Bayard Membership Experience
On September 1, 2020 Sigma Pi launched its standardized New Member Education program in the form of the Bayard Membership Experience (BME).
The goal of the Bayard Membership Experience is to provide and facilitate a uniform process for all those who are seeking membership into the chapter of Sigma Pi on their respective campus. Potential new members will be guided through their initial phase of membership starting as a “New Member” then transitioning into an Initiated Member upon completing all steps, courses, and trainings within the new member process of Sigma Pi.
Timelines for each phase of membership will be as follows.
A potential new member upon the extension and acceptance of a bid to join the chapter on their campus will be recognized formally as a New Member of the chapter. This time period of “New Member” will last no longer than six weeks. During this period each new member will be expected to complete six courses crafted by Sigma Pi and Plaid. Different topics will be centralized each week as a means of providing a well balanced introduction to their membership into Sigma Pi. Those topics, introduced week by week, will educate the New Member on Sigma Pi at the National Level, Skills Requiring Excellence, and Sigma Pi at the Local Level. Courses delivered within these categories of training will include The National Organization, The History of Sigma Pi, Financial Literacy and Time & Stress Management, Event Planning Conflict Management and Social Media Responsibility, Chapter Structure, and Greek Vernacular. Upon completion of each course each new member will be required to complete a knowledge check where they must score at or above 80% to proceed in the process.
During this six week period there will also be a focus on Health and Safety training, facilitated through the Tightrope Module, that all members of Sigma Pi are required to complete. Topics covered within the Tightrope Module will include The Facts about Alcohol and Other Drugs, The Culture of Drinking, Hazing Prevention and Identification, Sexual Misconduct, and Mental Health. Each course of Tightrope similar to the Bayard Membership Experience courses will conclude with a knowledge check where that member must receive an 80% or above to proceed to the next topic.
Throughout the duration of the Bayard Membership Experience there will also be weekly exercises provided that have been crafted and recommended by both Sigma Pi and Plaid. These exercises will serve as an opportunity to not only reinforce the information that was delivered during the course that week but also as means of further developing your knowledge regarding the subject.
While the Bayard Membership Experience will look to bring future members of Sigma Pi into the organization under the same umbrella of knowledge it will also change the way it is able to be delivered. With the ability to be done in a completely virtual environment or in person this process allows chapters to engage its members in a way they never have before.
Chapters will be required to initiate all new members in good standing within the chapter at the end of this six week period. Upon submission of the Initiate Report to Sigma Pi each member, after paying the “Initiation Fee” which should be done before submitting them on the report, will be eligible to complete the Golden Quest and will receive the proper materials exclusive to their new status.
While the Bayard Membership Experience was designed as a means of providing a more engaging and balanced education for New Members Sigma Pi has also invested in its New Member Educators like never before.
As the member of the chapter who will be expected to facilitate this process New Member Educators are being given tools that those before them did not have access to. The New Member Educator will be expected to conduct this process by way of following all Health and Safety guidelines and policies of Sigma Pi, being a leader and mentor to members of the New Member classes the chapter takes in, and fully committing to his role of assisting in the creation of men of excellence.
New Member Educators in full committing to their roles will be required to complete two courses within the New Member Educator track, Hazing Prevention and Running the Bayard Membership Experience, where they will need to score a 100% on each of the end of course knowledge checks to pass. They will also be expected to complete the courses that the new members are completing in order to best understand the curriculum.
By completing the Bayard Membership Experience members of the organization will be putting themselves in a better position to not only exceed but to make a larger impact on Sigma Pi during their time. Welcome to the Bayard Membership Experience!