Standards of Excellence
Standards of Excellence
SUNY Oswego stipulates many specific conditions which must be satisfied in order for college organizations to receive official "recognition" from the college. At SUNY Oswego, overseeing these matters is the Office of Student Involvement.  In order to be recognized, all Greek organizations must participate in an extensive Standards of Excellence ("SOE") Program.  

This is an ongoing, year long self evaluation and governance program that organizations are expected to administer.  Essentially, it sets standards for organizational commitments, behavior, governance, and operational efficiency.  Throughout the year, the Standards of Excellence Guide is expected to be referred to by the organization's leaders to make sure collectively the proper course and direction are being set and that activities the organization plans and executes are consistent with the expectations outlined in the Standards of Excellence Program. 

The Office of Student Involvement provides extensive documentation that details the SOE Program.  It is freely available to all to review.  All Sigma Gamma brothers and alumni are encouraged to review this documentation.  Although the information presented below is by no means intended as a comprehensive checklist, these are among the many facets to an organization's successful adherence to the Standards of Excellence Program. We present it herein as a means of reinforcing to all involved with Sigma Gamma to make sure that we are always keeping "our eye on the ball".  

  • Sigma Gamma's President will meet with the Director of Student Involvement at least once a month.  During these meetings, the President will outline the fraternity's plans for the semester on several fronts and give regular progress report updates.

  • Beginning each semester, Gamma's President will prepare a master plan for the semester that details what the organization is planning in terms of scholarship improvement initiatives, community service projects, fundraising initiatives, new member education, risk management and alcohol and substance abuse awareness, officer training and development, alumni interaction and several other topics.

  • Sigma Gamma's President and the New Member Education Coordinator will electronically sign the College President's Affirmation, which includes an Anti - Hazing Policy and other provisions.  These two officers, and potentially other Sigma Gamma officers will also attend Risk Management Training seminars administered by the Office of Student Involvement.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will submit a copy of the fraternity's by laws and constitution to the Office of Student Involvement.

  • We will also submit proof of valid liability insurance that meets the college standards for coverage amounts and applicability.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will ensure that the fraternity has designated an Academic/Scholarship Officer.  Among his many duties will be to verify the most recent GPA of each active brother, and verify that any potential new members interested in joining meet the minimum GPA standards mandated in the SOE.  The Academic/Scholarship Officer will also develop a written Academic Plan, and establish incentive programs within the fraternity to recognize outstanding academic achievements.  These incentive programs could include designations within the fraternity for the Gamma brother who is the "Scholar of the Week/Month/Semester/Year" and specific recognition for brothers who have improved their GPA's from one semester to another. The Academic/Scholarship Officer is encouraged to plan a recognition dinner/event for all brothers who earned Dean's List designation. The main theme is that through the SOE Program, the fraternity is expected to consistently focus attention on academic performance and striving as a collective group to meet and exceed certain standards of excellence.

  • The President of Sigma Gamma will make sure that all active brothers are registered with the college through the Laker Life application.  This is an online registrar of all active brothers, along with certain authorizations that automatically release grade point average information and certain contact information to the Office of Student Involvement.

  • The President of Sigma Gamma will make sure that there are several presentations made to the overall fraternity each semester.  There are several topics that are encouraged, including Risk Management; Leadership; Academic Performance Optimization; Community Service Involvement; Alcohol & Substance Abuse Awareness, and others. These presentations are to be documented and a reporting of such is included in the SOE submission.

  • The President of Sigma Gamma will also make sure that an officer in the fraternity maintains and updates an organizational contact list that lists all brothers, as well as their hometowns, their class, their e-mail, their cell phone, and their fraternity nickname.  This information is to be provided to the fraternity's Alumni Board.  A sub set of this information is also to be cross referenced to the Laker Life application to ensure accuracy.

  • The President of Sigma Gamma will also make sure that an officer in the fraternity maintains an ongoing organizational calendar which lists all fraternity events, as well as college calendar events, and other important calendar events.  The organizational calendar will also include events such as those required to maintain compliance with the SOE Program.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will work with the Sigma Gamma Alumni Board to plan, schedule and execute a Leadership Retreat/Event/Seminar.  The objective is for the active members of the fraternity to collectively gather and participate in interactive workshops geared towards encouraging good leadership qualities and best practices throughout the organization.

  • The college requires that at least 51 % of active brothers be involved, one way or another, in other organizations in and around campus.  The details of such involvement must be tracked and reported on through the SOE submission.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will make sure that the fraternity's designated officer for handling Community Relations and Philanthropic endeavors plans, schedules and executes qualifying community service activities throughout the year.  At least (1) one such activity must occur each semester.  The college encourages each organization to take up a unique cause and champion/promote said cause. 

  • Additionally, each active fraternity brother must, on average, put in a minimum of 5 hours each every semester on Community Service projects. The details for each brother's participation must be tracked and recorded within the Laker Life application.

  • The fraternity's officers, led by the Social Chairman and the Community Service/Philanthropy Officer will plan, schedule and execute various events and activities for the fraternity, including, but not limited to a Sober Brotherhood Event (at least 1 per semester), and events with other greek organizations and non greek organizations, and designated Philanthropy Events.

  • The fraternity will also plan, schedule and execute events such as Alumni Interaction/Learning Day, Advisor Appreciation Day, Senior Send Off, and many New Member Education activities.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will also make sure that the fraternity appoints or elects a designated Alumni Representative.  This officer is expected to provide regular, recurring updates to the Sigma Gamma Alumni base.  A record of such reporting is to be kept and memorialized each semester.  Typically, the President, assisted by the fraternity's Executive Board, will prepare, a "State of the Fraternity" recap each semester and make sure that this is made available to all brothers and alumni of the fraternity.  

  • To ensure that the fraternity is operating within the SOE guidelines, the President of Sigma Gamma will make sure that the fraternity prepares and submits an "operational plan" to the Office of Student Involvement.  This plan is developed in conjunction with the fraternity's advisor, as well as the Sigma Gamma Alumni Board.

  • The fraternity will focus on officer training and development throughout each semester.Elections and officer transition plans will be prepared and documented.  Certain facets of officer transition plans form the basis for the organization's goal setting endeavors previously referenced.

  • Sigma Gamma's President will review "draft" versions of the SOE Plan with the Student Involvement Officer, and make sure that the deadline for formal submission in April is met by submitting a thorough, fully vetted compliance report.
At the end of the school year, the Office of Student Involvement reviews and evaluates submitted SOE Program reports for each registered organization. As of May 2017, the evaluation components are broken down as per the accompanying chart.

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