The Program for Excellence:
Values-Based Alcohol Education and Risk Management
The Education, Responsibility, and Action Program (ERA)
The E.R.A. Program (Education, Responsibility, and Action) is a values-based alcohol education program that employs a detailed discussion of Chi Psi Fraternity values to stimulate the development of responsible behavior. The program was designed to complement the Fraternity’s existing risk-management policy and strategy programming with a higher-level discussion that frames alcohol abuse within the context of values-congruence. The E.R.A. Program goes beyond the typical "thou shalt not” alcohol program by speaking to values, character, and loyalty to Brothers and peers.
The Program was developed following the success of an alcohol education program facilitated in 2006 – 2007 by Cal Hackstaff, Psi Delta ’06. It is administered every year at each Alpha for every Brother and Pledge.
We know its working. Several Alphas have reported that since the program’s implementation, Brothers and their peers are more aware of activity that can lead to dangerous situations. They are taking steps to prevent it and have reacted to un-prevented dangerous scenarios by doing the right thing.
The Program for Pledge Education (PPE)
Undergraduate and alumni delegates to the 2008 Rowe Regional Leadership Conferences spent several hours working on the core components of the new Chi Psi Program for Pledge Education. This new course focuses on high-level themes emphasized by The Chi Psi Story and supplementary online content. Participants focus on the importance of values-congruence and utilize online resources to prepare themselves for initiation. This preparation focuses on three core program objectives:
1. Develop an understanding of Chi Psi values and a commitment to uphold them,
2. Learn the Fraternity’s poignant history that supports those values, and
3. Develop close, personal relationships that comprise the foundation of our order.
Brothers and pledges, for more information, please visit the PPE website.
The Risk Management Education Program
In accordance with Chi Psi's risk management policy, the Fraternity requires that all undergraduate Brothers and Pledges participate in a 5-unit training course that explains our current insurance policy, gives examples of past incidents, and shares strategies for dealing with emergency situations. Most importantly, the course educates the actives on risk avoidance – the crux of the Fraternity’s overall risk management policy.
Each program unit is catered to the specific needs of the undergraduate collegiate career. Through the course, undergraduates learn to work together to make their Alphas and lifestyles safer and more responsible. It emphasizes the importance of cohesion and consensus in preventing and managing high-risk situations. Each member is responsible for his own actions as well as for the actions of others around him.
The Program is designed to work alongside local programs, with incentives for undergraduates to seek out local officials who will talk about risk reduction techniques. Chi Psi is committed to team building to address the risk responsibility problems prevalent on college campuses today. The group focus on risk avoidance has proven to be very effective since the inception of the Fraternity's focus on risk management education many years ago.
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