Awards & Assessment GlossaryBelow you will find common terms used throughout the Awards & Assessment Documents and corresponding definitions that may be helpful.
Academic Term: This is determined by the college or university; the most common are semesters and quarters.
Award Entry: The entirity of documents submitted by a council for assessment and awards eligiblility. Each award entry must contain a minimum of two binders: the Program Entry Notebook and at least one Documentation Notebook.
Awards Committee: A select group of fraternity/sorority experts from the professional and volunteer sides of fraternity/sorority advising who serve as judges, consultants, and advisory board members to the Awards & Assessment Program.
Bonus Question: Located at the end of each category application, these criteria statements provide an opportunity for the council to earn bonus points for addiitonal efforts. Just like extra credit in class, not achieving it does not count against the council; it can only help.
Category: There are a maximum of eight Awards & Assessment Categories. These are the operational areas (e.g. Risk Reduction & Management) in which councils are eligible for assessment and awards recogition.
Community Service: An event, project, or program that helps to improve a cause, charity, or agency through time and/or talent freely given by individuals or groups. Community service does not refer to money raised or donated to a cause.
Descriptive Question(s): Located near the end of each category application, these questions ask for the council to provide a concise, narrative (i.e. essay) response. This is the only time a narrative response to a criteria statement is appropriate. Read the question carefully to determine whether documentation is necessary in addition to the narrative response. These questions are scored and do count toward the category achievement percentage.
Division: A council's Awards & Assessment Division is determined by the size of the council; specifically by the number of member chapters. The Awards & Assessment Division is the same as the council's AFLV membership category.
Documentation Notebook(s): These notebooks contain the documentation to support the council's claim that it achieved the criteria on the awards application. Documentation Notebooks must be separate binders from the Program Entry Notebook. It is strongly recommended that councils submit one Documentation Notebook for each category entered.
Intake: The process through which NPHC and many culturally based fraternities/sororities obtain new members.
Peer Councils: These are the other fraternity/sorority governing councils on campus. For example, NPHC is a peer council of IFC.
Philanthropy: An event or project that raises money. The money is then given to a cause, charity or agency.
Policy: This is a council rule that is binding to all members and member chapters. Most commonly, policies are found in council bylaws or bylaw addendums such as a Social Event Policy. Policies are voted on and approved by a majority or higher number of member chapters.
Position Statement: This is a written, published statement by the council defining its stance on a particular issue. This is a values statement in which the council believes but is not enforceable policy on its own.
Program Entry Notebook: This notebook contains a cover page and completed awards application pages for all categories the council wishes to have reviewed by the Awards Committee.
Resolution: This is the way a council can formally support a person, initiatve, policy or standard without making a new policy internally. Resolutions are voted on and approved by a majority of member chapters. Examples include: 1) a resolution thanking a faculty member for years of service as a faculty advisor and 2) a resolution supporting the university's anti-harassment polcy.