Proposal-20110618-VPMD-02

This page is a proposal being developed or completed by a National Council member. This page is protected and can only be edited by a user with admin rights. Only members working on this proposal, namely the National Council Member drafting the proposal, should edit this page. For purposes of preserving national records and transparency this page should not be edited after National Council has voted on this proposal.

Proposal Vice President of Membership Development 02

• Council Member Name: Natalie Swierzbin
• Council Position—Proposal Number: VPMD—02
• Meeting Date for Proposal: November 19, 2011
• Objective this proposal falls under: 10.0 BD
• What costs are associated with this proposal? None
• Additional Pertinent Information:

Intent: The intent of this proposal is to ensure that chapters are planning and executing The Ritual in the manner it was intended to be executed, with the utmost respect and professionalism. Chapters sometimes perform The Ritual “on the fly”, which can detract from the seriousness of the ceremony.

Ritual Preparation Program

The Ritual ceremony is the culmination of an Initiate’s work and the celebration of his/her official recognition as Brothers of our Fraternity. It is important that this ceremony be a memorable and distinguished occasion and is the one ceremony that binds all Phi Sigma Pi Members together. To make the ceremony as such, it is important to execute it in a respectful, safe and accessible manner. The following guidelines will assist your chapter in the planning and execution of The Ritual.

• Obtaining The Ritual Kit

Obtaining The Ritual Kit Contact the National Headquarters to obtain The Ritual Kit and copies of The Ritual ceremonies books. No full or portions of ceremonies book shall be reproduced. This is to ensure the integrity of the Fraternity’s secrets.

• Attendance

The Ritual is required for all Initiates looking to be bestowed with Membership status. Collegiate Members should be required to attend. As such, the time, date and location need to be scheduled and announced as early as possible. It is recommended that the date be selected and announced during recruitment informational sessions.

• Timeline for Performing The Ritual
  • Six weeks before Inductions
    • Invite Alumni Members and Alumni Adviser. Parents can be invited for the post-Induction party
    • Confirm room reservations (also confirm that room size is still adequate), four tables
    • Confirm Membership Pins (may need to borrow Big Brothers’ Pins)
    • Assign speaking roles to Members. If your chapter memorizes speaking parts, these parts should be assigned to speakers as early as possible.

• • One week before Inductions
    • Review appropriate Ritual attire and behavior with Members and Initiates during chapter meeting.
    • Review the proper Fraternal handshake with all Members during chapter meeting
    • Assign reading parts for The Ritual and have rehearsal (read through)
    • Confirm candles, table cloths, golden/glass vase, chapter roll book, gavel, 4 white tablecloths Coat of Arms (if unavailable, get a project to explain the Fraternity’s symbols) are available
    • Order cake and cake knife (if hosting a post-Induction party)
    • Print the words to the Fraternity songs (if applicable)

• • Day of Inductions
    • Pick up cake, drinks, paper plates/cups and plastic ware.
    • Pick up white rose (if a fresh rose will be placed on the altar)
    • Have the Initiation Committee arrive and prepare one hour before the ceremony to set up the room (refer to "The Ritual: Formal Induction Room Layout" in this book).
    • Bring: 3 Purple candles, 5 White candles, 8 Gold, low based candle holders, 1 Silk/real white rose, 1 Glass or Golden vase, 1 Personalized Chapter Roll Books, 5 Pen/marker (to sign roll book), 6 Copies of the The Ritual Ceremonies Book, 1 Gavel, Coat of Arms (symbols), cloth, masking tape

• • • Use masking tape to discretely mark Initiate standing positions on the floor (to ensure there is proper spacing between Initiates), Use cloth to drape over door windows, camera (Confirm with Historian )

• • 30 Minutes before Induction
    • Have all Brothers and Initiates arrive 30 minutes prior to the ceremony.
    • Begin staging and lining up initiates in the hallway, keep initiates engaged while they wait for the ceremony to start. This may be a good time for the Initiate Advisors to present the initiates with letters from their Big Brothers. These letters may welcome them to the Brotherhood, or simply state what The Ritual meant to the Big Brother when going through the process themselves.

• Choosing a Time and Location
  • Location

• The Ritual should be held in a private location, one that is not visible to the public, and one whose atmosphere and setting commands the respect of the ceremony. A secured back-up location is also suggested, in case the original location becomes unavailable. To emphasize the distinction of the ceremony, The Ritual should be held in a room separate from other post-Ritual activities. The Ritual should not be held as a part of a Chapter meeting. When selecting a location keep in mind the Chapter and Initiate class size so that there is enough standing room for both groups as well as the three altar requirement. Room temperature and ventilation is important. Closed rooms can get warm very quickly with a large group. Additionally, special accommodations may be needed for Initiates or Members. See Accessibility for considerations. Initiates are to meet in the same location as the Members. While Initiates may meet in a separate meeting room at the main location, it is not permitted to escort the Initiates to a previously unannounced alternate location. Location considerations may be: local hotel or campus ballroom, campus executive meeting room with movable chairs and tables or a campus chapel.

• Time
• It is important to abide by the Initiation/pledging hours mandated by many universities/colleges. Initiates should be told the exact date and time of The Ritual during informational sessions.

Furthermore, The Ritual should be held during reasonable times of the day so that there is access to building administrators should concerns arise.

• Lighting
• Fire safety and regulations supersede The Ritual’s request for lit candles. While lit candles are to be placed on the altar, this may not be permissible by campus regulations and/or sufficient light for Initiates to view the Fraternal shield and the Members to read their individual speaking parts.In lieu of open flame candles, it is suggested that the Chapter consider using electronic candles. Additionally, reasonably dimmed overhead lighting will further ensure appropriate safety precautions.

• Attire
• Attire shall be “semi-formal”. Semi-formal attire includes; dress slacks, suits/ties, dress shirts, or dresses. Dress considerations can be that Members dress in black while Initiates dress in white. If this is implemented it is important to make the Members and Initiates aware of this as early as the informational night. Another consideration is that choir robes be worn by Members. No jeans or tennis shoes shall be worn.

• Accessibility
• There may be times when Members or Initiates requiring special assistance attend The Ritual Ceremony. These individuals shall be accommodated as needed. Contact your campus’ social equity office for available resources.

Accessibility considerations include but are not limited to:

• • Wheelchair accessibility (Are there elevators and/or stairs? Is it a deep pile carpet making it difficult to move and turn?)
  • D/deaf or hard of hearing (Is an interpreter* needed? Is pen/pad available to use written notes to communicate?)
  • Blind or visually impaired (Is there sufficient lighting and/or cleared walkways during The Ritual? Establish effective ways to describe the elements of the coat of arms. Confirm that the location is close to outside access for guide dog relief.)
• Other considerations:
  • Someone who fatigues easily should be assigned a standing location close to a chair
  • Dietary considerations beyond vegetarian and kosher may be low-sodium, no-sugar or gluten-free requests for the post-Ritual celebration.
  • Individuals with learning disabilities may request accommodations that are similar to those requested by Members / Initiates who are blind or visually impaired.

• It is permissible to allow a non-Member attend who is providing a service for a Member or Initiate needing special accommodations.

• During the Ceremony
  • Decorum
    • Attendees shall remain quiet while waiting on the initiates' arrival, and throughout the ceremony.
    • When entering the room, and when facing the three altars, initiates shall be placed in lines in which shorter initiates are in the front lines and taller initiates are in back lines to ensure that initiates may see the altars and speakers.
    • When directing the initiates to the three altars, Big Brothers should assist in direction.

• Conferral of Membership
  • If using a sword, the President shall process through the lines of initiates and individually confer membership upon each initiate.
  • Following the knighting of the initiates via the sword (if applicable), New members shall sign the roll book and the fraternal grip and word shall be given to the New Members. During the signing of the roll book Brothers should stay quiet until the roll book is signed. The Chapter President and Secretary shall process through the New Members from front to back, and the New Members shall individually sign the roll book. Big Brothers shall follow the President and Secretary and confer the membership pin on their little following their signing of the roll book. The President and Big Brother shall share the fraternal grip and fraternal word with the new Members. Big Brothers may pass down their own membership pins to their littles. Pins shall be replenished at the beginning of each semester.

• Following the ceremony, a reception may be held to welcome the New Members.

---

• What is the motion to be made on this?

I move to adopt a Ritual preparation program for the planning and execution of The Ritual.