Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamseeker
yep, and then there's also the fact that their voices aren't being heard during meetings, AND they had standards that prevented them from being 5-star orgs.
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I read up on the "accreditation" program there. While the standards aren't entirely preventative of OPB becoming a 5 star chapter, I can easily see how it is a struggle for small chapters to meet the standards. The member number that was mentioned in the article is slightly wrong/off base. A chapter has to initiate 15 new members in any academic year (with 80% NM/pledge retention rate). In addition there seem to be a TON of meetings and event participation requirements that would tax a small chapter who already has to worry about their own events and meetings.
In reviewing the accreditation program and it's incentives I personally have a some issues with it.
The first is that the information doesn't seem to have been updated since the 2006-2007 academic year. What is the point of having accreditation and making the information public if you're not going to keep the info current?
Cultural and multicultural organizations will almost always have a hard time achieving 5 star status due to average chapter sizes. I don't think it's impossible, but a chapter of 10 people or less, with about 50% (or less) of it's members actually being workhorses will be way over tasked trying to complete these requirements.
It also seems that the program is a thinly veiled attempt for GL/the University to have a heavy hand in chapter operations, in particular new member education. From the incentives page:
"•Five Star chapters whose new members maintain or improve their GPAs the semester they pledge for both the Fall and Spring semesters and who have made their new member education programs public documents, will be permitted to pledge first semester freshmen the following semester. "
It isn't an issue for all organizations, but I know there are still a number of organizations that do not provide the NME program (at least not in entirety) as a public document. Personally that requirement seems off to me. (By the way this is after having already submitted a NME calendar, meeting with GL, and then being approved). I'm also probably taking issue with it because I am strongly against pledging first semester freshman, as well as the potential
issues it can create with respect to fairness and dirty rushing.
An additional incentive to being a 5 star chapter is that your members can wear their GLOs honor stole at graduation. An issue that I personally don't think GL should be involved in.
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