Amnesty Policy

AMNESTY POLICY

PURPOSE:

The Fraternity’s Amnesty Program provides a chapter the opportunity to admit that it has violated Fraternity Laws policies and avoid being sanctioned by the Fraternity. In lieu of sanctions, the chapter must agree to enter into an amnesty action planning process where it agrees to compliance with Fraternity Laws and policies.

WHEN DOES IT APPLY? WHEN CAN A CHAPTER BE GRANTED AMNESTY?

Amnesty may be granted when a chapter admits to prior violations of the Fraternity Laws and/or policies, such as the policies contained in Minerva’s Shield, and commits to future compliance. In this case, the chapter enters into an amnesty action planning process which does not include sanctions for previous violations.

WHO CAN GRANT AMNESTY?

Amnesty may be granted by the Eminent Supreme Recorder/CEO or his designee.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Any chapter with a sincere interest in reform may choose to participate.

WHEN?

The opportunity to participate in the amnesty plan is open ended.

PROGRAM DETAILS AND REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE:

• A request to participate should preferably come from the Eminent Archon or any chapter officer. It is recommended that, at a minimum, he/they have the support of the chapter’s executive council. Further, if the chapter’s member’s are in agreement, this would demonstrate a strong commitment to the plan.

• A concerned group of members that are opposed to current chapter practices but lack chapter officers willing to participate in the plan may request participation. In this scenario the outcome may result in some officers being removed from their positions or other sanctions as deemed appropriate.

• A request or report from a single member of the chapter would fall into the “whistle-blower” category and would exclude the chapter from having the opportunity to participate in the process. Should a chapter be caught in the act of violating Fraternity Laws or policies, this would also exclude the chapter from amnesty.

CONTACT:

A request to participate in this plan can be made in person at any of our Fraternity events, by telephone, by email, or by mail. The request must be made to the Fraternity Service Center or facilitated by your Province Archon. It cannot be anonymous.

AMNESTY POLICY

PROCEDURE AND IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Once a request has been made and it is confirmed as legitimate, a Fraternity Service Center staff member will do a preliminary assessment of the situation with the member (or members) who initiated the contact. This assessment will require an honest and candid dialogue about the chapter’s noncompliance with the Fraternity Laws or policies. Each chapter may pose unique issues and therefore the procedure will vary in execution.

2. The Province Archon, chapter advisory board, and house corporation president (if applicable) will be contacted and notified if one of his chapters has requested amnesty.

3. Upon requesting amnesty, the entire chapter will be notified by the Fraternity Service Center.

4. A visit may be made to the chapter by the Eminent Supreme Recorder’s designee to discuss the expectations of participation in this plan with all the members.

5. Each chapter poses unique issues, therefore, regardless of the nature of the reason for amnesty, a custom action plan will be developed by the Fraternity Service Center, Province Archon, chapter advisory board, and chapter to provide the necessary tools and support to change the chapter’s culture and self-accountability.

6. Once the chapter has been approved for amnesty, all Fraternity Laws and policy violations must stop. A retreat may be necessary to begin shifting culture towards policy adherence and self-accountability. Ideally, the retreat should be done with a chapter committee facilitated by the Fraternity Service Center. This committee should represent an appropriate cross-section of chapter members.

7. Unfortunately, chapters may incur resistance from some members. Additional actions can be enacted to rectify those types of issues.

SUPPORT:

The Fraternity Service Center will work with the chapter officers and volunteers on a recurring basis, typically ranging from weekly to bi-monthly on the execution of the chapter’s amnesty action plan, this is primarily done via phone calls or a web conference such as Zoom.