Fraternal Excellence Program (FEP) Student Orientation

1. Fraternal Excellence Program (FEP) Student Orientation

2. Orientation Outline • Review of Current 5-Star Awards Process • Feedback about 5-Star • A Call for Values Congruence (2005) • Important New Program Points • Creation Process • Fraternal Excellence Program (FEP) • What does it measure? • How does it work? • Changes/benefits from 5-Star • Timeline for Implementation • What’s Next?

3. Current 5-Star • Accumulation of points for programs and initiatives within the chapter • Points allocated in 5 areas: • Academic performance • Campus and Community Outreach • Facility and Risk Management • Chapter Management • Member Development • Points determined level of award

4. 5-Star Feedback • Focus groups conducted in Fall 2009 • Revealed the following themes in feedback: • Administratively overwhelming • Not everyone participates • Measures ability to “complete forms” • No feedback loop/transparency within the process • There has been no 5-star group in 3+ years • Cause to review the program

5. A Call for Values Congruence (2005) • Franklin Square Group • National presidents, executive directors, etc. • Integration of founding values into daily decision-making • Campuses and organizations must find systems that promote values integration and create sustainable change

6. Important Points • New Center = New Opportunity • The “reality” of a chapter is defined by more than numbers • Service hours, educational programs, incidents, etc. • The nature of fraternity/sorority is complex and ever changing • How decisions are made about what to do is equally important as what a chapter/members choose to do • The context of how decisions are made cannot be ignored • Feedback is crucial to chapter improvement

7. Creation Process • 5-Star Review Committee • Fall 2010-Spring 2011 • Committee of students from all councils • Focused on the following: • What would exemplary values integration look like? • What would poor values integration look like? • Program Creation – Spring 2011 • Staff created/refined the assessment process in concert with council leaders

8. Fraternal Excellence Program • Assessment period occurs in Fall semester • The core focus is ‘Values Integration’ • Focuses on excellence in 5 areas: • Leadership Development • Intellectual Development • Service and Citizenship • Brotherhood and Sisterhood • Ritual and Values

9. Fraternal Excellence Program • Changes • Many 5-Star forms will change to optional • Chapter/roster management forms will still be required • Timeline will shift primarily to fall • Includes abilities for assessment and recognition for ‘Brotherhood/Sisterhood’ and ‘Ritual & Values’

10. Fraternal Excellence Program • Phase I – Narrative Responses • Chapters will submit responses (no longer than 3 pages in length) to open-ended questions for each assessment area • Example questions from all areas: • What are your chapter’s academic goals and how are you achieving/have you achieved those goals? • What policies and/or practices are in place to hold members accountable to your core values? • How does your chapter encourage members to take a positive leadership role within your chapter, the fraternity/sorority community, the campus, and local community? • Narrative responses will be evaluated individually

11. Fraternal Excellence Program • Phase II – Character Interviews • Chapter leaders (no more than 2) will complete a “character interview” for each area with a member of the UH faculty/staff • Time to gain a more rich understanding, ask follow-up questions, etc. • Chapter can provide any supporting documentation they wish (pictures, press releases, chapter processes, etc.)

12. Fraternal Excellence Program • Final Awards • A combination of scores between narrative responses and character interviews will determine overall excellence awards • Chapters who receive excellence in multiple/all areas will be eligible for overall recognition • Feedback Loop • Feedback is transparent and immediate • Feedback is more targeted

13. Benefits • Becomes a time for chapters to talk about/discuss accomplishments with faculty/staff partners • Feedback is transparent and immediate • Gives the university a common language to discuss and advocate for fraternity & sorority at UH • Provides increased opportunities for recognition • Allows the university more opportunities to recognize chapters and help them improve

14. Timeline for FEP Implementation • Summer 2011 • Orient students to new program • Fall 2011 • Work to gain council support • Dry run of program (potentially) • Work with chapters to review understand program and guides • Fall 2012 • First run of complete program (narratives and interviews) including all 2011-2012 academic year accomplishments • Early Spring 2013 • Awards program celebrating FEP achievement

15. What’s Next? • Community-wide support is important to the success of the program • Council presidents will be approaching councils about where this program fits into • Our goal is that every chapter will participate • CLFSL staff will continue to orient chapters/councils • 5-Star program (forms, etc.) are being phased out

16. Questions?