What's Working & What Isn't?
One of the challenges many of us struggle with is taking time to access our performance. We are all busy and in our fraternity role, we are all volunteers. Taking extra time to evaluate programs may not be something you are thinking about or, perhaps, something you don’t have time to do. However, not doing any evaluation often results in operating with the status quo. In the case of housing, having a “status quo” approach can be a serious detriment, as it is possible that small problems can be repeatedly overlooked until they become bigger issues and that can cost the house corporation more money.
The way you evaluate your operations can vary based on the size and complexity of your operations. An evaluation can include an involved review, or it can be a quicker, more simple process where you pause to consider how well a part of your operation is running.
So, what are some areas that you should be evaluating?
- Safety: Clearly, we need to be tireless in our efforts to keep our houses safe! Using the Safety Checklist regularly will help you identify most safety concerns. But you can also do random checks focusing on a few areas when you stop by the property. For instance, you could look for whether doors are shut or propped open, look for items improperly stored in stair wells, or if the exterior lights are coming on at the right time and in good working order.
- Market Competitiveness: Evaluating where your house stands on campus is highly relevant. It can impact the chapter’s ability to recruit, which impacts the ability of the chapter to meet the house corporations’ financial needs. When was the last time the board walked campus to see other houses? When is the last time the board has toured other houses?
- CapEx Needs: Has the board evaluated its capital expenditure forecast and compared that to funds on hand or anticipated funds on hand?
- Feedback from the Chapter: Is the house corporation getting regular (at least annual) input from the chapter on the undergraduates’ satisfaction with the chapter house or areas which they wish were improved?
- Food Service: If your house operation includes food service, is that program running well? Are the men happy with the quantity and quality of the food that is being served? Is the kitchen noticeably clean and organized? Are items in the cooler labeled and dated? These are simple areas where you can do spot reviews.
- Maintenance Program: Is the house clean and being well maintained? Whether the men oversee cleaning, or you are hiring out maintenance, it is important to periodically evaluate whether the plan in place is getting the results you expect.
There are of course many more areas to evaluate, these are just some suggestions that you could start with. Don’t forget that there are many new resources on the Housing page that you may find helpful.
Also, I mentioned food service above, if your food service program is not getting rave reviews from the men, we’d encourage you to reach out to our preferred partner, Upper Crust Food Service, and talk about options. Did you know that food service is a profit center for many houses?
As always, we are just a phone call away to help you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Steve Bocher - Chairman
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