Originally Posted by LΩVE
Assuming you have your Risk Managment policies already outlined (liability is a HUGE issue these days...and a more immediate problem than standards if policies aren't in place), standards for your chapter should be similar to those of the other sororities on campus. Campus culture is different from school to school, but basics include:
-Guidelines on what not to do in letters (no smoking, drinking, cursing, etc. are common in many sororities)
-Guidelines on how to behave whether in letters or not (members should understand that students on campus will recognize them as an XYZ even if they are not wearing it on their t-shirt and will, when gossiping, be more likely to say "I saw an XYZ hooking up with a frat guy on the pool table" than "I saw Susie Slutterton hooking up...")
-Guidelines on drugs/alcohol/illegal activity...address drugs (none, ever, period), alcohol (don't drink underage or, if you choose to be realistic, do it in the privacy of apartments and houses), legal issues (don't get arrested, for instance)
-Guidelines on academics...maintaining a certain GPA, going to class, etc...obvious things
-Guidelines on living up to the sorority's requirements such as a points system for activities, scholarship requirements, financial requirements, etc.
There should be a method for submitting a standards issue to your standards board or executive council, like a form that a sister can fill out if need be. (Though they should be encouraged to address a potential problem with the sister in question first, and if the issue isn't resolved, then take it to the powers that be). The officer in charge of standards should conference with the girl in question to find out if the accusations against her are true and to hear her side of the story to avoid a member being falsley accused or to avoid punishing her when she needs help instead. If the conference does not resolve the issue she should be called (and duly informed) to the standards board. There the officers in charge can decide if the member deserves a punishment, a warning, or needs help (for instance, if alcohol is a problem, she might need to attend AA meetings in order to keep her membership or if she is doing badly academically she might need to attend tutoring sessions). On my campus it is rare for a member to be expelled unless the offense is extreme (dealing drugs, for example) or has been repeated over and over again. Social probation, extra community service hours, or fines are all examples of "punishments" for various offenses. This stuff if all basic because many sororities have similarly structed systems regarding standards. Try asking the standards officers of the other sororities on campus what they suggest. They do not have to provide you with any specifics or secrets to give you a general idea and framework. The most important thing is to remember that sisters are sisters and should be treated with respect and patience unless they abuse your generosity. Give them the benefit of the doubt whenever possible and try to find penalties that also help the sister (tutoring, AA meetings, community service, etc) instead of just punish.
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