2008 Woodie Awards
Accreditation Program implements new review process for Greek Life Chapters
Daniel Asip
Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: News
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The start of the new year brings a new review process for Greek Life at the College. The Accreditation Program for Greek Life at the College begins this semester with all Greek Chapters being under annual review from now on.
The idea of the review process was brought forth by the Greek Life Task Force in November of 2004. The Task Force recommended: "To assist chapters in living out their missions, values and creeds, as well as to meet the expectations of the College, the College should develop an accreditation process for the chapters."
The Greek Life Task Force is a product of President Helm and Chris Jachimowicz, Director of Greek Affairs. Jachimowicz said, "President Helm and I came to [the College] at about the same time and we understood that students had a feeling that the administration was anti-Greek." He said that it was why they "developed the Greek Life Task Force to help aid in deciding what was the role of Greek Life on campus and what role should they have."
By recommending the accreditation process, the Greek Life Task Force was asking the College to produce standards by which chapters need to follow. In other words, the Task Force was asking for a way for chapters and the College to measure their success.
Once this recommendation was presented, President Helm assembled a committee of faculty, staff and students to produce an annual review process for all Greek Life. "From the beginning President Helm emphasized a minimum approach to the standards in the review process," said Jachimowicz. "The committee collected data from all of the chapters on campus as well as information from annual review processes at other colleges and universities to find some minimum that made sense."
The end result is a 37-item inventory providing minimum expectations for the College's Greek Life. "The Accreditation Program requirements are equal to or less than the national chapter requirements," said Jachimowicz. "The area where it may ask more of chapters is that they are expected to do either a sexual assault or risk management program for the general student-body."
The idea of the review process was brought forth by the Greek Life Task Force in November of 2004. The Task Force recommended: "To assist chapters in living out their missions, values and creeds, as well as to meet the expectations of the College, the College should develop an accreditation process for the chapters."
The Greek Life Task Force is a product of President Helm and Chris Jachimowicz, Director of Greek Affairs. Jachimowicz said, "President Helm and I came to [the College] at about the same time and we understood that students had a feeling that the administration was anti-Greek." He said that it was why they "developed the Greek Life Task Force to help aid in deciding what was the role of Greek Life on campus and what role should they have."
By recommending the accreditation process, the Greek Life Task Force was asking the College to produce standards by which chapters need to follow. In other words, the Task Force was asking for a way for chapters and the College to measure their success.
Once this recommendation was presented, President Helm assembled a committee of faculty, staff and students to produce an annual review process for all Greek Life. "From the beginning President Helm emphasized a minimum approach to the standards in the review process," said Jachimowicz. "The committee collected data from all of the chapters on campus as well as information from annual review processes at other colleges and universities to find some minimum that made sense."
The end result is a 37-item inventory providing minimum expectations for the College's Greek Life. "The Accreditation Program requirements are equal to or less than the national chapter requirements," said Jachimowicz. "The area where it may ask more of chapters is that they are expected to do either a sexual assault or risk management program for the general student-body."