THE EXPONENT: Volume 2, Number 2

News and Commentary for Triangle Leaders Brought to you by the Fraternity Strengthening Committee of National Council

TRIANGLE FRATERNITY:

Is Serious About Scholarship

Sets and Demonstrates High Standards

Celebrates Achievement

• Brotherhood
  • Talking About Choices
• Chapter Management
  • Product: Helping Ourselves Make the Grade
  • Leadership: Motivating Your Membership for Success
  • Management: Officer Transition Period Provides Key to Success
  • Great Recruitment Ideas
• Spotlight on Triangle Chapters
  • The Success of the Houston Area Former Triangle Actives
• Spotlight on Triangle
  • Programs: Announcing the Frederick R. Kappel Web Communications Award
  • Reminders: Summit Program, Regional Workshop 96, UIFI
• Spotlight on Prominent Triangles
  • Meet the National Office Staff: Al Evon ar88

Talking About Choices

Al Evon ar88 (Director of Chapter Services)

Here are the steps that need to be taken to complete this exercise:

1. Choose a discussion leader or moderator. This person will be responsible for deciding which choice will be discussed and calling on a member to discuss that choice. The moderator will also be responsible for keeping the discussion on track and providing a summation at the end.
2. The member who was called upon must discuss the choice the moderator has chosen for him. In the discussion, the member must say:
   • What the choice means.
   • How that choice affects him in his personal life.
   • How that choice affects the chapter.
   • What can be done to improve this choice in the chapter.
3. The moderator may wish to ask follow-up questions for specific choices (i.e. when discussing "To Be Enthusiastic, Whine, or Be Indifferent," the moderator may want to ask the Brother to assess which of those things the chapter has the most of and why).
4. Once all choices have been discussed by individual members, the moderator will ask the group if anyone wants to discuss any of the choices further.
5. Once all discussion has concluded, the moderator should provide a summation. This would go something like:

   "Now that we have discussed these choices and stated what they mean, we will look for them in both potential and current members. We will expect them from our pledges and our actives. We must remember, however, that the theme was building a better fraternity one member at a time. Therefore, to improve our chapter in relation to these choices, we must each begin with ourselves."

Allow a moment to let this sink in before telling eveyone that the exercise is over.

Product

Helping Ourselves Make The Grade

excerpt from NIC Campus Commentary (Sep. 1995)

with commentary by Tim Eiler minn87

Recruitment:

• Do chapter members discuss scholarship with prospective members and identify their motivation and goals for atttending college?
• Do chapters have an academic standard as part of their membership selection process?
• Does the chapter consider an individual's class rank as part of membership selection?
• Does the IFC and/or fraternity chapters work with the admissions office to understand how to interpret entering students' academic data, as well as how to formulate an appropriate standard for membership selection?

• Do chapters have their new members set individual and group goals for GPA and class attendance?
• What type of time management/study skills programs are offered?
• Are new members living in chapters houses paired with older Brothers with strong academics so they a positive role model?
• Do chapters offer a variety of incentives for high academic achievement among new members?
• Do chapters schedule new member activities carefully, so they don't conflict with major exam periods?
• Are chapter requirements for new member involvement realistic?
• Do chapters have a tutoring/support mechanism in place for new members?

• Is scholarship discussed regularly in chapter meetings?
• Do chapters have an ongoing recognition program for members?
• Is members' academic performance factored into obtaining chapter privileges (room picks, parking places, etc.)?
• For chapters having housing, is there a scholarship bulletin board or display area that displays library hours, campus study locations, computer lab hours, etc?
• Do chapter scholarship chairs meet individually with members attaining low GPAs in order to design a personal assistance plan?
• Do chapter houses provide study spaces and quiet hours conducive to studying?
• Do chapters plan chapter stress relievers and special programs during heavy exam periods?

Motivating Your Membership for Success

excerpt from NIC Campus Commentary (Nov. 1995)

Sound familiar? Leaders of organizations often utter these words as they see apathy grow among some of their members. This concern faces chapters, councils, and any other membership organization.

As leaders work to further the mission of their group, they are faced with the challenge of involving each individual member in a meaningful way. These members come together with different interests and needs, and it is a leader's responsibility to create an environment where they will all be motivated to contribute equally.

Apathy is commonly defined as a lack of emotion, feeling, or interest. The following four steps provide an alternative to the assumption that members aren't involved because they don't care. By examining these steps, leaders will be able to stop apathy before it starts.

1. Set goals as an organization: Goals can be a motivating force for an organization if they are decided upon as a group. Clear goals give everyone something to work toward and they can unify the membership.

   Leaders must remember they serve the needs of their members. They must solicit input from everyone before decisions are made. A group goal setting session will improve communication and help people to feel more invested in the organization's activities.

   This is a valuable time to find out what members want and what they are expecting from their involvement. Since everyone is motivated differently, it is important to establish a process for goal setting. A retreat is an ideal opportunity to bring the group together and set goals for the upcoming year. (The NIC Retreat Workbook provides many ideas and outlines for conducting a goal setting retreat).

   One person cannot single-handedly motivate another, however, by fostering a team approach to leadership, leaders can allow members to feel they are a valuable part of the organization. The expression "people support what they help to create" is important to remember as leaders strive to work with their membership.

    

2. Organize members' involvement and tap into their strengths: Once the group's goals are in place, encourage people to take specific actions to meet those goals. The actions may require involvement in a committee. However, most members do not jump up and volunteer at a meeting.

   The leader's personally asking members to become involved will cause them to feel more valued. They key to their acceptance of the offer is an appreciation of the their talents and interests as individuals. Member will be more likely to volunteer if the opportunity fits with experiences and skills.

   Their involvement must also be well organized. Effective committees need structure and guidelines. The tasks for a committee should be very specific, not just a general subject like "recruitment." A manageable objective will also allow the participants to feel a sense of accomplishment at the conclusion which is a strong motivator for future involvement.

   Leaders should monitor the progress of a committee, yet not manage the process. Useful feedback and suggestions should be offered to those involved. At the same time, the committee members must have ownership in the initiative.

    

3. Create better meetings to increase attendance: Meetings that involve the entire membership can do a great deal to promote unity. However, a poorly run meeting can have the opposite effect. Weekly meetings should reinforce the importance of member involvement and make everyone feel valued.

   Running an effective meeting is not always easy, especially when individuals come with very different opinions and perspectives. Leaders must find a way to allow all opinions to be heard while still focusing on the issue at hand in a reasonable period of time. The presiding officer must solicit comments from people representing different opinions which allows everyone in attendance to feel their thoughts were heard. Members will continue to attend meetings if their input is listened to and valued.

   A lack of information is often a reason for people not wanting to attend meetings. Progress toward established goals should be reported at each meeting as well as current issues and upcoming events. If members feel out of touch with the organization, they will feel uncomfortable being involved. A printed agenda for the meeting can help facilitate a smoother discussion and provide valuable information to take from the meeting in writing.

   Informed members will want to come to meetings. Leaders often simply say the members are apathetic, instead of seeing apathy as a symptom of a larger issue. In this case, the issue is a lack of information, not a lack of concern for the organization.

   Finally, meetings should always end on a positive note. Even when challenges arise and opinions clash, it is important to find a way to bring good closure so people will want to attend in the future. This is an opportunity to unify the group through a gavel pass exercise or a ritual activity, reinforcing the purpose of the organization.

    

4. Design a plan for recognition: Recognizing members who have volunteered or participated in a meaningful way is crucial for motivating them to remain involved. Sometimes the best way to recognize contributions is saying thank you in person. Once again, apathy in this case is a symptom of feeling unappreciated.

   Personally thanking a participant for his or her contributions gives an opportunity for dialogue. The individual will feel good that someone acknowledged the accomplishment and provided the chance to talk about it in more detail. Leaders should regularly offer personal praise; it takes only a small amount of time to make members feel like valuable contributors to the organization.

   Significant accomplishments should also be recognized in from of the entire group. Not only does this make the individual fee good, but it also provides an example for other member of the organization of how to get more involved. A presentation at a Greek awards banquet or some other campus or community event is a great chance to give a plaque or other gift in a formal setting.

   Once the leaders truly get to know the members in their organization, they will better know what motivates them. The most important thing to remember is the little bit of time it takes to say thank you, in private or in public, can be the key to keeping people inspired and involved.

Management

Officer Transition Period Provides Key To Success

excerpt from NIC Campus Commentary (Nov. 1995)

Officer transition is not a "one-time" meeting. An effective transition period involves a series of meetings and information exchanges to prepare the new leaders and get them started on the right foot.

Below are components of an effective officer transition for current officers to implement. The NIC retreat workbook (which you can order through Triangle's Director of Chapter Services) has additional suggestions to assist in transition planning, including sample meeting/retreat outlines, evaluation forms, worksheets, ideas for addressing communication-related issues.

1. Update and organize officer notebooks:
   • Clearly document the year's activities.
   • Pass on the appropriate manuals to the new officers.
2. Have a one-on-one meeting with the incoming officer:
   • Take plenty of time to explain the position, including responsibilities, the constitution, budgeting, and a timeline for projects.
   • Assist with any projects or events that occur during the transition period.
3. Encourage the incoming officer to accompany you to pertinent meetings and events:
   • Introduce the officer-elect to important people you have worked with during the year, including the Greek advisor, other administrators, community leaders, other Greek leaders, and your chapter's leaders.
4. Participate in an officers' retreat
   • All incoming and outgoing officers should spend significant time reflecting on the year and reviewing team roles.
   • The retreat should involve team building activities as well as discussions about the visions and goals of the organization.
5. Have a second one-on-one meeting:
   • As a follow-up to the first meeting, retreat and initial projects, review past goals and set additional ones if appropriate.
   • This is a great chance for the incoming officer to ask and remaining questions.
6. Be available to the new officer if he has questions in the early stages of the position:
   • There needs to be a healthy balance between giving the new officer autonomy in the position and remaining involved enough to offer assistance if necessary.
   • Keeping yourself available for support also shows your interest and enthusiasm for initiatives you helped to create.

Great Recruitment Ideas

excerpt from NIC Campus Commentary (Feb. 1995)

University of Alabama - Birmingham: A chapter is using campus involvement as a recruitment tool. Their members are involved in everything from student government to varsity athletics and use this to promote their chapter to other men.

University of Arkansas: Chapters use summer Rush to recruit men for the upcoming year. They hold events across the state throughout the summer and come into school with about 90% of their new members.

University of Florida: Chapters work to maintain good relations with the University faculty and staff. When faculty and staff are asked about the chapter, or the Greek system in general, they can give positive feedback without reservation.

Ohio State U: A chapter concentrates its efforts on residence halls. As members recruit men from specific floors, they hold a "floor dinner" for the new associates and other "maybe joiners" on the floor.

University of Idaho: Chapters use "war room" tactics to track Rushees. Each Rushee is listed on a chart in a designated area. The chart has five stages representing the five steps of "The Right Way To Rush." The information is updated as each Rushee moves through the process.

West Chester U: A chapter has discontinued internal restrictions, such as requiring members to live in the house for three semesters. This caters to non-traditional and commuter students who otherwise would not join.

Gannon U: Chapters have taken recruitment out of the fraternity house and moved it to neutral ground. They hold their recruitment activities in the residence halls instead of the house so that the Rushees feel less intimidated.

Duqesne U: Chapters invite Rushees to participate in community service projects which help promote the chapters as more service-oriented.

Indiana State U: A chapter attended the freshman orientation dance and got names and phone numbers of potential members. They then contacted those men, picked them up, and brought them to the house to play volleyball.

Lafayette College: A chapter gets a list of all freshmen and sophomores who are not affiliated. Each week, the number of the men on the list is reduced, so that by spring semester, the chapter already has its new members selected.

Trenton State College: A chapter assigns Brothers to potential members and has them get together for different activities (lunch, library, athletic events, etc.). This allows the members to get to know the potential members on a more informal basis.

Iowa State U: Chapters use a variety of activities to recruit new members, such as setting up displays at high school orientation days, sponsoring scholarships for incoming students, and having volunteers serve as orientation coordinators. Chapters also invite potential members to Greek Week activities and make special visits to see them during the summer.

NW Missouri State U: A chapter doubled its numbers by setting up information tables on campus, distributing flyers, and doing continuous follow up on men who visited any of their events. Informal events were held on an ongoing basis to get to know potential members.

Georgia Southern U: Chapters go to residence halls and help potential members move in. This gives them a chance to meet men and provide a helpful service.

U of Houston: A chapter meets daily in a specific section of the food court for lunch. As many members as possible meet to eat lunch and to talk with potential members.

Case Western Reserve U: Chapter members serve as orientation leaders and campus tour guides. This gives members a chance to meet potential members and their parents.

U of Minnesota: A chapter offers a book scholarship, sends applications to all incoming men, and uses the applications as a pool for potential members. This program leaves a good impression with parents.

Wabash College: A chapter gets a list of all students on academic scholarships and invites them to dinner or the library.

U of Northern Alabama: A chapter doubled its size by using "Rush buddies." Each member was assigned a potential member and was responsible for contacting that person each day and getting together as often as possible.

Indiana University: Chapters give presentations to students attending high school recruitment visits.

Kansas State U: Chapters use information cards to get to know Rushees. Each potential member fills out an information card, and these cards are placed in a note book. The members then use the cards to get to know the potential members before they actually meet them.

Marshall U: Chapters sponsor community service events in coordination with a specific residence hall. This allows the members to interact with potential members, as well as to provide a service to the community.

Syracuse U: Chapters invite potential members to participate in Homecoming activities.

Georgia State U: A chapter obtained a list of the top 10 high schools from which the U recruits and conducted workshops on the transition from high school to college for students planning to attend GSU. This helped the chapter form a list of prospective member names.

Rowan College: Some chapters required members to be involved in one other activity outside of the fraternity. This allow them to interact with potential members.

Hofstra U: A chapter decided not to hold "Rush parties," but planned smaller, more original events to attract and get to know potential members. The method not only increased the number of men affiliating, but resulted in a 98% retention of new members.

University of Florida: Chapters held events in the front yard of their house during the non-structured formal Rush period. The outside, informal activity attracted men who were walking down fraternity row and could easily join in.

Duke U: Some chapters hold monthly Rush events througout the year. In between events, members stay in contact with potential members and get know them. As the men become members of the chapter, they are encouraged to bring friends to the upcoming events.

Virginia Tech: A chapter hosts a three-on-three basketball tournament with Brothers teaming up with potential members.

Appalachian State: Chapter prints business cards for each member with the Rush schedule on back.

University of Washington: A chapter developed a "scout" team to travel around the state to meet with potential members. The team would bisit the potential member's home and meet with his parents to talk about their chapter and the fraternity system in general.

Indiana State U: Chapter uses members who are resident assistants to recruit potential new members from their floors.

The Success of The Houston Area Former Triangle Actives

by Tim Eiler minn87

In December, Brothers John Gargani pitt82 and Jason Evans oks88 organized the next meeting of the association. It was held in the Houston Galleria about nine days before Christmas so that those who had a little last minute holiday shopping left could accomplish it...great idea guys! Again, about 10 Brothers and their families or girlfriends attended...just not all the same 10. All told HAFTA has grown from 3 or 4 core members that have been around for roughly 4 years to a roster of about 15 in the span of just 3 months!

The next event planned for HAFTA is the annual Founders' Day celebration to be held on April 13th. We will be holding the event with the actives and alumni from the Texas A&M chapter. That way we can make it a really big shindig. Considering that there are roughly 200 alumni in the Houston area, we should be able do it in a Texas-sized way! We expect to grow slowly at first, however, as it has been a long time since many of the Brothers here interacted with each other as Brothers. As we overcome that and bring folks back into the fraternal spirit, we think we can easily hit a 100-man standing roster and maintain it. While not everyone will be able to come to every HAFTA event, we believe that the rotation of participation will allow for us to continue our success.

Thanks to Brother John Gargani pitt82 for coining the acronym HAFTA. If you have any questions about starting an alumni association in your area or have suggestions for us, please don't hesitate to contact the National Office.

Announcing the Frederick R. Kappel Web Communications Award
At the recent meeting of National Council (we call it CII), the Fred Kappel Web Communications Award was officially created. This award is meant to recognize that technology is an important part of our lives as Triangles. With the advent of the World Wide Web, many chapters are putting up a presence in the form of a "homepage" or "Web Presentation." As this is so similar to and complementary to the current practice of sending out alumni newsletters, Council decided that it warranted an award! The pages we've reviewed are extremely creative and we'd like to recognize the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining them.

While the details of the judging process and the overall award criteria will be presented shortly in a mailing to the chapters, we'd like to give a short overview. First, the pages will be judged on three main criteria: technical merit (programming), content, and aesthetics. The pages will be judged three times per year (this year may be less due to the relatively small amount of time left). This will help to make sure that we keep track of the improvements that are made to the pages over the course of a year. Final judging will take place in the June time frame and the award will be presented at the awards banquet at the national meeting in August. Note that your chapter will be required to submit the Website URL to Kevin Fong prior to the April 5 deadline in order for your page to be judged, even if there is already a link to it on the Triangle National Homepage.

Triangle is a fraternity based strongly on the study and implementation of technology. By the use of the World Wide Web, our Brothers have continued to expand their skill base in order to improve themselves and their fraternity. The Kappel Award is intended to celebrate the skills, creativity, and dedication of our Brothers. We hope to see all the chapters compete for it!

If you haven't yet decided to participate in the Summit Program and you have questions about it, don't hesitate to ask. Remember that no matter how good your chapter is right now, there is always room for improvement. There is no "standing still" in this or any other business or facet of life. We either move ahead or fall behind. The Summit Program is intended as one way to help you and your chapter improve Triangle one man at a time. Regional Workshop 96There are still a couple of the 1996 Regional Workshops left to take place. These workshops are intended to help your members, especially your chapter leadership, learn new ways of thinking about Triangle and what it all about, as well as to develop leadership, management, and followership skills. What a man takes away from RW96 is solely up to his desire to learn. Remember that the professional world is demanding more "generalist" skills from us, even those of us who are technical. Eventually, even the most die-hard tech person will manage a budget, a project, and people. Triangle offers each of us the opportunity to learn more about our value system, our knowledge of managing and organizing, and to improve our skills in those areas. This is true even for the alumni who participate.

If you haven't done so already, please contact the host chapter for the workshop to which your chapter is assigned. They'll be able to give you more information about schedules, activities, sleeping arrangements, etc. Contacting them as soon as possible will only serve to help you and the hosts have more fun and be less stressed out. Contact the National Headquarters if you don't know whom to contact at the host chapter or need other information about the workshop. One last note, if you missed your assigned workshop, it's not too late to try to make it to another. Don't hesitate to contact Al to find out where the nearest one to you happens to be! Hope to see you there...

Undergraduate Inter Fraternity Institute (UIFI)
The National Organization sponsors 5 scholarships to UIFI. In fact, if demand arose, we might be able to ask the Education Foundation to sponsor more than 5 individuals to attend this weeklong program. However, I will mention that UIFI will help you develop strong leadership skills and an understanding of current critical issues. You can use these abilities, and the resources UIFI provides, to make improvements at your local chapter and university. The program allows you to become friends with other Greek leaders while learning more about yourself and how you interact with others, solve problems, etc.

If you are interested in more information about UIFI please contact the National Headquarters, or ask your campus Greek Advisor (I'm sure they will encourage you to take advantage of this program especially since it would be free to our members). The application is relatively simple. Contact Al for a copy. The application is due NO LATER THAN May 1, so sign up now to avoid the rush. Also, the following Triangle members have recently attended UIFI and may be able to provide some insight into the program:

• Chris Moe - Iowa State
• Jeff Valenti - RIT
• Brian Ewing - UCLA

Meet the National Office Staff - Al Evon ar88

by Mark Snyder minn91

Evon: Basically, when the position opened, I felt I had accomplished everything I could at my previous position as Assistant Director Of Admissions at IIT. Further, I always wanted to get back to being in Greek affairs. This was an opportunity for me to do that, and make a direct contribution to my Fraternity. I also felt that my previous position as a Greek Advisor, along with my other relevant greek and educational experiences, would allow me to make a difference.

EXP: What are some of your personal goals for Triangle Fraternity?

Evon: I have several, the primary ones are stabilizing our current base of chapters, expansion (as in adding chapters) and improving communication. I feel that Triangle is a very worthwile organization; one that can benefit to those who choose to get involved. Expansion will allow more students to have that opportunity. Moreover, we would gain more members, which makes us stronger and gives us greater opportunity to get our name out into the public.

I feel improving communication is important, because there are barriers that need to be broken down between the chapters and the National Organization, and between the individual chapters. I think the National Organization needs to get more involved with the individual chapters and offer greater interaction and programming opportunities. We need to encourage interaction between our individual chapters to find more common ground and establish a National identity.

Other goals I have include, creating more alumni programming to encourage involvement. Along with that, I'd like to see more of a standardized Member Development Program. We cannot continue to rely on luck and chance to be the only things which shape our members. We must work to instill the concept of Brotherhood for Life among our membership

EXP: How might we establish a standard program?

Evon: One means for accomplishing this is to utilize the Triangle Building and Summit Programs. They allow chapters to evaluate themselves and see their strengths and weaknesses. We can then distribute the good programs that each chapter has developed to other chapters to study and implement. That way, if a chapter has, or develops, a positive member development program, that program could be used as a basis for other chapters to follow so they don't have to reinvent the wheel. Additionally, the national organization is in the process of developing a lifelong Member Development program that should be introduced for the chapters to be able to use before the start of the fall term.

EXP: Any other goals?

Evon: I would like to see us have a real National Headquarters, one that features: a conference room - so, we don't have to rent one for Council meetings; rooms that visitors could stay in when coming to Headquarters for business - instead of staying at a hotel; a full resource library and a historical library/museum that visitors could see and use; and finally, our own publications department - for the Review and other publications we have, as opposed to contracting out. All of this would require a larger staff than what we currently have.

EXP: That sounds cool. Any final comments?

Evon: I feel that with the personnel and the organization we have now, we should be the preeminent Greek organization in the world. To become that, we need to learn to better utilize our advantages. For example, with our membership restrictions, we should be able to offer far better academic programming than other Greek organizations. Also, our technical backgrounds should aid us in resource distribution and networking among alumni. What we really need to do is be more diligent in finding the good ideas that are out there and building on them to make them, and ourselves, better.

RELENTLESS pursuit of EXCELLENCE!!!

TRIANGLE FRATERNITY

Is Serious about Scholarship

Sets and Demonstrates High Standards

Celebrates Achievement