|
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.
|