Chaplain
This webpage consolidates the many resources pertinent to your specific position in order to provide a 360-degree view of what tools are available. It is recommended you take the time to review the resources on this page shortly after election, as it will help you better prepare as Chaplain. Throughout your tenure in this position, you will undoubtedly be faced with some difficult challenges. Trust that this webpage will serve as an easily accessible source to help you meet those challenges. Good luck!
Primary Resources
These resources pertain to the specific expectations of your position. It is recommended that you start by reviewing your officer manual, as all other links on this webpage stem from the information in the manual.
Office of Chaplain Manual
The Law of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc.
The Law is the Fraternity's constitution. It sets membership requirements, standards of conduct, and the framework for the operation of all entities of the Fraternity, including collegiate chapters. The Law also includes the Trial Code - a set of due process rules and procedures for disciplining initiated members.
Risk Reduction Policy
Along with The Law of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. the Risk Reduction Policy provides our constituents with specific policies on areas such as the education of initiates and candidates, activities of the chapter, premises of the chapter and hazing.
Pursuit of Excellence Evaluation Guidelines
As Chaplain, your role is most pertinent to the Brotherhood Development subcategory within the Pursuit of Excellence Program. This is a list of criteria for each operational area measured by the program.
Brother Development Action Plan
This resource facilitates strategic planning within the operational subcategory of Brother Development (as defined by the Pursuit of Excellence Program). This action plan instructs the LEAD Chairman, Chaplain, and their respective committees on how to establish expectations, tasks, goals, and strategies relevant to creation of the chapter's member development program.
Officer Transition Checklist
This checklist provides you with what to prepare and provide to your successor in order to ensure a smooth officer transition.
Officer Binder Checklist
This checklist will walk new or outgoing officers on the preparation of the Officer Binder/Notebook, an important resource for the officer transition process.
Sample Brotherhood Calendar
This sample brotherhood calendar provides a model for the level of detail and activity that could be included in a chapter’s personal calendar. Chapters are free to build their own calendar based on class scheduling, events, and college/university expectations.
Event Report Form
Use this resource to help you track various events your chapter organizes, and which members attend.
Supplemental Resources
Although not directly related to the expectations of the position, these resources can help you execute them.
National Ritual Celebration Week Participation Guide
This resource helps to guide your chapter through participation in the annual National Ritual Celebration Week. NRCW takes place the first week of March.
Secret Thoughts of a Ritual
A well-known essay to serve as a tool to assist in more critical thought and deep discussion regarding The Ritual.
Team Building Activities
A great way to build brotherhood is to incorporate team building activities into chapter events. Use this link to search from a list of activities based on audience size and intended objectives.
Building a Successful Chapter Retreat
This resource walks you through the dos and don'ts for planning an impactful chapter retreat experience.
Team Building Guide
Sigma Nu's Team Building Guide contains nearly 70 activities for chapters to use at retreats, meetings, LEAD sessions, and brotherhood events. The guide includes facilitation tips, suggested audiences and events to use team building with, and discussion questions to translate experiences to improvements in the chapter. The team building activities shared here are only a small sampling of what Sigma Nu chapters, colonies, members, and alumni can use to create experiential learning opportunities. The guide provides tips on facilitating activities; selecting activities for specific audiences and events; addressing key themes like communication, trust, and problem-solving; easy to follow instructions; and discussion guides to process teambuilding experiences.
Mental Health
College presents many opportunities and challenges. An important component of a person’s development is learning how to navigate different stresses and challenges that are going to arise throughout their life. In the unique context of a chapter environment, members can play a helpful role in supporting each other in successfully dealing with these challenges.
The Fraternity has partnered with the Human Power Project to offer Behind Happy Faces – Collegiate Member Program and Advisor Resource Series to provide important education to members, chapter officers, and volunteers on the critical concepts of mental health.
The Collegiate Member Program is a series of five (5) 15 to 25-minute in-person workshops designed for all collegiate members. The program has been included as Module D of All Chapter LEAD. One lesson should be facilitated each academic term as part of the chapter’s All Chapter LEAD implementation, which is recommended to be one All Chapter LEAD session facilitated for the chapter each month of the academic year.
If needing to facilitate a lesson virtually, review the Behind Happy Faces Virtual Facilitation Tips.
Consider using the Behind Happy Faces Weekly Check-In Prompts to facilitate a short conversation checking in on the mental wellbeing of members supplementing the Collegiate Member Program curriculum.
The Advisor Resource Series is comprised of five (5) 5-10 minute online lessons designed for collegiate officers and alumni volunteers. Participants are welcome to complete all five sessions in one sitting or spread it out over as many sessions as they would like. While not required, participants are advised to complete the sessions in sequential order.
Sigma Nu Talks
Sigma Nu Talks are a series of curated TED Talks and YouTube clips paired with discussion guides and application ideas to be shared during chapter or candidate meetings, as part of a retreat, or as their own mini LEAD session. The concept is simple - gather together a group of Sigma Nus, watch one or more of the suggested talks, and create a conversation using the included discussion guides.
Sigma Nu Talks...Leadership
This series of talks covers the topics of Change, Leadership, and Trust.
Sigma Nu Talks...Values
This series of talks covers the topics of Character, Motivation, Personal Development, and Success.
Sigma Nu Talks...Social Issues
This series of talks covers the topics of Diversity, Men's Issues, and Mental Health.
Best Practices Library
This library includes activities, programs, processes, and practices that result in or lead to excellent performance. Practices were collected from Sigma Nu chapters across North America of every size, institutional type, and region of the country. The best ideas and practices that could and should be replicated by other chapters are found here.
The library allows users to sort through over 400 ideas, examples, and templates. Best practices are sorted by area of operations (as defined by the Pursuit of Excellence Program) and subcategorized by type (e.g. accountability ideas, events, finances).
Common Alcohol-Related Issues
Many of the most important decisions a chapter must make do not necessarily present themselves in a formal chapter setting, but rather on the weekends or during special campus sporting and alumni events. How to handle situations that could potentially alter the future of a chapter and its members is a pressing issue. This collection of "white papers" addresses common alcohol-related topics and instances that chapter leaders and members face on a potentially regular basis and at most, if not all, colleges and universities.
We Have A Situation
While each of the topics covered in this resource should be of importance to the entire chapter, those listed below directly affect the Chaplain area of influence. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the entire resource and pay attention to those listed here.
- Tailgating
- Big Brother Programs
- Binge Drinking Culture
- Interventions
- 21st Birthday Celebrations