Mortar Board Membership Planning

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Mortar Board Membership Planning

• Its everyones job!

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Purposes of Membership Selection

• To honor those who have excelled in scholarship,
  leadership, and service
• To continue the proud tradition of Mortar Board
  as a senior honor society
• To leave the chapter and campus better than you
  found it
• Replace yourself

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Dont re-invent the wheel

• Analyze last years MSP call the National
  Office if you cant find yours. The form is
  online!
• Talk to advisors, alumni, and contacts from the
  conference.
• Find out what went well, what didnt!
• Think boldly!

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Time isnt your enemy!

• Work from a calendar, and allow more time than
  you think the chapter will need. Start early
  other organizations may be wanting the same
  people to be THEIR members.
• Utilize your resources chapter advisors,
  national office, Section Coordinators, National
  Council members.
• No one plans to fail, they simply fail to plan.

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Where to start?

• Appoint a membership chair and committee.
  However, the committee does not DO the selections
  only organizes! Plan ahead! Start early!
• Look at a calendar, mark college and University
  events
• Find last years MSP (a sample is on page 68 in
  your notebook)
• Work backwards, starting from initiation,
  allowing much more time than you think youll
  need.

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When should things happen?

• Check your MB bylaws Initiation must occur no
  later than four (4) weeks before the last day of
  classes.
• If your last day is May 4, 2007 plus finals,
  that means initiation should be no later than
  April 6.

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How can I remember this?

• You dont have to !! The planning calendar to
  guide your Membership Selection is in your
  conference notebook, pp. 68-69.
• These PowerPoint slides will be on your
  post-conference CD, mailed this fall.

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What else?

• The Membership Selection section of your
  conference notebook has samples of many items for
  you to adapt and use for your chapter.
• Dont sweat it use your resources!

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Membership Standing Committee

• JoEllen Parker, Chairperson of the standing
  membership committee, will briefly summarize the
  committees work and findings this past year.

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Selections sound difficult!

• If the chapter plans ahead, it doesnt have to be
  difficult.
• Get completed information sheets in advance to a
  central location or online for perusal by
  members. Be sure those filling out forms are
  aware of requirements active participation, 60
  membership fee.
• Have refreshments and keep it moving!
• The CHAPTER and advisor must be present.

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Publicizing your Chapter

• Visibility of Mortar Board is for the entire
  chapter, and is an ALL YEAR process.
• Wear MB t-shirts, etc. as part of your normal
  routine (shop at the merchandise booth here!
• Utilize Mortar Board Week in February around
  Valentines Day.
• Help others to know how MB is different from all
  the rest!!

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How do we find new members?

• Lots of publicity on-campus throughout the year
• Work to get the word out to all student
  organizations, including ones with no current MB
  members
• Ask for nominations from deans, student affairs
  personnel, professors, academic and departmental
  advisors, student organization advisors

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How do we find new members?

• Dont require a nomination form
• Work to get the word about MB all year long,
  which will prompt success in many ways
• Be open to selecting persons who dont
  necessarily apply consider those who DESERVE
  the honor

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Who is Qualified for MB?

• The MB governing documents specify who can be
  potential members.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or the upper 35 of the
  junior class (get this figure from your
  registrars office).
• Leaders on your campus

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How many can we select?

• Minimum of 15 members or 10 percent of the junior
  class, whichever is smaller

• Maximum of 50 members or 1.5 percent of the
  junior class, whichever is greater

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Scholarship, Leadership, and Service

• When doing selections, consider not using the GPA
  as a determining factor, other than establishing
  initial eligibility.
• Leadership roles on campus and in life outside
  campus are important!
• Service to others

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Practice, practice, practice!

• Take time at a chapter meeting to practice the
  Selection by Consensus method. Its an unique
  way to select, and it works! Remember that if
  your chapter sets a cap on membership,
  mathematically you need to start with a higher
  number of candidates in your voting.

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Whats an Honorary Member?

• Honorary members are individuals who were never
  in Mortar Board but have made contributions
  toward the goals and purposes of Mortar Board.
• Only 15 the chapter pays this when sending new
  student member fees. What a deal!

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Electronic Voting??

• Some chapters utilize computer labs to more
  quickly tally their votes. Scott Wendell of The
  Ohio State University will now briefly comment on
  how this can be done.

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How many Honorary Members can we have?

• Chapters can select up to three Honorary Members
  each year
• University administrators and spouses
• Deans
• Professors
• Advisors
• State or local government officials
• Its good PR and honors worthy individuals.

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Are chapters totally autonomous in selections?

• Yes and no.
• An advisor must be present.
• Chapters select their own members who meet the
  criteria complete the online OMR have the
  advisor verify the process then wait for the
  national office to approve the OMR.

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National Office and Selections

• Mortar Board Executive Director Diane Selby will
  now tell us a bit about the National Office and
  its role in membership selections.

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What does the National Office do with the OMR?

• The National Office checks to see that all
  candidates are eligible and that all pertinent
  information is included, including permanent
  address (not campus).
• The National Office notifies the chapter of
  approval or problems, produces membership
  certificates, and then sends all initiation
  materials to the advisor.

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Ive heard about tapping???

• Tapping is the in-person notification of
  selection to membership in MB.
• Can be as memorable as YOUR CHAPTER makes it.
• Must occur no sooner than 6 weeks after fall
  grading period no later than 6 weeks before end
  of spring term.

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What comes after tapping but before initiation?

• Orientation of new members. This way, students
  know what is expected BEFORE they are initiated,
  including participation requirement and 60 fee.
  Dont overwhelm them with requirements, but be
  honest about expectations. Some chapters do this
  before selections even begin!

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Planning Your Initiation

• Guest speaker will you have one?
• Be sure to reserve the space you want (and start
  early!).
• Invite parents/significant others.
• Invite faculty, deans, advisors.
• Invite your Section Coordinator.

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How can we make initiation meaningful?

• Utilize your resources invite campus personnel
  members parents or families, significant other!
• Ask other delegates how they were initiated
  what made it unique and worth remembering?

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Publicize initiation!

• Compose a press release, send to new members
  hometown and the campus newspapers. (Samples are
  on page 45-46 in your notebook.)
• Take photographs or contact campus newspaper for
  a photo opportunity submit for publication.

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What about initiation fees?

• Chapters cannot initiate new members without
  having received their initiation fee.
• There is also a gift membership available (one
  per chapter per year) for students unable to pay.
• The chapter sends ONE chapter check to pay all
  fees.

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After initiation, were done, right?

• Well, no. A good transition includes meeting
  with the new chapter and acquainting the new
  officers (elected after initiation but before the
  term ends) with their duties. It also means to
  be available to help out your successor. Leave
  the chapter and its officers better than when you
  were initiated.

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Participation Dismissals

• Mortar Board Vice President Dan Turner will now
  give you some ideas/thoughts about why your
  chapter needs to have a participation policy.

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Setting a participation policy for your chapter

• This is required for all chapters.
• Work WITH your members to encourage their
  participation at the highest level of which they
  are capable.
• Make your policy reasonable, realizing that
  everyone has different levels of priorities.

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My membership ends when I graduate, doesnt it?

• Of course not! When you move away from your home
  address, be sure to notify Mortar Board!
• Alumni chapters and activities happen all around
  the country.
• Committees and National Council positions await
  you!
• Mortar Board is for LIFE!

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Mortar Board Membership Planning

• Go forth and plan..