AALLPPHHAA SSIIGGMMAA PPHHII FFRRAATTEERRNNIITTYY AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT 22000044 ~~ 22000055 GRAND SENIOR PRESIDENT’S LETTER “We cannot become what we need to be, remaining what we are.” Max Depree Brothers, Change is the inevitable result of individuals and organizations striving to set new standards and exceed old expectations. While many fear change, many more embrace it for the countless opportunities it brings. And so it is that Alpha Sigma Phi is entering a phase of change that will bring her to new levels of excellence. It began with a dream, a vision of the kind of positive impact our brotherhood could have on its members and our communities. That vision was examined with excruciating thoroughness, tested for relevance, and ultimately formed the basis for our fraternity’s 2005-2010 strategic plan. I encourage you to go to www.alphasigmaphi.org and read this document and the accompanying implementation plan, as they form the basis for how we will be changing in the months and years ahead. In this edition of the Annual Report, we begin to transition our reporting of progress to align with this strategic plan. The goals you will see outlined in the pages that follow are aggressive, and will not be easily achieved. But then, nothing worth doing ever is. If I had to sum up our new direction in a few words, I would talk of leverage and accountability. We seek to better leverage the vast pool of talented brothers who proudly call themselves Alpha Sigs. With renewed and broadened support from the headquarters staff, this resource will become the engine that drives improvements in chapter operations, undergraduate mentoring, and will facilitate the process of learning as our undergraduates seek to better know themselves through the life and leadership laboratory that is Alpha Sigma Phi. And accountability…to ourselves as men of good character; to each other as brothers sworn to live with silence, charity, purity, honor, and patriotism as our core values; and, to the communities in which we live. Change is coming, and a stronger fraternity will be the result. Watch… no better yet; participate in the new opportunities that will result. Help make our brotherhood the best it can be. For ultimately, we must not be trapped by our past…we should live in dreams, not memories. In Alpha, Sigma, and Phi, Mark D. Still University of Washington, Mu ’75 Grand Senior President 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS STRATEGIC PLAN/GRAND COUNCIL ENDS 3 RITUAL VALUES 4 CHAPTER-LEVEL PARENT, UNIVERSITY AND ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT 4 MEMBER RECRUITMENT 6 INDUCTION TO THE BROTHERHOOD 7 BROTHERHOOD DEVELOPMENT 8 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 9 LEADERSHIP SKILLS 11 LIFE SKILLS 12 GRAND COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 13 FRATERNITY FINANCIAL REPORTS 16 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL WORTH 18 2 GRAND COUNCIL ENDS With the development of the Strategic Plan: 2005-2010, the Grand Council conducted a thorough review and revision of its Policy END statements. END statements are the tool the Grand Council uses under our governance model to communicate to the CEO and his staff the results we expect him to achieve. These statements lay out a specific goal, for what purpose, for which constituents, and at what cost. For each END, the CEO will develop a measurement plan for quantifying our progress, and will report those metrics to the Grand Council and the brotherhood in future Annual Reports. This year's Annual Report represents a transition from our more recent Annual Reports and those that will follow consistent with the new Strategic Plan. Many of the metrics and statistics presented herein, while more directly supportive of our previous ENDs, are still very relevant to measuring the health of our Fraternity and several will remain as appropriate metrics in the future. Our previous ENDs focused on our three major constituencies: chapters, alumni members, and, undergraduate members. Our new ENDS expand upon those constituencies and revolve around eight fundamental building blocks in furtherance of our vision: Be the co-curricular organization of choice for discerning undergraduate men, through the provision of an enriching brotherhood experience and a full range of character and leadership development opportunities that are: Relevant, Replicable, and Recognizable and our purpose: To Better the Man, through the creation and perpetuation of brotherhood founded upon the values of character… Silence, Charity, Purity, Honor, Patriotism AAA BBBeeetttttteeerrr MMMaaannn LLLiiifffeee SSSkkkiiillllllsss LLLeeeaaadddeeerrrssshhhiiippp SSSkkkiiillllllsss CCChhhaaarrraaacccttteeerrr DDDeeevvveeelllooopppmmmeeennnttt BBBrrrooottthhheeerrrhhhooooooddd DDDeeevvveeelllooopppmmmeeennnttt IIInnnddduuuccctttiiiooonnn tttooo ttthhheee BBBrrrooottthhheeerrrhhhooooooddd MMMeeemmmbbbeeerrr RRReeecccrrruuuiiitttmmmeeennnttt CCChhhaaapppttteeerrr---llleeevvveeelll PPPaaarrreeennnttt,,, UUUnnniiivvveeerrrsssiiitttyyy aaannnddd AAAllluuummmnnniii IIInnnvvvooolllvvveeemmmeeennnttt RRRiiitttuuuaaalll VVVaaallluuueeesss 3 Ritual Values The values derived from our Ritual should form the foundation for all we are…as an organization, as brothers and as citizens of our communities. We cannot fulfill our purpose to make better men if we do not dedicate ourselves to living these values, interpret them for today’s world and the Millennial Generation that comprises our current and perspective undergraduate brothers, and weave them throughout all our programs and products. We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. Each brother will know and understand the practical application in day-to-day life of the values we espouse; silence, charity, purity, honor, and patriotism. 2. Our values will be an open, visible, and central component of each undergraduate brother’s day-to-day lives, as they seek truth and wisdom. 3. Our values will be an open, visible, and central component of the national organization’s and each chapter’s culture, policies, products, services and governance model. 4. Our values will be openly communicated to the non-initiated. With Ritual Values as our initial building block, the Fraternity endeavors to put our values at the forefront of everything we do. Areas that will receive significant attention in the future include: • More thorough alignment between all organizational documentation and communications with Ritual Values. • The Ralph F. Burns Leadership Institute will use the five values of Silence, Charity, Purity, Honor, and Patriotism as the foundation for the educational outcomes that the Institute endeavors to achieve. • Chapter awards and citations will celebrate chapter successes in Ritual Values. • By Fall 2006, each undergraduate affiliated with Alpha Sigma Phi (colony and chapter) will be given the opportunity to complete a professionally developed and administered online survey to gauge their understanding of the meaning and application of the five values. The survey will address themes similar to those reported in the Annual Stakeholder Report published in November 2005. CCHHAAPPTTEERR--LLEEVVEELL PPAARREENNTT,, UUNNIIVVEERRSSIITTYY AANNDD AALLUUMMNNII IINNVVOOLLVVEEMMEENNTT Experience has shown a very strong correlation between the quality of alumni involvement at the chapter level and the quality of chapter operations. It is this unassailable fact that requires us to make quality parent, university and alumni involvement the second cornerstone of our journey toward becoming the co-curricular organization of choice. Focused, effective, and values-based chapter operations, properly facilitated by active adult involvement, are the infrastructure upon which all our efforts to better the man will be supported. They are key to our ability to effectively replicate program goals across our 4 nearly 70 franchises, and key to recruitment and retention of today’s discerning college- age men. We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. Each chapter and colony will have at least one alumni brother assigned as a Grand Chapter/Colony Advisor (GCA). 2. The roles and responsibilities of GCAs will be properly documented and effectively communicated to the advisor and the group they are assigned to mentor. 3. Each GCA will have attended specific training on their roles and responsibilities within six months of assignment as an advisor. 4. Each GCA will build and sustain a Chapter Council comprised of at least one parent of a current undergraduate member of the chapter, a member of the university’s faculty or staff, and a member of the chapter’s housing corporation (if applicable). 5. Each GCA will be equipped with the resources necessary to build and sustain an active parents group whose purpose is to involve parents of current undergraduate members of the chapter in appropriate chapter activities to include pledge ceremonies, scholarship and award events, community service events, and appropriate chapter social events. 6. Each GCA will receive semiannual feedback on their performance and the performance of their Chapter Council as measured against an established set of criteria detailed by ENDs and Limitations consistent with the Grand Council’s governance model. 7. All GCAs will provide monitoring reports to the Grand Council semiannually, outlining their progress toward meeting their ENDs and compliance with appropriate Limitations. 8. All alumni will receive communications regarding their chapter and/or the national organization at least four times per year. Grand Chapter Advisors As is readily apparent, our new ENDs greatly increase the critical role of the GCA in the future. P e By the end of 2004-05, 94 percent of our chapters rc had GCAs assigned. en 90% t w / 70% A The Fraternity is redirecting much of its operational d vis 50% assets towards this important building block o involving the university, alumni and parents. As we rs 000- 001 002- 003 004- 005 006- 007 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 move forward, specific attention will be directed Year towards: Actual Goal • A HQ staff-level Director of Volunteer Services who will recruit and educate volunteers to serve on Chapter Councils. The shift away from an undergraduate focus and towards establishing and supporting effective Chapter Councils will require a fundamental shift in how we consider the Fraternity staff’s role. • Parents who will receive increased communications and will be asked for more involvement in their son's membership. 5 As with our Ritual Values building block, new awards and citations will be created to • celebrate chapter success in Chapter-Level Parent, University and Alumni Involvement. MMEEMMBBEERR RREECCRRUUIITTMMEENNTT Member recruitment is the lifeblood of our organization. The methods we use to recruit will directly impact our ability to attract and retain quality men from across the campus spectrum…not just those already inclined to join a fraternity. Alignment between our recruiting practices, our values, and our actions as individual brothers and collectively as a brotherhood are paramount. We must do what we say we will do! We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. All ΑΣΦ recruitment materials will be designed to support our purpose and contribute to our vision. 2. Each chapter and colony will have access to resources designed to assist in the development of a chapter recruitment message and strategy designed to support our purpose and contribute to our vision. 3. GCAs will be trained on a consistent recruitment concept. 4. All chapters will realize at least a 25% increase in membership from the 2004-2005 academic year baseline or exceed the respective campus fraternity size average, whichever is greater, by the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. 5. Undergraduate demographics will show positive trends in diversity of membership and retention rates. Average Chapter Size (after graduation & before recruitment) Member recruitment will always be an important part of our efforts but M receives even more visibility under e 40 n the new Strategic Plan. Average P 35 chapter size increased only slightly in e r 30 2004-05 from 24.30 percent to 24.67 C 25 h percent. a 20 p t e r 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Actual Goal 6 Chapter, Colony & Interest Groups 80 Meanwhile, during 2004-05, 70 the total number of our groups (chapters, colonies G 60 r and interest groups) o 50 u p increased from 68 to 69. s 40 30 20 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 2006- 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Actual Goal Going forward, Membership Recruitment will introduce several new innovations that include: • Identification of a Recruitment "H" officer at the chapter level. This will require formal adoption during Grand Chapter. • Creation of Chapter Endowment Funds, which among other objectives, would award scholarships to potential new members. • Creation of a recruitment specialist on the Headquarters staff to assist chapter recruitment efforts. IINNDDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO TTHHEE BBRROOTTHHEERRHHOOOODD The initiation ceremony at once marks the end of pledgeship and the beginning of a lifelong commitment to our brotherhood and the ideals we espouse. This ceremony and the oaths it contains must be properly executed and fully understood by the men who are committing their lives to Alpha, Sigma, and Phi. The pledge period must positively reinforce the values of our brotherhood and properly prepare pledges for the life-long commitment they will make. We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. Every chapter will employ a nationally-developed pledge education program that is compliant with NIC standards. 2. Every brother will participate in a quality initiation experience which emphasizes the values espoused by ΑΣΦ no later than nine weeks after the pledge ceremony. 3. Every chapter will conduct a nationally-developed post-initiation ceremony Ritual review, led by an alumni volunteer. 4. Every brother will attend a nationally-developed and executed values-based new member character development opportunity at no charge, within 1 year of initiation. 7 Consistent with these ENDs: • A standard eight week new member program has been developed (currently under the title of The Alpha Phase). It also includes a ninth week designed for proper review of the Initiation Ceremony. The program requires non- intrusive oversight by the GCA and integrates all major stakeholders into the program (parents, university administration and/or faculty, alumni volunteers). • Our signature educational program, The Ralph F. Burns Leadership Institute, cuts across and reinforces many of our building blocks and ENDs. Future plans call for ever-increasing participation in The Burns Institute with funding to support 500 new members annually by 2008. This should accommodate approximately 60% of our organization’s new membership. BBRROOTTHHEERRHHOOOODD DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT The development of life-long relationships is determined in great measure by the quality and quantity of life events that forge the relationship. As individuals go through a challenging event or series of events together, these “crucibles” begin to define their personal identity, their values and ultimately their ability to become a leader of themselves and others. Through these shared experiences, core social and leadership competencies such as adaptive capacity, ability to engage others through shared meaning and vision, a sense of conviction, and a sense of integrity are defined and redefined. In the formative period between 18 and 25 years of age, these experiences allow the individual to organize meaning for their life and develop the core socialization and leadership competencies needed to be productive and engaged members of society. Traditionally, it has been thought that crucibles needed to be dangerous or crisis events. It is this belief that too often sustains physical and mental hazing traditions within our chapters. But new research has validated that very personal, life-changing experiences, from achieving a degree, to making a significant difference in another person’s life, to being mentored by a truly caring individual can have an impact as significant as crisis experiences. What is important is not the crucible itself, but how the event or experience changes the life of the person experiencing it. Thus, the experiences and opportunities membership in ΑΣΦ presents to individuals can provide the much needed positive crucibles young men need to prepare them to be better men, better members of their campus and community. Our brotherhood can be the life and leadership laboratory in which these positive experiences change the lives of our undergraduate members. We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. Every chapter will hold at least one retreat each academic year to set goals and objectives as a brotherhood. This event will be facilitated by the GCA, supported by the Chapter Council. 2. Every chapter will have a Director of Brotherhood Development devoted to facilitating opportunities for brothers to interact beyond the social aspects of fraternity. 8 3. Guidance on brotherhood development opportunities will be prepared and distributed to each chapter, colony and interest group and the GCA supporting each group. 4. Regionally based brotherhood interaction opportunities will be established and facilitated by alumni volunteers. 5. ΑΣΦ Chapters will sponsor at least one service project in the local community each academic year which is open to and marketed for participation by any member of the campus and local community. CCHHAARRAACCTTEERR DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT It has been said that character is how a person acts when no one is looking. Exposing our undergraduate brothers to opportunities to define and refine their individual attributes of character is a central element in our purpose to better the man. We will achieve this goal when we reach the following ENDs: 1. Every chapter will provide an environment and culture in which young men can explore their values and personal attributes in an emotionally and physically safe environment. 2. Each brother will learn the discipline necessary to be academically successful. 3. Each brother will embrace the responsibility of being a positive and contributory member of society. 4. Every brother will understand the responsibilities and ramifications associated with alcohol consumption and other excessive behaviors. The Character Development building block encompasses several important aspects of the "better man" we expect Alpha Sigs to be. They include areas we have monitored closely for years. Academic success will always remain one GPA Above Men's Average of our primary goals. Achieving academic 100% results on a par with peers has been our 85% minimum expectation. We have continued Pe 70% r to compare our chapters' performance c e 55% n against the all-men’s GPA for their campus. t 40% In that regard, we experienced significant 25% improvement in 2004-05 as our chapters went from 34 percent (2003-04) to 48 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 percent during the last academic year. 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Actual Goal 9