Accreditation

Bucknell University maintains a rich tradition of Greek-letter organizations beginning with the founding of the first fraternity in 1855 and the first sorority in 1895. To ensure the integrity and longevity of our organizations and their contributions to the overall educational goals of the institution, all organizations must adopt and abide by the Fraternity and Sorority Accreditation Model that conveys a commitment to enhancing the growth and development of fraternity and sorority members while remaining aligned with the founding principles and core values of each organization.

The fraternity and sorority experience can and should be an educationally enriching and socially meaningful one that contributes to the overall sense of community on campus. While many fraternities and sororities at Bucknell provide this experience to their members, it is essential to develop benchmarks and expectations to ensure all members have the opportunity to enhance their collegiate experience through fraternal membership.

Fraternity & Sorority Affairs has designed accreditation levels to improve the management and quality of fraternity and sorority chapters at Bucknell University. This program allows chapters to complete a self-evaluation of the preceding year in order to show the chapter if and where growth is needed. The accreditation program allows the University to recognize those organizations that achieve excellence. The seven areas of accreditation criteria within this program are intended to help chapters understand basic expectations and identify areas of strength and weakness. The program is designed to assess chapters' success in these seven areas and provide both recognition and accountability.

The Accreditation Process

Chapters are accredited annually by a committee comprising students, faculty and staff. Each chapter must complete an Accreditation Report with all required documents by the end of their leadership term. The committee will review the Accreditation Report and provide feedback to the chapter on highlighted areas and ways to improve.

Levels of Accreditation:

  • Gold Bison Chapter: Excellent: Well above all expectations, 90–100% of applicable points
  • Silver Bison Chapter: Good: Above expectations, 80–89.9% of applicable points
  • Bronze Bison Chapter: Fair: Meets minimum expectations, 70–79.9% of applicable points
  • In Need of Improvement: Poor: Does not meet expectations, below 70% of applicable points
    • Chapters placed on an "In Need of Improvement" level will be required to meet with the appropriate Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs staff on a biweekly basis for the following calendar year for additional goal-setting and progress reports. The first meeting will be with the entire executive board. Each additional meeting will be with the president and one other officer. Each chapter placed on this status will have the opportunity at the end of the semester to re-apply for good standing.

Accreditation Criteria