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From Jim Russell, executive vice president
As we launch this final edition of
the Arch of Promise for 2010-11,
it’s an appropriate time to thank the seniors across the Fraternity who are
prepared to graduate into the next phase in their lives.
Thank you for the contributions you have made to your chapter and to the general Fraternity during your undergraduate years. Delta Tau Delta has grown significantly in men, chapters and programming in the past five years. Through Delta Tau Delta you have acquired additional tools to help you do your work and fulfill your obligations. We hope you have taken the opportunity to participate in The Road and have benefited from it. As a brotherhood dedicated to excellence, being committed to lifelong learning is vital. From here, you are solely responsible for your own development.
You will be a Delt the rest of your life. Delta Tau Delta asks you to honor its badge whether you wear it often or relegate it to the corner of a drawer. I have no doubt the graduates of 2011 will honor the Fraternity in ways both grand and obscure but meaningful. The world truly does lie fair before your eager eyes. Godspeed and good luck to each of you as you begin this new journey. W trust you will find ways to serve “those that follow” as you make your way in life.
Kreman promoted to
Director of Operations
Jack Kreman (Nebraska-Kearney, 2004), has been promoted to serve as Delta Tau Delta’s Director of Operations effective June 1, 2011. In that role, Jack will serve as the staff lead for the delivery of member services and risk management education. He also will:
- Manage the director of growth which includes oversight of the Fraternity’s recruitment and expansion initiatives
- Identify, train and manage his successor as the director of chapter services
- Provide the necessary oversight for the hiring, training and management of the chapter leadership consultants toward the successful delivery of Central Office services to our chapters
- Endeavor to provide undergraduate and volunteer awareness of Fraternity policies, procedures and compliance relevant to chapter operations, including the Member Responsibility Guidelines, the annual accreditation process and chapter financial reporting requirements
- Be tasked to seek opportunities for innovation and integration of Fraternity systems with outside vendors who provide information technology. That includes interfacing with current vendors such as Fusion Alliance, Patriot, QuickBooks and FundWare, as well as looking to identify potential partners in the broad domain of information technology.
Kreman joined the Central Office staff as a chapter leadership consultant in June 2004 following his graduation from the University of Nebraska at Kearney where he was initiated into the Theta Kappa Chapter and earned a degree in liberal arts. He served on the field staff for two years and then returned to Kearney for post-graduate study. He rejoined the Central Office staff in May 2007 as director of chapter services and has functioned admirably in that role for the past four years.
Jack will report to Executive Vice President Jim Russell and serve on the senior management team along with Director of Business Affairs Alan Selking and Director of Residential Life/Manager of Conferences Andy Longo.
Kreman will complete his master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University in May. He and his wife, Lorissa, live in Fishers, Ind.
At-Large Undergraduate Council seats open
Two at-large seats on the
Undergraduate Council will become available June 15. As provided in Article XV
of the Fraternity's By-Laws, President Alan Brackett will make appointments
based on proven leadership abilities, academic excellence and dedicated interest
in serving Delta Tau Delta.
The Undergraduate Council, created in
1968, provides an opportunity for undergraduate Delts to have direct contact
with the Arch Chapter at its meetings and to give input to that body. In doing
so, the Fraternity intends to give its undergraduate members a needed voice in
the decisions that impact the Fraternity.
The term of service
for the two at-large seats will be June 2011 through June 2013. In addition to
being an undergraduate through the spring 2013 academic term, those serving on
the Undergraduate Council should be of the highest character, eager to serve the
Fraternity on a national level, and have the ability to devote significant
time to his duties. Those would typically include two weekend Arch
Chapter/Undergraduate Council meetings per year, at least one division
conference per year, the 2012 Austin Karnea, and other work outside of meetings
as directed by the president.
Our current Undergraduate Council
includes 12 seats. Eight seats are apportioned geographically, with
approximately the same number of chapters represented per seat. Members are
selected on a rotational basis within the district and appointed by the
respective division president. The remaining four seats are at-large and
selected by the president of the Fraternity.
Retiring from the
Undergraduate Council after serving as at-large members since August 2009 are
Peter Bealka (Baylor University, 2012) and Adam Koehler (Kettering University,
2012). Also departing in June will be District 2 representative Zach Muddiman
(Stephen F. Austin University, 2013), District 4 representative Jacob Wight
(Appalachian State University, 2012), District 6 representative Ken Tubbs (John
Carroll University, 2011), and District 7 representative Alex Russ (University
of Michigan, 2012). We thank them for their service and hope they will continue
to be active and productive Delts throughout the remainder of their
undergraduate years and beyond. We also look forward to new Delts taking this
opportunity to serve the Fraternity.
A chapter that would like to
nominate a member for an at-large position must have that member submit a resumé
and a letter to President Alan Brackett via the Central Office by June, 15, 2011
to be considered for one of these open positions. Any questions may be directed
to Executive Assistant Vicky Halsey or to 10000
Allisonville Road, Fishers, IN 46038.
Please give this serious
consideration and urge a worthy man in your chapter to apply.
April and May: Why they are so critical to chapter operations
Jack Kreman, Director of Chapter Services
One of the most common questions asked both by undergraduates and alumni is, how can my chapter win a Court of Honor of a Hugh Shields Award? Aside from the obvious, turning in paperwork, completing a comprehensive FAAR and delegating tasks, what is the single most important thing? Take advantage of April and May.
April and May is the time when most chapters will slide. There is a lot going on in these months. There are spring breaks, Easter/Passover breaks, Greek Week, finals etc. It is very easy for a chapter to slide through the last two months of the year. This is precisely when more successful chapters excel. Successful chapter leaders push members to be excellent Delts through the end of the semester. If your chapter can commit to working through these last two months, you will gain an advantage on the competition.
This is a great time to assess your goals. As a chapter leader, you should have had a planning retreat in December or January. At that retreat you should have set goals for the semester/quarter. This is the time to look at those goals. Which ones did the chapter accomplish? Where did it fail? Take what the chapter has learned and apply it to the agenda for the fall retreat in August/September. This will allow the chapter to focus its attention on these deficiencies and address them in the fall.
Complete a mock FAAR in April/May. The 2011 FAAR guidelines will not be issued until August. However, they rarely change significantly from year to year. Find the feedback the chapter received from the graders. Pull out the 2010 FAAR. Then, begin to compile the material necessary for the 2011 FAAR. When you come across something missing, make a note of it and make sure you address this in the fall.
Challenge your officers. Have each officer review his goals for the spring. What did he do well? What
did he do not so well? This is an excellent task to delegate to your vice president(s). Have them provide the chapter president with a report of all chairmen and their progress this spring. This will set the stage for a more successful fall.
Set a FAAR schedule for the fall. Waiting until the last minute to complete the FAAR is the best way to guarantee failure. Create a preparation schedule for the fall. Create self-imposed guidelines. For example, a schedule might look like this:
September 1 – Assign pieces of the FAAR to chapter officers.
September 15 – Officers submit their materials to the vice president.
September 20 – Vice president provides feedback to the officers for revision.
October 1 – Final submissions from chairmen are due.
October 15 – A rough draft of the FAAR is ready for the president and advisors to review.
October 20 – The final draft of FAAR is due.
October 26 – Send the FAAR to the Central Office.
The Three F’s of springtime: Frisbees, Finals and Fall Recruitment!
Dave Sirey, Director of Growth
It’s that beautiful time of year. The birds are chirping, the frisbees are flying and the library is now full of students who never visited all year. As your school year wraps up, here are four easy strategies you can employ to prepare your chapter for recruitment success in the fall:
- Get involved with summer orientation. Nearly every university in the country has some type of summer orientation program which utilizes student volunteers leading small groups. Have your members sign up to serve as volunteers. This will give you face to face contact with the entire freshman class. Even if your campus has stiff regulations against talking about Greek life during this program, you can simply make a note of the students you would want to get to know better and trade phone numbers to call him in the fall.
- Freshman move-in/fall orientation. What better way to make a connection with an incoming student than to shake his hand in his dorm while you’re surrounded by his family. Freshman move-in day is the PERFECT opportunity to make a good impression. Since he is about to spend his first night away from home, why not have the chapter organize a football game you can invite him to later that evening.
- Check your hometown newspaper. What men from your high school are about to attend your college? This is an easy connection to make. Call a man up during the summer and offer to go to lunch to give him the “heads up” on what to expect. What incoming freshman is going to turn down this invite from an upperclassman?
- Start a recruitment scholarship. Take $250 out of your recruitment budget and offer a scholarship. This can be a tremendous investment because you have an excuse to contact every member of the freshman class and ask them to complete an application and meet them for an interview.
The most effective recruiting chapters are already preparing for the fall by putting themselves in a place to be in contact with incoming students. Whether this means attending summer organization fairs or simply making friends through orientation programs, now is the time to set your selves up for recruitment excellence.
Upcoming calendar
MAY 2011
MAY 1: Spring term chapter and sports reports due
MAY 1: Next academic year's final budget due; (e-mail to: mfr@delts.net)
MAY 1: Kershner Scholar report due for winter 2011 grading period (quarter schools)
MAY 20-22 Presidents and Advisors Retreat at Fisher-Nichols Headquarters, Fishers, Ind.
MAY 15: April's Monthly Financial Report (MFR) due
MAY 30: Central Office closed in observance of Memorial Day
JUNE 2011
JUNE 15: May's Monthly Financial Report (MFR) due
JUNE 19-25: Sailing Academy at Hamden, Maine
JUNE 30: Last day of chapter's fiscal year
JULY 2011
JULY 1: First day of chapter's fiscal year
JULY 4: Central Office closed in observance of Independence Day
JULY 15: June's Monthly Financial Report (MFR) Due
JULY 21-24: Bethany Academy
JULY 31: Last day of Fraternity's fiscal year