Each of NIU’s 37 Greek chapters has until either today or Tuesday to submit the mandatory accreditation application to the Office of Greek Affairs.

As of press time, the activities adviser for Greek Affairs, Chris Juhl, had not decided which day the applications would be due.

Each fraternity and sorority must measure itself against the six-section, 30-point Greek Chapter Evaluation mandated by NIU’s Greek Life Standards Board.

The annual process focuses on academic performance, community service, social events, new member recruitment and retention, ongoing membership education, and chapter leadership, management and advisement.

“Everybody takes it very seriously,” said Paul Dobbelhoff, Sigma Alpha Epsilon president. “Everybody wants to get the high score. … It’s a report card for all the Greek chapters, for their entire year of work that they’ve done.”

Each application packet averages 30 to 50 pages in length, depending on how thoroughly a chapter wants to prove its performance, Juhl said.

“If they don’t meet these standards, then they’re going to pay the price for it,” Juhl said. “But if they do, then we’re also going to praise them and give them rewards for achieving as high as they have.”

After a chapter rates itself by answering each question in the packet, which was distributed in September, a mathematical formula determines the chapter’s overall score out of a possible 100 points. If a chapter turns its application in late, it will be docked five points off its total score.

Chapters with a score of 90 or above are reaccredited with distinction, and those with 80 or above also are reaccredited. Chapters scoring 70 to 79 are provisionally reaccredited with recommendations and chapters scoring 60 to 69 are placed on probation with performance stipulations.

If a chapter scores below 60, it will be suspended for a specific period of time. If a chapter scores poorly for two or three consecutive semesters, the standards board has the option to pursue expulsion, with a recommendation to the national organization for chapter revocation.

“This is something that covers the whole spectrum,” said Dobbelhoff, who’s a senior corporate and organizational communication major. “This is what the entire year culminates into. It takes every aspect of everything that we do, and puts it into one final project.”

Before a chapter turns in its application, its faculty adviser must certify the application’s accuracy by signing it. Finally, two members of the 12-person Greek Life Standards Board (one faculty member and one Greek student who form a mentoring pair) also must approve the application.

After all applications are collected, it takes three to four weeks for the Greek Affairs office and the standards board to evaluate them. The process will culminate no later than June 1. Once it’s finished, the Office of Greek Affairs lets the chapter know how it performed.

“We fill out evaluation sheets for them,” Juhl said. “We give them feedback on the whole application.”

The Office of Greek Affairs is located within University Programming and Activities at the Campus Life Building, Suite 150. For information, call 753-1421.