Texas Christian University
Fraternity & Sorority Life
Program Standards (rev. 1/8/07)

Introduction

Throughout the years, fraternities and sororities have thrived because of their ability to unite, in common purpose, students from different backgrounds.  Since 1955 fraternity and sorority chapters have been in existence at Texas Christian University, representing membership in as many as twenty-six national chapters and three local organizations.

Fraternities and sororities offer students opportunities for personal development unmatched in most campus organizations.  The leadership opportunities alone have caused some to call the American college fraternity a “laboratory” where students can test and develop their skills as organizational leaders, public speakers, community servants and good citizens.

College fraternities and sororities stand for some lofty ideals, scholastic achievement, public service, respect for one’s fellow human and so on.  The conflict between these stated ideals and the behavior of undergraduate members on the campus has often caused confusion and a lack of support for the fraternity/sorority community.  Only through cooperative efforts among undergraduate and alumni members, general fraternity/sorority leaders, inter/national offices, campus administrators and other concerned parties, will college fraternities and sororities meet their stated purposes.

It is clear, that in the cases where the true mission of fraternity/sorority is understood and supported by all concerned constituents, positive constructive relationships can be built between fraternities and sororities and the host institution.  The counter is also true.  (-paraphrased from “Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities, 20th Edition”)

Standards

1.         Mission & Goals
The fraternity and sorority community must develop, review and disseminate regularly their own specific mission, which must be consistent with the nature and goals of Texas Christian University and with the standards in this document.  As a result, the fraternity and sorority community at TCU will achieve programs, services, and activities with purpose.  The purpose will be pre-determined through a set of goals and objectives that are attainable throughout the fraternity/sorority community.

2.         Program & Learning Opportunities
Fraternity and sorority activities must be (a) purposeful, (b) coherent, (c) based on or related to theories and knowledge of human development and learning characteristics, and (d) reflective of the demographic and developmental profiles of the student body.  The fraternity and sorority community activities must promote student development by encouraging such things as positive and realistic self-appraisal, intellectual development, appropriate personal and occupational choices, clarification of values, physical fitness, the ability to relate meaningfully with others, the capacity to engage in a personally satisfying and effective style of living, the capacity to appreciate cultural and esthetic differences, and the capacity to work independently and interdependently.  The educational experience of students consists of both academic effort in the classroom and developmental opportunities through membership in the fraternity and sorority community.  As a result, members of the fraternity and sorority community at TCU will receive added benefit for membership in their fraternity/sorority chapter.  Members of the fraternity/sorority will be better students, will achieve higher academic standing, will attain necessary leadership skills, and will be better prepared for life in the greater community.

3.         Organization & Administration
The fraternity and sorority community must develop its own set of policies and procedures that include a detailed description of the administration process and an organizational chart showing the job function and reporting relationship within and beyond the community.  As a result, the fraternity and sorority community at TCU will be self-sufficient, self-regulating and self-led as a community of students within the University.

4.         Campus & Community Relations
The fraternity and sorority community must maintain good relations with relevant campus offices and external agencies, which necessarily requires regular identification of offices with whom such relationships are critical.  To enhance the potential for student development and to properly represent institutional governance concerns, the community must seek to utilize multiple resources in the delivery of services and programs.  These include, minimally, the inter/national headquarters staff, alumni, the chapter officers and the membership, faculty members, and other institutional administrators.  As a result, the TCU fraternity and sorority community will be a friendly and effective community within TCU, utilizing necessary offices, staff and faculty to assure their success within the greater TCU community.  A cooperative relationship will be maintained between TCU and the TCU fraternity and sorority community, including their (inter)national headquarters staff, alumni, chapters officers, and the membership as a whole.

5.         Diversity & Multi-Cultural Programs and Services
The fraternity and sorority community must provide to members of its majority and minority cultures’ educational efforts that focus on awareness of cultural differences, self-assessment of possible prejudices, and desirable behavioral changes.  The fraternity and sorority community must provide educational programs that help minority students identify their unique needs, prioritize those needs, and meet them to the degree that numbers of students, facilities, and resources permit.  The program must orient minority students to the culture of the university and promote and deepen their understanding of their own culture and heritage.  As a result, the fraternity and sorority program at TCU will promote cultural educational experiences that are characterized by open and continuous communication that deepen understanding of one’s culture and heritage and that respects and educates regarding commonalities, differences, and histories of cultures.

6.         Ethics & Standards
All persons involved in the provision of the fraternity and sorority community must maintain the highest standards of ethical behavior.  Fraternity and sorority administrators and leaders must develop and adopt standards of ethical practice addressing the unique problems that face the fraternity/sorority community.  The standards must be published and reviewed by all concerned.  Each chapter will communicate its values through its ritual at least annually or as prescribed by its policies.  As a result, members of the TCU fraternity and sorority community will live to a higher standard.  Stated standards will be published for public review and reviewed and revised regularly to meet the cultural change within the fraternity and sorority community.

7.         Evaluation
There must be systematic and regular research on and evaluation of the overall fraternity/sorority community to determine whether the educational goals and the needs of the membership are being met.  Although methods may vary, they must utilize both quantitative and qualitative measures.  Data collected must include responses from student-members and other significant constituencies.  Results of these regular evaluations must be used in revising and improving the program goals and implementation.  Evaluation of the fraternity/sorority community goals and objectives should be sought from relevant administrative units, community agencies, alumni, students, faculty, and national headquarters staff.  Selected critical aspects of evaluations should be recorded and maintained by the community.  As a result, the TCU fraternity and sorority community will remain current with all programs, services and activities, maintaining factual and proven knowledge that they are fulfilling their goals and objectives through every effort of the community.  Continued progress and development of the fraternity and sorority community will take place through systematic efforts of the TCU fraternity and sorority community.

In order to accomplish the aforementioned goals, purpose, and mission of the Texas Christian University Fraternity and Sorority Community, TCU, in conjunction with all fraternity and sorority life constituents, developed the Fraternity and Sorority Life Expectations.  All student organizations defined by TCU as a fraternity or sorority will be held accountable on an annual basis to meet and hopefully exceed these expectations. 

Each organization will submit a Scoring Sheet that will be evaluated by a standing committee.  Below is a list of committee members:

            Chair                Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life (facilitator)
            Members          Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs (or appointee) Chair of Committee
                                    Chair of the Staff Assembly (or appointee)    
                                    Chair of the Faculty Senate (or appointee)
                                    Chair, TCU Student Organization Committee (or appointee)

Once the committee has met and evaluated chapter submissions, the chair of the committee will convene a meeting with the chapter executive officers and local advisors to discuss the results.  Additionally, the chair will communicate the decisions of the committee to the inter/national office. 

TCU will publish the decision of the committee in a table format on the www.greeks.tcu.edu webpage.  If a chapter meets and/or exceeds the minimum standard, the chapter will receive a green color in the individual category box.  If the chapter does not meet the minimum standard, the chapter will receive a red color in the individual category box.  The overall chapter distinction will be indicated in the box with the chapters name and with the same color distinctions. 

Please check our website for an updated version of the publication material.