L.E.A.D. Program Eligibility

 
Any chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity can participate in the LEAD Program. To become a LEAD Chapter, interested chapters must register with the Director of LEAD by completing the above registration materials. The registration form, addresses the following requirements:

Prior to Adopting LEAD

• Must take a chapter vote with at least 80% of the chapter members voting in favor of adopting the program.
• Must submit the LEAD Program Confirmation Form signed by each member of the chapter stating they understand the requirements of the program and are committed to supporting its implementation in the chapter.
• The Alumni Corporation officers and the campus Greek Advisor should also sign this form.
• Must be up-to-date in all financial obligations to the Grand Chapter and International Headquarters OR establish and provide documentation of a payment plan with Jim Powell, Director of Financial Operations.
• Must be at or above the 30-man minimum, or at or above the average men's fraternity size on campus OR provide a detailed membership recruitment plan that documents your chapter's strategies to increase its membership over the next calendar year.
• Must have a chapter grade point average that is equal to or above the All-Men's Grade Point Average OR include a detailed scholarship plan that documents your chapter's strategies to improve its GPA over the next calendar year.

After Adopting LEAD

• Must elect a LEAD Chairman to oversee the program and elect three members to assist individual members in their respective stages.
• Must use the Fraternity New Member Education Program and hold initiation in the fifth week.
• Must develop a community service project where 85% of the chapter will participate.
• Must host two presentations on risk management issues and one presentation on diversity each year.
• Must recruit and appoint an Academic Advisor to work with the chapter.
• Must hold a chapter goal setting retreat once a semester and submit those goals to the International Headquarters.
• Must submit a progress report to the International Headquarters once a semester.
• Must apply for the Alter Award.

LEAD Program Leadership

LEAD Chairman

LEAD Chairman Expectations
The LEAD Program is a comprehensive program that focuses on individual development and chapter improvement. As the brother chosen to be responsible for overseeing the LEAD Program, it is important that the LEAD Chairman understand his obligations. Being in charge of LEAD requires the LEAD Chairman to put much time and effort into his position to make sure that the program is working effectively. The LEAD Chairman works closely with the three stage coordinators but is directly responsible for the entire program.

The first thing the LEAD Chairman should do is to closely examine the entire LEAD Program. Brothers will look to the LEAD Chairman for assistance and it is important to the success of the program that he is able to answer their questions. The LEAD Chairman should work closely with the Director of LEAD and the International Headquarters staff as he becomes acquainted with each aspect of the LEAD Program.

The chapter will elect three brothers to serve as coordinators for the three stages of the program. The LEAD Chairman is responsible for making sure that each coordinator is following through with his duties. The coordinators report directly to the LEAD Chairman and will look to him for guidance and support as they lead the brothers through their respective stages. The overall success of the program will depend greatly on the LEAD Chairman's ability to work well with the stage coordinators.

The LEAD Chairman should spend an afternoon meeting with the chosen coordinators to discuss their duties and provide important training. Each coordinator should be provided a copy of the information that pertains to his stage before they attend this training session. The LEAD Chairman should encourage the coordinators to prepare questions prior to meeting so that all areas of concern can be covered. The training session should involve all coordinators so that they have an understanding of what the other coordinators are working to accomplish. The stages of the LEAD Program build upon each other and it is essential to have the coordinators working towards the same goal.

Stage Coordinators

The Believer Coordinator
As the brother chosen to coordinate The Believer stage of the LEAD Program, it is important that The Believer Coordinator understands his duties. The brothers in this stage are new initiates of Theta Chi and have much to learn about the Fraternity and to become active participants in the chapter's operations. The goal of this stage is to assist the new initiates to become assimilated into the chapter, the Fraternity, the community, and the university. The Believer Coordinator will have much influence over these new initiates' successes and failures in the next few years as members of the Fraternity and community.

The Believer stage of the LEAD Program will help set the tone for the following stages. The Believer Coordinator must work closely with the LEAD Chairman to insure that The Believer stage participants completely understand all aspects of the stage and the LEAD Program as a whole. Members of this stage must feel comfortable approaching The Believer Coordinator as they will look to him, along with their mentor, for support and guidance.

Your chapter has chosen quality men to join our Fraternity and has helped them learn much about Theta Chi through the New Member Education Program. The LEAD Program takes the knowledge the new initiates learned during their New Member Education and builds upon that with opportunities to develop academic and leadership skills, participate in community service, and develop needed life skills.

LEAD will be new to the members in The Believer stage and this will challenge The Believer Coordinator to work closely with each of them and their mentors. Because they are new to the program, they will need more guidance in this stage than in the following two stages. For this reason, The Believer Coordinator needs to meet with the members of this stage and their mentors on a biweekly basis. These meetings will allow for the members of The Believer stage to reflect and share with one another their successes and struggles. They will also guarantee that everyone is on track and meeting all of their requirements in the allotted time.

The Believer Coordinator must understand the requirements needed to progress to The Resolute Man stage. He should work closely with the LEAD Chairman and the International Headquarters staff to make sure that he completely understands all aspects of the program. The Believer Coordinator must also work closely with the Marshal to make sure that all new members have met the requirements to begin The Believer stage. Those requirements are:

• Must have completed the New Member Education Program and been initiated.
• Must have initiation fees and E-1 Form turned in to the International Headquarters.
• Must sign the LEAD Program Confirmation Form and submit it to the International Headquarters.
• Must have selected a mentor who is in The Resolute Man stage.

Once these requirements are met, members can start The Believer stage under the direction of The Believer Coordinator. The Believer Coordinator must hold an initial meeting with all of the members who will be participating in The Believer stage in order to discuss expectations. This is a self-paced program, but members are required to complete the stage within 12 months of beginning The Believer stage. Those brothers who do not complete the requirements must understand up front that they will be directed to the Standards Board for a review of their progress.

The brothers who serve as mentors to those members in The Believer stage are very important to the success of the Program. They will be the first person members in The Believer stage will turn to when in need of guidance and support. Each mentor must understand the requirements of The Believer stage and it will be beneficial for The Believer Coordinator to meet the mentors to answer all of their questions and discuss expectations. Require that the mentors attend the initial The Believer stage meeting with their mentee. Encourage the mentors and mentees to work closely together in order to fulfill the LEAD requirements as easily and quickly as possible. Important information to cover in this initial meeting includes:

• The mentor and mentee completely understand what is expected of them.
• The individual member's goals for stage one should be submitted within one week of the meeting. The mentor and mentee should work together to finalize the goals and develop an action plan to accomplish the goals.
• Each member has received a copy of the requirements of The Believer stage and understands each of them.
• Set a meeting time and place for the biweekly meetings.

The Resolute Man Coordinator
As the brother chosen to coordinate The Resolute Man stage of the LEAD Program, it is important that The Resolute Man Coordinator understands his duties. This stage is important because it is when the brothers begin to take the things they have learned about themselves into the community, campus, and Fraternity. The members in this stage are typically going to be sophomores and juniors. These men have learned much about themselves through The Believer stage and now must determine how to best use their skills.

The Resolute Man stage will challenge brothers to become actively involved in the chapter, other organizations, the community, and at the same time teach the how to prepare themselves for life after graduation. The members in The Resolute Man stage have experienced a stage of the LEAD Program and will now have a better grasp of what is expected of them. Because the members are more comfortable with LEAD, The Resolute Man Coordinator should only need to meet with them once a month. These meetings should focus on allowing the members to share thoughts and ideas and to keep everyone on task to complete The Resolute Man stage in the allotted time. They are also a valuable time for brothers to reflect on their accomplishments and to discuss how their actions are a reflection of the Ritual of Theta Chi Fraternity.

It is The Resolute Man Coordinator's responsibility to completely understand the requirements of this stage. He should work closely with the LEAD Chairman and the International Headquarters staff to make sure that he completely understands all aspects of the program. The Resolute Man Coordinator must also work closely with The Believer Coordinator to make sure that The Believer stage participants have met the requirements to advance to The Resolute Man stage. Those requirements are:

• Must have completed all requirements of The Believer stage.
• The LEAD Chairman must verify to the International Headquarters in writing that all requirements of The Believer stage have been met.
• Must have selected a mentor in The Teacher stage.

Once these requirements are met, members can start The Resolute Man stage under the direction of The Resolute Man Coordinator. The Resolute Man Coordinator must hold an initial meeting with all of the members who will be participating in The Resolute Man stage in order to discuss expectations. This is a self-paced program, but members are required to complete the stage within 24 months of beginning The Resolute Man stage. Those brothers who do not complete the requirements must understand up front that they will be directed to the Standards Board for a review of their progress.

The brothers who serve as mentors to those members in The Resolute Man stage are very important to the success of the program. They will be the first person members in The Resolute Man stage will turn to when in need of guidance and support. Each mentor must understand the requirements of The Resolute Man stage and it will be beneficial for The Resolute Man Coordinator to meet the mentors to answer all of their questions and discuss expectations. Require that the mentors attend the initial The Resolute Man stage meeting with their mentee. Encourage the mentors and mentees to work closely together in order to fulfill the LEAD requirements as easily and quickly as possible. Important information to cover in this initial meeting includes:

• The mentor and mentee completely understand what is expected of them.
• The individual member's goals for stage two should be submitted within one week of the meeting. The mentor and mentee should work together to finalize the goals and develop an action plan to accomplish the goals.
• Each member has received a copy of the requirements of The Resolute Man stage and understands each of them.
• Set a meeting time and place for the monthly meetings.

The Teacher Coordinator
As the brother chosen to coordinate The Teacher stage of the LEAD Program, it is important that The Teacher Coordinator understands his duties. This stage is important because it is the final stage of LEAD and prepares members to become alumni of Theta Chi Fraternity. The Teacher stage pulls together all that has been learned in the first two stages and requires brothers to continue to build upon those skills as well as incorporate them in to daily life.

The brothers in The Teacher stage will typically be seniors and will have a firm grasp of the LEAD Program and how to meet the requirements. Students at this level, however, will have a lot going on and it will be beneficial for the members participating in The Teacher stage to meet once a month. The meetings with The Teacher stage participants will help brothers stay on task so they can complete their requirements in a timely fashion. They will have many other things on their minds such as the job search, and this will help them not lose sight of finishing the final stage of their membership development.

It is The Teacher Coordinator's responsibility to completely understand the requirements of this stage. He should work closely with the LEAD Chairman and the International Headquarters staff to make sure that he completely understands all aspects of the program. The Teacher Coordinator must also work closely with The Resolute Man Coordinator to make sure that The Resolute Man stage participants have met the requirements to advance to The Teacher stage. Those requirements are:

• Must have completed all requirements of The Resolute Man stage.
• The LEAD Chairman must verify to the International Headquarters in writing that all requirements of The Resolute Man stage have been met.

Once these requirements are met, members can start The Teacher stage under the direction of The Teacher Coordinator. The Teacher Coordinator must hold an initial meeting with all of the members who will be participating in The Teacher stage in order to discuss expectations. This is a self-paced program, but members are required to complete the stage within 12 months of beginning The Resolute Man stage. Those brothers who do not complete the requirements must understand up front that they will be directed to the Standards Board for a review of their progress.

Although not required, brothers participating in The Teacher stage are encouraged to choose a mentor in the chapter who has completed the LEAD Program, is an alumnus member, or a member of the community. If mentors are chosen, The Teacher Coordinator should meet with them to discuss expectations and requirements of The Teacher stage. These mentors should be encouraged to attend the initial meeting of The Teacher stage participants. Important topics to discuss in the initial meeting include:

• The mentor and mentee completely understand what is expected of them.
• The individual member's goals for The Teacher stage should be submitted within one week of the meeting. The mentor and mentee should work together to finalize the goals and develop an action plan to accomplish the goals.
• Each member has received a copy of the requirements of The Teacher stage and understands each of them.
• Set a meeting time and place for the monthly meetings.

Mentors & Mentees

The LEAD Program requires that brothers serve as mentors as they progress from stage to stage in the program. The mentor plays a valuable role in assuring that the LEAD Program is successful and that his mentee has the needed guidance to fully reap the benefits of the program.

The role of the mentor is not the same as being a Big Brother. The mentor is responsible for the development of his mentee by assisting, teaching, and guiding him through the stages of the LEAD Program. Big Brothers have a special place in our Fraternity and Theta Chi encourages that Big Brother programs continue in LEAD Chapters. However, it is important that each member has the benefit of working with a mentor throughout the LEAD Program.

Selecting a mentor is an important aspect of the program. When entering The Believer stage of the program, members must choose brothers who are in The Resolute Man stage as mentors. During The Resolute Man, members must find different mentors from men participating in The Teacher stage. Members in The Teacher stage are encouraged, but not required, to find mentors from men who have completed the LEAD Program, alumni, or community members.

When selecting a mentor, members should not choose someone just because they know him well. It is important for members to pick a mentor because they respect him and value his opinion. It does not matter if a mentor is older or younger than a mentee, but it should be someone of whom a member can seek advice. For the relationship between the mentor and mentee to be successful, it is important that there is an open line of communication. It is important that both the mentor and mentee understand their respective responsibilities during the LEAD Program. The relationship between the two must be a positive one in order for both brothers to have a good experience.