Delta Sigma Phi New Member Education Facilitator Guide

Personal Responsibility – The idea that an individual is ultimately responsible for his own actions, and that any future consequences (good or bad) are the result of his decisions. While outside factors can influence an individual’s decisions, they do not make the decision for him, and cannot be blamed for any undesired outcomes.

Bystander Behavior – The behavior that results when someone does not take personal responsibility for reacting to a situation. This behavior stems from the mentality that a problem will resolve itself, or that another person will solve a problem.
After introducing these terms, spend time discussing them in more detail:

Discussion Questions:

1. 
   Why is it important to take responsibility for your actions?
   
2. 
   What might cause someone to disregard his or her personal responsibility?
   
3. 
   Have you witnessed bystander behavior in person or in the media? Describe the situation.
   
4. 
   What might prevent someone from taking action when action is needed?
   

“Who Killed Jane Doe?”

Meeting Outline 3 of 4

The purpose of this activity is to help members identify instances of bystander behavior, assign responsibility for certain behaviors, and suggest actions that would have altered the outcome of the situation for the better.

The new member education team should pass out the “Who Killed Jane Doe?” worksheet (one copy for each participant). Move forward with this activity by taking the following steps:

• 
  Ask participants to read the story on their own.
  
• 
  Once everyone has finished reading the story, ask participants to form into groups of 3-5 people.
  
• 
  Each group should spend time prioritizing who was to blame for Jane Doe’s death. Participants should number a piece of paper 1-8, listing the person / organization most to blame as number 1, and the person / organization least to blame as number 8.
  
• 
  Once each group has completed their list, ask participants to share what they discussed and how they arrived at their conclusions.
  
• 
  Once every group (or most groups) have shared their answers, conclude the activity with a few discussion questions.
  

Discussion Questions

1. 
   Why does it take a tragic or dramatic event for us to think about our actions?
   
2. 
   What can you do to take more responsibility for your actions?
   
3. 
   What can you do to help members in our chapter more accountable for their actions?
   
4. 
   How can we support each other as we try to address bystander behavior in our fraternity experiences?
   

Who Killed Jane Doe?

(Handout)

Jane Doe, age 20, was dead on arrival. Several fraternity members, concerned by her unconscious vomiting, drove her to the emergency room at 2:30 a.m. But even before they pulled into the emergency drive, her breathing had stopped. Successive attempts by the hospital staff to revive her failed.

The sisters of Mu Epsilon were sorry. She had lived in the chapter house for two years. All her sisters knew about her drinking problem and more than a few had escorted/carried her home from past parties and held her hand as she threw-up all night.

Karen, her best friend and pledge mom was sorry. Jane and Karen had decided to get primed for the Alpha Lambda mixer later that evening. Each had done several shots at their favorite campus bar.

The brothers of Alpha Lambda were sorry. The chapter had successfully dodged their National Fraternity’s risk management policy all year. No one else on campus was following it, so why should they? Besides, if they didn’t provide alcohol and serve minors, no women would come to their parties.

Joe, an Alpha Lambda pledge and designated bartender, was sorry. Nobody ever told him not to serve people that were already drunk. Jane didn’t look any drunker than anyone else at the party. Besides, Jane was hanging all over Mike, and a little more beer might have helped him get lucky.

The IFC was sorry. Twelve of the 15 chapters on campus have national risk management policies specifically prohibiting the purchase and serving of alcoholic beverages. The IFC rep from Beta Rho had brought up the idea of a unified IFC Risk Management Policy earlier in the year, but the idea had been voted down.

The Panhellenic Council was sorry. They voted to send flowers to Mu Epsilon to show their support. Men’s fraternities are the source of the campus alcohol problem, so the Panhellenic didn’t feel like there was much more they could have done.

The local bar staff members Jane and Karen had visited were sorry. They had stamped Jane’s hand “underage” but hadn’t bothered to monitor bar patrons beyond the front door. Underage dollars made up the largest percentage of their profit and they simply couldn’t afford to enforce the drinking age when other bars didn’t.

Jane’s parents were sorry. She started drinking during her sophomore year of high school. But what could they do? All kids are going to drink with or without their parent’s permission.

Final Thoughts

Meeting Outline 4 of 4

Conclude the meeting by addressing any chapter updates that should be shared with new members. Individual membership issues can be addressed after the new member meeting. Some talking points or activities may include:

1. 
   Discussing upcoming chapter, campus, or community events.
   
2. 
   Addressing internal and external issues affecting the chapter or the fraternity community.
   
3. 
   Confirming upcoming financial commitments.
   
4. 
   Discussing schedule conflicts and personal commitments.
   
5. 
   Reminding members to utilize The Lamp for additional learning opportunities.
   

AFTER THE MEETING:

1. 
   Complete the “Men of Courage – Understanding Personal Responsibility” lesson online using The Lamp.
   
2. 
   Reread the Preamble to the Constitution.
   

Leadership_Challenge__DESCRIPTION'>LESSON 5: The Leadership Challenge

DESCRIPTION:

This lesson will teach an overview of the Student Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner. Members will discuss the five practices of leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. 
   New Members will be able to define the terms “Management” and “Leadership”.
   
2. 
   New Members will be able articulate the five practices of exemplary leadership.
   

MEETING OUTLINE:

1. 
   Personal Responsibility Review. 10 min.
   
2. 
   Guest Speaker. 30 min.
   
3. 
   Management and Leadership. 10 min.
   
4. 
   The Five Leadership Practices. 20 min.
   
5. 
   Final Thoughts. 10 min.
   

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. 
   None.
   

AFTER THE MEETING:

1. 
   Complete “The Leadership Challenge” lesson online using The Lamp.
   
2. 
   Read Chapters 6 and 7 in the Gordian Knot.
   

Personal Responsibility Review

Meeting Outline 1 of 5

Reflection is necessary for people to build an understanding for new ideas and experiences. Begin the lesson by reviewing conversations that took place during the previous meeting. Educators should propose questions that encourage reflection and conversation among participants.

Discussion Questions:

1. 
   What is personal responsibility?
   
2. 
   What is bystander behavior?
   
3. 
   How do Delta Sigma Phi chapters hold members accountable for their actions?
   

Notes:

1. 
   It may be beneficial to have members of your chapter’s Standards Board share their responsibilities with new members during this meeting. Specifically, ask Standards Board members discuss how they help members in the chapter think proactively about personal responsibility.
   

Guest Speaker

Meeting Outline 2 of 5

We encourage every chapter to invite a guest speaker to discuss leadership with your new members. All members should be encouraged to attend. It is recommended to contact guest speakers at least one month in advance of this meeting.

Possible Guest Speakers:

• 
  Chapter Advisor
  
• 
  Alumni Corporation Board Member
  
• 
  Campus Fraternity / Sorority Advisor
  
• 
  Delta Sigma Phi alumnus with professional leadership experience.
  
• 
  Campus professor or administrator involved with leadership studies.
  
• 
  Community civil or political leader.
  
• 
  Local business owner.
  

Possible Leadership Topics:

• 
  Examples of leadership traits.
  
• 
  How to develop and practice leadership skills in college.
  
• 
  How to apply fraternity leadership to professional experiences.
  

Notes:

1. 
   Properly introduce your guest speaker and provide context for their appearance at the meeting.
   
2. 
   Encourage participants to ask questions following the speaker’s presentation.
   
3. 
   Follow up with the speaker the next day to thank them for volunteering their time.
   

Management and Leadership

Meeting Outline 3 of 5

Management and Leadership are two key skills that help groups of people accomplish their goals. While each has their place in every organization, they are two different processes.

Management

Management can be defined as: coordinating the efforts of people to reach a desired outcome.

Ask participants to share examples of management.

Some management examples include:

1. 
   Running daily operations.
   
2. 
   Ensuring that rules and policies are followed.
   
3. 
   Evaluating personnel and organization performance.
   
4. 
   Operating with efficiency as a goal.
   
5. 
   “Asking how to climb the ladder”.
   

Leadership

Leadership can be defined as: people enlisting the support of each other to accomplish a shared vision.

Ask participants to share examples of leadership.

Some leadership examples include:

1. 
   Facilitating positive change.
   
2. 
   Making decisions based on values and ethics.
   
3. 
   Inspiring others.
   
4. 
   Considering people first when taking action.
   
5. 
   “Asking which ladder to climb”.
   

The Five Leadership Practices

Meeting Outline 3 of 5

Delta Sigma Phi supports a type of leadership known as servant-leadership. Unlike conventional leadership that concentrates power “at the top of the pyramid”, we believe that the strength of any group comes from people sharing responsibility and working together to reach agreed upon goals.

There are many definitions of leadership, but the Higher Education Research Institute wrote the definition we try to emulate.

Read the following definition of leadership out loud to participants:

“A leader is not necessarily a person who holds some formal position of leadership or who is perceived as a leader by others. Rather, a leader is one who is able to effect positive change for the betterment of others, the community, and society. All people, in other words, are potential leaders.

Moreover, the process of leadership cannot be described simply in terms of the behavior of an individual; rather leadership involves collaborative relationships that lead to collective action grounded in the shared values of people who work together to effect positive change”.

Note: It may be beneficial to print a copy of this definition for each participant.

Discussion Questions:

1. 
   What words or phrases from this definition stand out as particularly important?
   
2. 
   Do you agree or disagree with this definition?
   

Continue to the Five Leadership Practices…In addition to a general definition of leadership, we want to introduce tangible characteristics that constitute a leader. Research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner suggests that there are five core practices found in every leader. These practices are observable and can be learned by anyone.

Share the following leadership practices and definitions with participants and conclude the activity with the discussion questions provided.

1. 
   Model the Way
   
2. 
   Inspire a Shared Vision
   
3. 
   Challenge the Process
   
4. 
   Enable Others to Act
   
5. 
   Encourage the Heart
   

1. Model the Way

Modeling the Way can be described as:

“Setting the example” or “Doing what you say you will do”.

2. Inspire a Shared Vision

Inspire a Shared Vision can be described as:

“Envisioning a future with exciting possibilities that is based on shared aspirations”.

3. Challenge the Process

Challenge the Process can be described as:

“Searching for opportunities by seizing innovative ways to improve yourself and your organization. Challenging the process is not about playing devils advocate, it is about breaking tradition and searching for ideas where no one else is looking.”

4. Enable Others to Act

Enable Others to Act can be described as:

“Fostering collaboration within a group of people by building a foundation of trust.”

5. Encourage the Heart

Encourage the Heart can be described as:

“Recognizing the contributions of others by showing appreciation for individual excellence. Celebrating when people demonstrate their values, when they achieve personal victories, and when they contribute to the team.”

Discussion Questions:

1. 
   Which of the five leadership practices do you feel is most important? Why?
   
2. 
   Which of the five leadership practices do you feel you practice the most? The least?
   
3. 
   If you committed to practicing one of these leadership practices more often, which would it be?
   

Notes:

1. 
   We recommend asking participants to divide into groups of 2-3 people to ask each other the last set of discussion questions.
   
2. 
   
   

Final Thoughts

Meeting Outline 4 of 4

Conclude the meeting by addressing any chapter updates that should be shared with new members. Individual membership issues can be addressed after the new member meeting. Some talking points or activities may include:

1. 
   Discussing upcoming chapter, campus, or community events.
   
2. 
   Addressing internal and external issues affecting the chapter or the fraternity community.
   
3. 
   Confirming upcoming financial commitments.
   
4. 
   Discussing schedule conflicts and personal commitments.
   
5. 
   Reminding members to utilize The Lamp for additional learning opportunities.
   

AFTER THE MEETING:

1. 
   Complete the “The Leadership Challenge” lesson online using The Lamp.
   
2. 
   Read Chapters 6 and 7 in the Gordian Knot.
   

LESSON 6: Academic Success

DESCRIPTION:

Our members are students first. This lesson will support academic efforts by outlining the basic expectation of all Fraternity members while also providing best practices related to student academic success.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. 
   New Members will be able to interpret the basic academic expectations for members of Delta Sigma Phi.
   
2. 
   New Members will be able to identify recommended actions that will improve the probability of academic success.
   

MEETING OUTLINE:

1. 
   Team Building Activity. 20 min.
   
2. 
   Leadership Review. 10 min.
   
3. 
   Academic Requirements. 15 min.
   
4. 
   Guest Speaker. 30 min.
   
5. 
   Final Thoughts. 10 min.
   

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. 
   Chapter bylaws
   
2. 
   Chapter academic plan
   

AFTER THE MEETING:

1. 
   Complete “Strive for Academic Success” lesson online using The Lamp.
   
2. 
   Meet with one of your professors outside of class.
   

Team Building Activity

Meeting Outline 1 of 5

Choose a team building activity to help foster trust and strengthen the relationships between all members of your chapter. You may choose example team building activities provided in this guide or another other activity you feel to be beneficial.

As a reminder, any team building activity you choose must not violate Delta Sigma Phi’s policies. We encourage you to invite initiated members to join team building activities so that all members of your chapter (new and existing) have the opportunity to learn more about each other.

Leadership Review

Meeting Outline 2 of 5

Reflection is necessary for people to build an understanding for new ideas and experiences. Begin the lesson by reviewing conversations that took place during the previous meeting. Educators should propose questions that encourage reflection and conversation among participants.

Discussion Questions:

1. 
   What is the difference between management and leadership?
   
2. 
   Describe the five leadership practices: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, Encourage the Heart.
   

Academic Requirements

Meeting Outline 3 of 5

Using your chapter’s bylaws and academic plan, spend time reviewing the academic expectations for members of Delta Sigma Phi. Encourage participants to ask questions to clarify any expectations that are not initially understood.

Notes:

1. We recommend having your Academic Chairman lead this discussion.

EXAMPLE ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS:

Sample Chapter Bylaws

ARTICLE I
Academics

1. 
   Every member and new member shall maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) each term in order to remain in good standing with the chapter.
   
2. 
   No member shall have the privilege to vote if his cumulative grade point average or average for the previous terms work is below a 2.5.
   
3. 
   No member may be elected or appointed to any executive position or committee chairmanship in the chapter if his cumulative grade point average or average for the previous term’s work is below a 2.5.
   
4. 
   All members whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.5 will be required to meet with the academic chairman and the chapter’s academic advisor to create a plan to improve academic performance.
   

Sample Academic Plan Information

ACADEMIC CHAIRMAN RESPONSBILITIES

• 
  Keep chapter academic records as reported by the university.
  
• 
  Collect member syllabi at the start of each academic term.
  
• 
  Maintain communication with the chapter’s academic advisor.
  
• 
  Plan at least one academic workshop with the chapter’s academic advisor on an annual basis.
  
• 
  Provide the chapter with news and information relevant to academic success. (Examples: compile a list of free and paid tutoring services, notify the chapter of upcoming deadlines related to class registration, add / drop-dates, and university holidays).
  
• 
  Ensure all members meet the expectations outlined in the chapter’s academic plan.
  

CHAPTER GOALS

• 
  It is the goal of this chapter to achieve a grade point average that exceeds the campus average grade point average.
  
• 
  It is the goal of this chapter to maintain the highest collective grade point average of any men’s fraternity on campus.
  
• 
  It is the goal of this chapter to recognize members who have achieved high levels of academic success or who have demonstrated consistent academic improvement.
  
• 
  It is the goal of this chapter to support members who have demonstrated low levels of academic performance.
  

MEMBER RECOGNITION

• 
  Members who achieve a 4.0 grade point average during a given term will be recognized by: (insert recognition).
  
• 
  Chapter awards will be given to all members who exceed a 3.5 grade point average during a given term.
  
• 
  Members who improve their grade point average by .25 from the previous term will receive: (insert recognition).
  

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

• 
  Members with a grade point average between 3.5-4.0 have the option to meet with the academic chairman or the chapter’s academic advisor if needed.
  
• 
  Members with a grade point average between a 3.0-3.5 are required to have one meeting with the academic chairman or the chapter’s academic advisor to discuss their academic progress and future expectations.
  
• 
  Members with a grade point average between a 2.5-3.0 are required to have one meeting with the academic chairman or the chapter’s academic advisor to discuss their academic progress and future expectations. Additionally, these members must submit each syllabus to the academic chairman to be used for periodic updates.
  
• 
  Members with a grade point average below a 2.5 are required to have two meetings with the academic chairman or the chapter’s academic advisor to discuss their academic progress and future expectations. Additionally, these members are not permitted to hold any Fraternity offices or serve on any Fraternity committees.
  
• 
  Members with a grade point average below a 2.25 are required to have two meetings with the academic chairman or the chapter’s academic advisor to discuss their academic progress and future expectations. Additionally, these members are not permitted to hold any Fraternity offices or serve on any Fraternity committees. These members are also not permitted to attend chapter social functions or participate in chapter intramural sports.
  

Academic Chairman Contact Information:

Name:

Email:

Phone:

Academic Advisor Contact Information:

Name:

Email:

Phone:

Discussion Question:

1. 
   Are there any questions related to the basic academic expectations for members of Delta Sigma Phi?
   
2. 
   How can Delta Sigma Phi help prepare you for academic success?
   
3. 
   What tips for academic success would you like to share with other participants?
   

Guest Speaker

Meeting Outline 4 of 5

We encourage every chapter to invite a guest speaker to discuss leadership with your new members. All members should be encouraged to attend. It is recommended to contact guest speakers at least one month in advance of this meeting.