Chapter Accreditation Program...Thoughts?

[AXiDTrish]

I love the idea of our Accreditation Program, but I have some questions/thoughts.....can someone clarify or give advice?

I am creating a poster-type sign for the chapter I advise to encourage ALL members to take an active role in earning Accreditation for next year. Lofty goal, I know! haha!!

1. I have found inconsistancies between the report requirements and scoring requirements for attendence sheets. The girls got docked points for not submitting attendence sheets and in one instance the report didn't state it had to be submitted...how can I make sure this is clarified for next year (I'm not worried about this year....it was their 1st accreditation so I'm happy with their score.....for now!).

2. There is a portion on the financial page where they give points for checking in with Omega. How do they document this? I can't imagine why my FVP didn't get full points....I swear she talks to them everyday...ok exaggerating, but she's on a first name basis with all FHQ financial people!

3. Why are recruitment workshops/agendas due in the Spring report instead of the Fall? That leaves almost a year for them to lose the stuff! Why couldn't it be within the semester you have recruitment....ex. Fall R then turn in with Fall report, Spring R turn in with Spring.

4. Why can't some of the major documents that are not updated in January be sent in during fall instead of spring? Can they and I am just missing the memo?

And this is for my own knowledge, but what happens if a chapter doesn't make 85%? Does accreditation have any teeth when it comes to chapters not making accreditation? If this program is meant to truly be successful and effective, then what do they do to increase a chapters score?

On a positive note, I don't necessarily think chapter with 85% should get an award, but it would have been nice that they are recognized on FHQ's site or at convention. 85% requires a lot of work too!!!

Do other sororities have this? Is this one of our "progressive movements."

ok....that's all for now!!!
-Trish

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by AXiDTrish
I love the idea of our Accreditation Program, but I have some questions/thoughts.....can someone clarify or give advice?

I am creating a poster-type sign for the chapter I advise to encourage ALL members to take an active role in earning Accreditation for next year. Lofty goal, I know! haha!!

1. I have found inconsistancies between the report requirements and scoring requirements for attendence sheets. The girls got docked points for not submitting attendence sheets and in one instance the report didn't state it had to be submitted...how can I make sure this is clarified for next year (I'm not worried about this year....it was their 1st accreditation so I'm happy with their score.....for now!).

2. There is a portion on the financial page where they give points for checking in with Omega. How do they document this? I can't imagine why my FVP didn't get full points....I swear she talks to them everyday...ok exaggerating, but she's on a first name basis with all FHQ financial people!

3. Why are recruitment workshops/agendas due in the Spring report instead of the Fall? That leaves almost a year for them to lose the stuff! Why couldn't it be within the semester you have recruitment....ex. Fall R then turn in with Fall report, Spring R turn in with Spring.

4. Why can't some of the major documents that are not updated in January be sent in during fall instead of spring? Can they and I am just missing the memo?

And this is for my own knowledge, but what happens if a chapter doesn't make 85%? Does accreditation have any teeth when it comes to chapters not making accreditation? If this program is meant to truly be successful and effective, then what do they do to increase a chapters score?

On a positive note, I don't necessarily think chapter with 85% should get an award, but it would have been nice that they are recognized on FHQ's site or at convention. 85% requires a lot of work too!!!

Do other sororities have this? Is this one of our "progressive movements."

ok....that's all for now!!!
-Trish

Don't have much time as I have to run to lunch, but I'll come back and edit later.

Some thoughts:

Re: checking in w/ Omega Fi -- I think that since it's a web-based system, they are able to record how many times the FVP logs into her account. I would assume Omega Fi records this and sends a report to HQ.

[axidalum]

Regarding recruitment workshop reports and the like, the advisors want/need to make sure that a) there is a plan and that all is in good order. These aren't to take place at the last minute, and they want to be able to help tweak if need be, AND they need to ensure that NMs are up to speed early enough on in the process, so they're comfortable with the process. And details can always be updated -- include an evaluation of how it all went. Would never be refused!

[AXiDTrish]

I completely agree with you....I think perhaps I wasn't clear. For example, the GA schools have recruitment workshops in the summer before the fall semester (let's say Summer/Fall 2005). What I am concerned about is the agenda's and attendence list are not to be turned in until May 2006! That's between 6 and 9 months for little pieces of paper to get lost....even for the most organized group!

Can chapters who have, let's say, Recruitment in Fall 2005 turn in their paperwork with the Fall Report due in December 2005 versus waiting until May 2006. And the Spring Recruitment Chapters continue to send them in on the May report since it would coincide with their schedule.

[doubleblue&gold]

Recruitmemt workshops are for planning. The spring workshop and its paperwork is for the next fall formal recruitment. Ideally, the chapter should know what they are doing for fall formal recruitment before they break for summer.. It is different from "Perfection Week" when the chapter is there to polish and fine tune everything. The workshop in spring of 2006 is for fall of 2006. That's why there should have already been paperwork submitted this past spring for this fall.

[AlphaXiGirl]

Just to clarify the due dates... if you have Fall Formal Recruitment in 2005 then your report was due on March 15, 2005.... if you have Spring Formal Recruitment in 2006 then your report is due Oct 15, 2005. These are called "Planning Reports" - to make sure that a chapter is not waiting until Aug 15 to figure out what they are doing for an event that starts Aug 16. The expectation is that you will have a pretty good start to your planning six months prior to recruitment's start.

Reports can always be sent in as soon as they are completed. No need to hold onto them until the due date as long as you have all of the information to make a complete report. Remember that many awards are determined based upon what is included in these reports - so make sure and hold onto them long enough to include everything that you would like to be considered.

Accreditation is meant to help apply an objective view of the health of a chapter. There is no "punishment" per se for a chapter that does not meet 85% - instead it helps chapter members, volunteers and staff know where to focus their energies. A letter is sent to the university each year that says whether or not the chapter is accredited.

I love the program! What I think is so great about it is that in the "old days" it seemed like the view of a chapter's health was primarily seen in terms of recruitment numbers. Chapters that did well in recruitment were left with little feedback about areas needing improvement. Likewise, chapters that didn't do quite as well in recruitment often had their excellent chapter management or fiscal responsibility overlooked. Now we can look at each of the areas and ALL chapters can see both their strengths and challenges.

When we first rolled out our program we were one of the first to have a program like this - and ours was certainly the most comprehensive. I remember being asked at Southern Greek Leadership Conference many years ago to explain our program to a group of greek advisors and other NPC groups. The University Administrators where we have chapters are usually very impressed with the level of detail that we use to evaluate our chapters. I do not know which groups may have implemented something similar since that time.

I hope that helps.

[WCUgirl]

Well, I got too busy to come back and comment the other day after lunch, but everyone else has pretty much posted comments I wanted to make.

Oh well!