Florida Greek Standards: Help
How are chapter GPA’s calculated?
Each semester, the chapter president submits a list of all members of the organization called the chapter roster to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs. This list denotes which members are active and which are new members. At the end of the semester, the chapter rosters of registered social sororities and fraternities are sent to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. This office calculates the GPA for each chapter based solely on the rosters supplied to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs (broken out by active members, new members, and overall chapter GPA) and reports the statistics to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs. This information is compiled and released to the public via the semester grade report which ranks the chapters by academic performance. The report also contains aggregate data about the All-Men’s, All-Women’s, and All-Undergraduate GPA’s. These reports are available at http://www.greeks.ufl.edu/resources/.
What is the difference between community service and a philanthropy project?
Service is the second of four values within the Florida Greek Community. Being a member of a sorority or fraternity enhances civic engagement by allowing chapter members to identify issues within the community and addressing them through direct, hands-on interventions, activities, or programs. Examples of community service include tutoring children, serving food at a soup kitchen, and/or building a Habitat for Humanity house.
Philanthropic projects also help those in need, but differ from service projects. The purpose of philanthropies is to gather resources needed to address an issue within the community. Examples of philanthropic projects include raising money, conducting a clothing or canned food drive, and/or coordinating the collection of school supplies for children.
What role does an Internal Judicial Board serve within a chapter?
Confronting inappropriate behavior and setting ethical standards for conduct are important goals of social sororities and fraternities. One venue chapters utilize to achieve these goals is through an Internal Judicial Board. These boards are governing by procedures outlines by the (inter)national organization and/or the local chapters. The composition of the board varies by the chapter, but the purpose remains consistent – allowing peers to hold one another accountable for behaviors. Actions taken by Internal Judicial Boards include warnings, probation, removal from the chapter facility (if applicable) and potentially suspension or expulsion from the organization.
What is a crisis management plan?
It is an unfortunate reality that from time to time serious injury, loss of life, major property damage, or criminal activity will occur involving members of a social sorority or fraternity. Events of this nature not only impact not only the chapter, but also affect the Florida Greek Community, the University community, friends and family members, as well as the (inter)national office. Should such an incident occur, a crisis management plan will prepare the chapter to respond quickly and appropriately to manage the situation. A crisis management plan outlines who is the point-person during an incident as well as the appropriate action(s) to take and other strategic partners to notify (i.e., Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs staff).
What liability insurance is required?
Liability insurance is important because even when everything is going as planned and rules are being adhered to, things still might go wrong. Liability insurance may cover incidents like bodily injury and property damage when those involved abided by guidelines, laws, and policies.
Since the University registers social sororities and fraternities and has to review and approve events that occur on-campus and at chapter houses, liability insurance is required. Proof of insurance requires the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs to have an original and current Certificate of Insurance on file.
Sometimes the University cannot insure an event, and the host organization(s) will need to obtain insurance prior to hosting the function – these events may include but are not limited to inflatable novelties, motorized sporting events, and/or physical contact sports. When such insurance is required, the following entities must be listed as additionally insured on the policy:
- The State of Florida
- Florida Board of Governors
- The University of Florida Board of Trustees
- The University of Florida
Furthermore, the following is also required for the policy to be acceptable:
- Limits $1,000,000 on Bodily Injury and Property Damage AND
- The carrier must be licensed to do business in the State of Florida and possess at least a "B" Best Rating.
What is an alcohol-free social event?
The Florida Greek Community recognizes that alcohol is not required to have fun. As such, each chapter participates in two or more alcohol-free social events each semester. One of these events may be closed to only the members of the organization and could include events like camping or playing paintball. However, the second event must be conducted in conjunction with one or more other registered student organizations. Examples of these co-sponsored events include a movie night or bowling.
While exchange dinners are common practice and most do not involve alcohol, these occasions would not count toward completion of this requirement for Florida Greek Standards.
What is a chapter advisor?
The Office of Sorority & Fraternity Affairs (OSFA) believes that an active, involved chapter advisor is a key ingredient to a successful chapter. Accordingly, each chapter shall have a chapter advisor who either lives or works within the immediate Gainesville area, and who has the support of the Inter/National organization. The advisor is an independent agent and has not connection to the university. He/she shall be an alumnus of the sorority or fraternity and at least three years removed from his/her undergraduate chapter experience (unless a specific exemption is granted by the University in conjunction with the Inter/National organization), should have some form of Greek experience, and shall provide the chapter and its membership with continuing advice and support. The advisor will agree to:
- Attend most chapter meetings
- Attend Chapter Advisor meetings when scheduled by the OSFA
- Meet with staff from the OSFA at least once per semester
- Assist with special events and programs of the chapter
- Assist the Academic Advisor in the promotion of scholarship
- Work closely with the chapter president, treasurer, risk manager, social chair, and new member educator
- Assist the chapter in preparing and implementing chapter budgets, goals, event management, and crisis management procedures
- Stay abreast of University policies, particularly those that pertain to social sororities and fraternities
- Stay abreast of the rules and regulations of the Inter/National organization.
The Office of Sorority & Fraternity Affairs will work with chapters and their Inter/National organizations to locate potential chapter advisors and will provide additional resources toward training and developing advisors.
What is a scholarship advisor?
The Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs believes that faculty involvement is critical to the success of social sororities and fraternities. Furthermore, student interactions with faculty members improve the undergraduate experience and promote student retention and satisfaction. While chapters are not required to have a scholarship advisor and each advisor’s role may vary, the following is a recommended list of duties:
- Assist the chapter in creating an overall scholarship plan
- Meet with new members each to review their academic progress and plans at the University
- Assist with developing a scholarship recognition and academic incentives program for the chapter
- Attend scholarship receptions hosted by the chapter
- Be available to meet with individual members who are in need of academic assistance or major exploration advice.
What is a house corporation?
The Office of Sorority & Fraternity Affairs (OSFA) believes that an active, involved house corporation is a key ingredient to a successful chapter facility. Accordingly, each chapter shall have a house corporation officer who either lives or works within the immediate Gainesville area, and who has the support of the Inter/National organization. The house corporation will agree to:
- Complete all paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service and State of Florida to be an incorporated entity in good standing
- Establish the cost for living in the house, meal plans, and out-of-house fees as well as bill for and collect these monies (using a professional accountant or collection agency is acceptable)
- Hire, supervise, and train the House Director in accordance with the House Director Policy
- Oversee the implementation and execution of the University of Florida Social Sorority and Fraternity Facility
- Attend House Corporation meetings when scheduled by the OSFA
- Submit an annual Emergency Management Plan for the facility
- Submit contact information for the representative from the House Corporation who will liaison with OSFA on maintenance and facility issues as required by the University of Florida Social Sorority and Fraternity Facility Policy
- Submit an annual copy of the lease each tenant signs to reside in the facility
- Submit an annual copy the House Director’s employment contract, which should include all requirements as outlined in the House Director Policy
- Submit an annual copy of rules and regulations governing tenants and guests of the chapter facility along with the process by which these violations are adjudicated and sanctions that can be imposed.
