister Peer Program. This program allows sisters to pair up with new members based upon major and work together to achieve academic goals. The chapter hosts Faculty Mocktails in the fall and spring semesters. During these events the chapter invites faculty and staff members to attend a networking gathering at the chapter facility. The committee recommends that the chapter build upon this event to encourage more discussion and continued support from faculty and staff members. The committee would like to seek Kappa Alpha Theta take more of a lead in including conversations and practices that incorporate understanding an inclusive campus atmosphere. Knowing the involvement the chapter has around campus, this is an area that Kappa Alpha Theta should excel in. How can Kappa Alpha Theta utilize the Principles of an Equitable Community to spur conversations within the chapter on diversity and inclusion?
In the area of Intellectual Development, the committee rated Kappa Alpha Theta to be a Leadership Development The chapter s headquarters leadership structure changed for the 2011-2012 academic year. The structure, which included 27 leadership positions prior to this year, downsized to 24 positions. Although this allowed for three less positions, committees were developed to allow more members to have an active leadership role. Kappa Alpha Theta has a good committee structure which allows for better organization as well as more leadership opportunities for members. The social and green committees were formed out of this restructuring process. The chapter, in the past, has utilized the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (OFSA) and Office of Student Leadership Development (OSLD) to assist with creating and developing their committee structure. The committee recommends that the chapter continue to work with these offices to develop a cohesive member development program that incorporates the best of Kappa Alpha Theta and Lehigh University resources. Kappa Alpha Theta has members involved with the Panhellenic Association, Greek Emerging Leaders (GEM), Peer Values Educators (PVE), Global Union, and Engineers without Borders. The chapter officers participated in their L.E.A.D. (Lead, Empower, Aspire, Develop) seminar which includes e-learning modules on qualities of a leader and the top five practices of successful leaders. The committee commends the chapter on this program and the strength of their officer transition period and programs. The chapter leadership planned a sisterhood retreat in Upstate New York during the fall semester. This was viewed as an extremely successful event and the chapter should be commended on the planning and execution on the event. The committee recommends that the chapter continue to host a sisterhood retreat each year and to work with OFSA and OSLD to develop the curriculum for this program. The chapter will be sending members to the Grand Convention in Tucson, Arizona in June. The chapter is looking to revamp their new member education plan to include more bonding activities for all members and new members. The committee recommends working with the chapter advisors, OFSA, and OSLD to develop this plan. How can Kappa Alpha Theta utilize self-reflection to allow chapter members to best translate their leadership experiences for post-graduation opportunities? In the area of Leadership Development, the committee rated Kappa Alpha Theta to be a Community Development The chapter decided to host a new philanthropic event to raise money for their philanthropy, CASA. Their new event, Kicks for a Cause, is a soccer tournament
open to all students on campus. This event took the place of Rock La Casa and included the tournament and a fundraising dinner at Sal s Restaurant. The chapter partnered with Delta Chi and Zeta Tau Alpha on fundraising for each other s philanthropic causes. The three organizations kept the Goose Restaurant open late. The committee commends Kappa Alpha Theta on their collaborative efforts and recommends that the chapter continue to build relations with other student organizations. The committee commends Kappa Alpha Theta for being awarded the Giving Tree Award at the Student Life Leadership Awards ceremony. The chapter is very active with Lehigh s Global Union and was recognized as being the most active member. The committee recommends that the chapter remain active with the GU and provide more programming to those members who are not actively engaged with this organization. The chapter participated in Adopt-a-Family in the fall semester as well as visits the local animal shelter to assist where needed with the pets and property. The chapter does a good job of supporting initiatives such as the Greek Allies Program (GAP), Vagina Monologues, and Peer Values Educators (PVE). Kappa Alpha Theta had no Code of Conduct violations. Similar to Intellectual Development, the committee would like to see Kappa Alpha Theta taking more of a lead in connecting diversity and inclusion topics in understanding the greater context of community at Lehigh. There have been some individual efforts, but the committee would like to see more out of the chapter as a whole. How does the chapter take individual inclusion opportunities and create intentional chapter educational efforts? What resources exist to assist with this? In the area of Community Development, the committee rated Kappa Alpha Theta to be a Organizational Development The chapter has seen an increase in advisor communication. This has helped with the change in leadership structure. The chapter utilizes the Group Interactive Networks (GIN). This allows for clarity in communication amongst members and chapter leadership. The committee commends the chapter on their use of technology to stay organized and effective. The chapter should be commended on their long term vision for their organization. Chapter leadership should work with their Assistant Director to formalize this vision into a strategic plan. The committee commends the chapter for hosting bi-weekly Ritual modules and recognizing the importance of ritual within Kappa Alpha Theta. The chapter rewards individual members with sisterhood awards for those who stand out among the membership. Senior spotlights are also given at each chapter meeting
to encourage attendance and to show appreciation to older members who continue to dedicate their time to strengthening Kappa Alpha Theta. Kappa Alpha Theta has developed a crisis management plan for all chapter members to understand and use during an emergency. This plan includes communication forms and emergency cards, trainings and workshops on life safety, and risk management sessions. The chapter has developed a good relationship with their Alumni Advisory Board. The committee commends the chapter on this partnership and encourages the chapter to continue to develop the relationship. The chapter hosts social hour prior to date parties. Prior to a date party, all members must be at the chapter facility one our prior to boarding the buses. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are served at this event. The party monitors ensure that all members are under control prior to boarding the bus. The committee believes that this is a best practice and the chapter should be commended on this programming. 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 2012-13, 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 can Kappa Alpha Theta publicize and market their long term plan for chapter growth and success at Lehigh? In the area of Organizational Development, the committee rated Kappa Alpha Theta to be a Facilities Management Kappa Alpha Theta has a facility issues reporting system that is in place for all members to utilize. A Gmail account was created for members to send messages to if there is a facility concern. The House Manager receives the email messages and addresses the concern as soon as possible. The chapter does a great job with their facility composter as well as other green initiatives such as reusable cups and plates, and informational recycling posters hung throughout the facility. The chapter had no life safety violations. Kappa Alpha Theta had no common damages for the fall 2011 semester. Kappa Alpha Theta s common damages for the spring 2012 semester were $285.72. The chapter requires that each member is responsible for one weekend of house cleaning assignments per semester. The chapter feels that this has fostered a greater respect for the facility. The committee believes this method of ensuring a sense of accountability within the chapter to be a best practice. The chapter utilizes a house point system for facility room selection. House points are awarded for GPA, officer positions, and event attendance.
The chapter has an extremely communicative relationship with the Office of Residential Services. The chapter did lose a master key, and had to pay to have the facility re-cored. How does the chapter include continued facilities management success into their long term plan? In the area of Facilities Management, the committee rated Kappa Alpha Theta to be a Gold Chapter. Overall Rating Overall, Kappa Alpha Theta has been rated a Gold chapter by the 2011-2012 Accreditation Committee. Kappa Alpha Theta has become a consistently high performing chapter. The committee is pleased that the chapter has maintained this culture of excellence. It is time now for the chapter to allow the success they have come to know as a values based organization fully reflect into the Accreditation process. The committee would like to see Kappa Alpha Theta incorporate reflection and innovation into their operations, especially in the Intellectual and Community Development aspects of the organization. The chapter has the capacity to be an organization that fosters identity and community development, and the committee hopes Kappa Alpha Theta takes the opportunity to do so. The Accreditation committee assigns Kappa Alpha Theta an overall rating of Gold, which is considered an exceptional level of achievement in the Accreditation process, with all the privileges and rewards that accompany such a rating. Congratulations! Chapter Development Questions How can Kappa Alpha Theta utilize the Principles of an Equitable Community to spur conversations within the chapter on diversity and inclusion? How can Kappa Alpha Theta utilize self-reflection to allow chapter members to best translate their leadership experiences for post-graduation opportunities? How does the chapter take individual inclusion opportunities and create intentional chapter educational efforts? What resources exist to assist with this? How can Kappa Alpha Theta publicize and market their long term plan for chapter growth and success at Lehigh? How does the chapter include continued facilities management success into their long term plan? Best Practices The chapter hosts social hour prior to date parties. Prior to a date party, all members must be at the chapter facility one our prior to boarding the buses. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are served at this event. The party monitors ensure that all members are under control prior to boarding the bus. The committee believes that this is a best practice and the chapter should be commended on this programming.
The chapter requires that each member is responsible for one weekend of house cleaning assignments per semester. The chapter feels that this has fostered a greater respect for the facility. The committee believes this method of ensuring a sense of accountability within the chapter to be a best practice. The committee commends the chapter on the use of the academic organization sheets. These sheets allow members to strategize their weekly academic goals and reflect on achievements from the prior week. The committee believes this to be a best practice.