Best Practices Library
Campus Leadership
Campus Events
CL6 - The chapter requires all members to attend at least one campus programming event every academic term.
CL13 - Chapter hosts a campus-wide Leadership Symposium in which the President of the University and prominent faculty speak regarding leadership on campus. It serves as a more intimate opportunity for campus officials to speak directly to student leaders.
CL14 - The chapter hosts an annual BBQ/cookout for the campus police and fire department. The event serves as an opportunity to build relations with both departments and thank them for their service.
CL4 - To prevent members from getting burned out, the chapter is split into three teams and each time there is a campus-based event that the chapter is required to attend, one team is required to attend while the other teams are voluntarily allowed to attend. This is only used when the event is optional/voluntary and not when there is an attendance expectation at the event. This means only a third of the chapter must attend every third event. Thus, the chapter still participates in all campus-based events.
CL5 - The chapter began a new annual event called 'Records Week'. In the first week of fall semester, the men invited the entire campus to the chapter house to break a Guinness world record each day of the week. The concept is something that the campus has never seen before and was welcomed with plenty of enthusiasm. They attempted to break the record for the longest game of leapfrog, most people wearing sunglasses at night, most simultaneous cartwheels, and making the world’s longest ice cream sundae record.
Campus Organization Involvement
CL18 - The Recorder has a tracker of campus organizations that each of the brothers are involved in. This tracker is updated at the beginning and the end of each academic term.
CL19 - At the first chapter meeting of the term the Recorder and the Lt. Commander create a list of academic/social organizations that brothers can join. The importance of joining these organizations as a recruitment tool and as a leadership development tool is discussed in the chapter meeting. Members must be a part of another campus organization to be in good standing in the chapter.
CL20 - At the first chapter meeting the candidates attend after recruitment there is a conversation held about joining campus organizations. Each brother in the room shares which other organizations for which he is a member. Candidates can then tag along with brothers to the next meeting of their respective campus organizations.
CL2 - To ensure continuing campus leadership, the chapter has in place a bylaw that requires members to be involved in one other campus organization.
CL3 - The chapter elects an Involvement Chairman that not only keeps track of all the campus organizations members are involved in, but also announces meetings/events related to those organizations members are involved with.
University Relations
CL1 - The chapter, in coordination with the campus's going green campaign, has responded by creating a chairman in charge of coordinating the chapter's green activities (i.e. increased recycling, etc.).
CL11 - To promote strong ties with the campus, the membership hosts annual dinners/mixers for faculty/administrators to gain the support/respect of the institution.
CL12 - Chapter hosts a Professor Dinner each semester where they bring an interesting professor from the campus to the house for a nice dinner and talk on his or her area of expertise.
CL15 - The chapter holds a faculty appreciation dinner at the chapter house. Each member invites his favorite professor, and they host a dinner for those who come to appreciate the work they do.
CL16 - The chapter has worked to build a more positive image at the university and within the community by publishing their chapter events in a local magazine.
CL9 - The chapter has a committee responsible for maintaining good working relationships with sororities, fraternities, the administration and additional student organizations and entities on campus. The committee is flexible in that its work can benefit recruitment efforts, ensure maximum on-campus participation, and serve as an additional mouthpiece for publicizing chapter events.
CL21 - The chapter has established a position to coordinate the chapter’s green activities in response to the campus’s going green campaign. This position takes charge of sustainability initiatives in the chapter, such as increasing recycling and investing in smart energy-saving light bulbs. Additionally, the chapter has introduced vegetarian meal plan options and is keeping in touch with campus green and Earth Day initiatives.
General Fraternity Resources
GFCL1 - Generating Positive Press Guide
GFCL2 - Event Report Form
GFCL3 - Campus Leadership Action Plan
Call for Practices
If you have a great example or resource that you think should be included in the Best Practices Library, we want to know about it. Send your examples and resources to Austin Lloyd, Director of Chapter Services, at austin.lloyd@sigmanu.org.