At the August 2, 2021 meeting:
- Organizational Development Committee Chair Lisa Brown provided overview of results from 2016-2021 Strategic Priorities with many numbers trending up from last year. Rollout has begun for the 2021-2026 Priorities.
- Approved Subject Matter Experts as a new volunteer chapter support position. These members will be trained in specific areas of chapter operations and will be assigned to work with a chapter as the need arises. The National Organizational Development Committee will be responsible for further development of the program including a rollout aimed at spring 2022.
- Approved a new Individual Discipline Policy submitted by the IDP Task Force, effective July 1, 2023 (or sooner at discretion of the Board). Time is needed to develop training materials and develop and implement a rollout program. Originally brought forth by Theta Pi (Bowling Green State (OH)), a Task Force of volunteers and collegiate members led by East Central RVP James Kuhn, have been working with leadership teams and students over the last year to develop the final recommendation. Updating the IDP was a goal of the 2016-21 Strategic Priorities and aligns the Fraternity process closer to that of our host institutions and less of a “court of law” feel. The recommendation:
- Creates a National Standards Committee, which develops training materials for Individual Discipline, serves as a resource for Standing Committees on all levels and handles appeals
- Updates responsibilities of the Chapter Chancellor to oversee the entire individual discipline process
- Establishes a Chapter Standards Committee to conduct hearings
- Clarified and solidified handling of different types of allegation, including processes for addressing allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
- The DEI Task Force reported a plan to have chapter members complete DEI training offered by the Professional Fraternity Association and then conduct a chapter discussion for CMP credit. This is to fulfill the chapter diversity assessment CMP item previously approved as a required item under Chapter of Recognition.
- 2019 COY Kristen Wilhelm provided an overview of the pilot National COY Committee. The Organizational Development Committee will continue to work on the pilot committee with the National COYs with goals of better solidifying the role the committee can play in collecting collegiate feedback.
- GP Tricia Smith reviewed actions taken and recommended next steps for the next Board around improved Board communication and governance while operating in modern settings.
- Adopted amended 2021-22 operating budget to reflect increased and reallocated funds coming from the Leadership Foundation.
- Approved a proposal to move LEAD School and LEAD Provincial Conference budgets from individual provinces to the national budget and simplify processes of budgeting for volunteer travel. This policy aligns budgeting processing with the similar Grand Chapter Congress policy and will allow future Boards to more easily direct funding towards enhanced programming of future strategic initiatives within the LEAD programs. .
- Closed item to create a Delta Sigma Pi Alumni Association, in response to a supplemental report submitted by the NADC to create Delta Sigma Pi Affinity Groups, providing an avenue for members of similar interests and backgrounds to network and connect. Future alumni committees will continue to explore opportunities for enhancing the structures that recognize groups of engaged alumni.
- Directed staff to seek as few as three LEAD Schools for fall 2022. This is in response to ongoing discussions within the Board and Provincial leadership teams dating back at least to 2018.
- Removed the donation requirement to become an Advanced Certified Deltasig Leader.
- Accepted the following brothers into the Golden Council: 2019 National COY Kristen Wilhelm; Regional Vice Presidents Anna Trenshaw, Samantha Clark, Kyra Cahill, Jody Dierickx, Robert Fosdick, Brikken Jensen, Charles Weening, and Nicholas Brown; and Central Office staff members Chelsey Fix and Haley Spellman.
- Updated the Career Achievement Award selection process so the Grand President and Executive Director provide nominees to the Board instead of the National Scholastic Development and Awards Committee. This allows for more strategic use of the award as an engagement tool, while still maintaining the high standard of Board approval to ensure significance and esteem of the selection.
- Announced National Chapter Award winners in Executive Session. Winners will be announced at the Virtual LEAD School on October 16. The Regional/Provincial award winners will be announced on October 7.
- Approved 90 day suspension for Xi Omicron (California-Los Angeles).
- Approved writing off debt for Omicron Psi (Washington State).
- Approved IRS Set Aside Resolution of passive income in the amount of $329,765.
- Approved Leadership Foundation grant request funding prioritization for 2021-22 and above noted budget changes regarding grants and management fees. Chair Randy Hultz thanked the Board, Fraternity and all donors for Foundation support and giving, after updates on new program plans and endowment funds and a year-end overview.
- Approved as direction to staff a recommendation to remove the requirement for chapters to maintain a physical inventory of The Crown & Delta. Staff will review possible approaches and provide additional details/recommendations to handle and implement this concept fully. There will be no immediate changes to The Crown & Delta policies.
- Failed a recommendation to use a receiver as a term of probation. Board conducted straw polls to provide the direction/interpretation of existing Bylaws/Policies including that it is not okay to use probation to place an alumni member in charge of collegiate officer responsibilities (such as pledge education program) without receivership, but it is okay to enforce consequences for a chapter’s decision not to accept receivership.
- Granted the Executive Director the authority to issue a cease and desist directive to any chapter within the Risk Management Policy. This policy allows the Fraternity to quickly cease a chapter’s operations for a short investigation prior to formal disciplinary action if needed.
- Established an official Fraternity Privacy Policy, maintained by the Executive Director to comply with growing list of jurisdictions requiring such documentation.
- Approved cleaning up language to the existing website policy to align with current practices and tools.
- Referred to the National Organizational Development Committee a proposal regarding restructuring the SVP duties that was originally reviewed at the Western Provincial Council. The Committee was asked to take a holistic look at all collegiate chapter officer positions.
- Reviewed GCC plans in detail, including contingencies for a variety of potential, but unanticipated, challenges.