National Theta Phi Alpha

National Theta Phi Alpha

National Organization Structure

Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity was founded in 1912. The overall operating structure defined by the National Constitution and Bylaws has evolved over the 90 years of Theta Phi Alpha’s existence. Convention is the supreme governing body of Theta Phi Alpha. The officers who manage the day-to-day operations of the Fraternity are elected by Convention. These officers are:

Board of Trustees

The Grand Council

National President

National VP of Collegians

National VP of Alumnae

National VP of Extension

National VP of Programming

National Executive Secretary

National Treasurer

Director of Extension

Director of Colonies

Director of Publications

National Assistant Treasurer

All other officers of the National Fraternity are appointed by the Grand Council. Below is a synopsis of the key officers of the Fraternity and a brief summary of their responsibilities. Expanded job descriptions for our elected offices are included in the National Constitution and Bylaws and the National Officer Job Description Manual.

Description and Duties of Elected Officers

The Board of Trustees consists of five members elected by Convention for four-year terms. The National President serves as an ex-officio member. At least three of the trustees must have served previously as a National Officer. The Board of Trustees advises the Grand Council on National Policies, coordinates the National award programs, nominates the slated officers to the Convention body, and manages the election process.

The Grand Council is like the Board of Directors of a corporation, managing the affairs of the Fraternity between Conventions by holding four to five meetings per year.

The National President (NP) acts as the chief executive officer of the organization. Reporting directly to her are the other members of the Grand Council, National Convention/Leadership Conference Chairman, National Personnel Chairman, National Public Relations Chairman, National Risk Manager and National Panhellenic Conference Delegation. She is also in direct contact with the Board of Trustees and Founders’ Foundation of Theta Phi Alpha, Inc.

The National VP Collegiansis responsible for chapter administration. Reporting directly to her are Conference Administratorsand the Traveling Educational Consultant Coordinator. She also oversees the Traveling Educational Consultants (TEC) Program. She is the chapters’ liaison to the Grand Council.

The National Vice President of Alumnae is responsible for alumnae associations. Reporting directly to her are Alumnae Association Presidents. She is the liaison between alumnae members and the Grand Council.

The National Vice President of Extension is responsible for responsible for extension and colony administration. Reporting to her directly are the National Director of Colonies and the National Director of Extension. She is the colonies’ liaison to Grand Council.

The National Vice President of Programming is responsible for programming. Reporting directly to her are the National Convention and Leadership Conference Programming Director and the National Programming Director.

The National Executive Secretary (NES) is responsible for the operations of our National Office, national web site, record keeping and history. Reporting directly to her are the National Office Executive, National Director of Publication, National Constitution and Bylaws Chairman, National Historian, National Membership Chairman and Web Site Coordinator.

The National Treasurer (NT) is the chief financial officer, managing the accounting, tax, budgeting, and investment matters of the Fraternity. Reporting to her are the National Assistant Treasurer, National Housing Chairman, and National Merchandising Coordinator.

Description and Duties of Appointed National Officers

The Director of Extension is responsible for expanding the organization. She pursues extension leads, in accordance with National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) rules and Theta Phi Alpha guidelines, at campuses, including those where we have inactive chapters. She coordinates all contact with the potential colony through scheduling the Colonization Weekend and oversees the Extension/Colonization Team.

The Director of Colonies is responsible for our colonies from the day of Colonization through the day of their Installation or Rechartering as a chapter. She supervises the Colony Advisors and Colony Consultants, who work directly with the colony.

The Director of Publication serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Compass, which is printed three times per year. She supervises the other editors and arranges the publication of The Compass.

The National Assistant Treasurer monitors chapter financial reporting and performs other special financial projects.

Colony Advisors act as the liaison between National Theta Phi Alpha and the colony. She monitors the progress of the colony as it works to become a chapter.

Conference Administrators supervise Conference Directors and keep the National First Vice President informed about chapter issues.

Conference Directors maintain contact with Board of Director Chairman and chapter Presidents, monitor the progress of chapters and provide resources and adviceto chapters as needed.

The National Constitution and Bylaws Chairman works with the National Constitution and Bylaws and the Bylaws of each chapter, colony and alumnal association. Every change to a current set of Bylaws and each new set of Bylaws must be reviewed by her. Upon her review, she recommends their approval to the Grand Council, prior to their taking effect, in accordance with Bylaw IX, of our National Constitution and Bylaws.

The National Convention and Leadership Conference Chairmen organize our June events. Convention is held in even-numbered years and Leadership Conference is held in odd-numbered years.

The National Convention and Leadership Conference Programming Director develops educational programming workshops and recommends professional speakers for National Convention and Leadership Conference.

The National Extension/Colonization Team Coordinator coordinates the fraternity’s extension efforts and colonization weekends. The team consists of the Director of Extension, Director of Colonies, University Research, Alumnae Contact and Conference Director for Colonies.

The National Historian is responsible for recording an accurate history of our Fraternity through written documentation and photographs.

The National Housing Chairman acts as a resource for all aspects of house acquisition and management for chapters and Housing Corporations.

The National Membership Chairman works with the National Office Staff to locate lost members and update national records.

The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Delegate and Alternates (3) are Theta Phi Alpha’s official representatives at NPC meetings and throughout the year. The Delegate receives notifications of problems or updates of situations from other NPC groups and coordinates their distribution to the appropriate parties within Theta Phi Alpha. The members of our NPC delegation also serve on NPC committees, such as the College Panhellenics Committee, where they might serve as an NPC Area Advisor. The Delegate and Alternates attend the regional meetings: Northeastern Panhellenic Conference (NEPC), Mid-American Panhellenic Conference Association (MAPCA) and Southeast Panhellenic Conference (SEPC).

The National Programming Director oversees all areas of chapter programming. These areas and the National Officers who oversee each area are:

The National Reflections Coordinator who reviews chapter Reflections Reports and develops new programs as needed.

The National Fund Raising Chairman who assists colonies, chapters and alumnal associations develop fund raising activities.

The National Philanthropy/Community Service Chairman who assists colonies, chapters and alumnal associations develop philanthropy activities.

The National Pledge Sister Educator who assists colonies and chapters implement the My Sister, My Friend National Pledge Sister Education Program correctly. The National Pledge Sister Educator is responsible for approving all education programs before they are implemented.

The National Recruitment Chairman who assists colonies and chapters develop membership recruitment events.

The National Retreat Chairman who assists colonies and chapters develop activities for membership retreats.

The National Ritual Chairman who conducts Rituals at our National Convention and Leadership Conference. During the biennium, she answers questions on performance of Ritual and reviews Ritual ceremonies.

The National Scholarship Chairman who assists colonies and chapters develop scholarship ideas and activities.

The National Song Chairman who maintains the National Song Book and National Song Tape.

The National Public Relations Chairman promotes Theta Phi Alpha externally through Greek Advisors, other NPC groups and press releases.

The National Risk Manger reviews all incident reports and works with colonies, chapters and alumnal associations on risk management issues.

The National Personnel Chairman contacts alumnae who indicated an interest in working with chapters or colonies, assisting with extension presentations or serving as a National Officer.

The National Web Site Coordinator manages the national web site (

Project Managers work on specific projects as determined by the Grand Council.

The Traveling Educational Consultant (TEC) Coordinator manages the recruitment, training and traveling schedule of TECs. She is in contact with the TECs as they visit colonies and chapters.

The Traveling Educational Consultant (TEC) visits colonies and chapters of the National Fraternity to assess colony and chapter strengths and weakness and offer assistance for improvement. She acts as an official representative of the Fraternity.

Other National Officers

Alumnae Association Presidents are elected by the members of the alumnae association they represent. They are the presiding officer at association meetings and act as the associations’ liaison with National Theta Phi Alpha.

Chapter Advisorsare appointed by the Grand Council. They provide support to the chapter, maintain contact with the chapter and monitor the day-to-day activities of the chapter.

National Office

National Office is the center of our organization, receiving and distributing mail, e-mail and reports to keep the information flowing through our Fraternity. All national records and the national membership database are housed at National Office.

National Office houses a library of videotapes and other programming materials, which can be borrowed by colonies, chapters and associations. The videos are on topics such as leadership, development, self-esteem, working with others, pledge sister education, membership recruitment and other pertinent topics for colony, chapter and alumnae associations.

The National Office Executive (NOE) reports to the National Executive Secretary. The NOE manages the operations of the office and the staff. The NOE and her staff also work on the financial matters of the Fraternity, run the Penguin Shoppe, track information, field questions and maintain records and archives.

National Publications

The Compass is the official magazine of Theta Phi Alpha. News of members, chapters, and alumnal associations, pertinent information and articles of interest to the Fraternity's members are included in The Compass. Alumnal and collegiate members are encouraged to submit articles of general or fraternal interest to The Compass andalso to inter-fraternity journals. Collegians receive The Compass at their homes as part of their per capita fees, collected through each chapter. Alumnae pay alumnal dues to continue their subscriptions. All members are urged to keep National Office informed of any changes of name and/or address to ensure delivery of every issue.

The National Constitution and Bylawsis sent to each chapter for distribution to each member after her initiation. This document is not to be shared with non-members of the Fraternity.

The Theta Phi Alpha -- Sisters True video provides an overview of the Fraternity which can be used at extension presentations, recruitment parties, pledge sister meetings, and parent, faculty, and alumnae events.

The Alumnal Association Operations Manualprovides information on formation and operation of alumnal associations, outlines obligations to the National organization, suggests activities, gives sample letters, invitations, etc.

The Reflections Manualprovides chapters with ongoing membership education, focusing on issue relevant to college-aged Theta Phi Alpha women.

The Chapter Advisory Board Manual outlines responsibilities and procedures for Chapter Advisory Board, provides sample letters for common situations and is the primary guide for Chapter Advisor.

The Chapter Operations Manual provides general guidelines for running a chapter, including officer responsibilities and transitions, goal setting, obligations to the National organization, etc. It is a guide for the chapter President and an important tool for the Chapter Advisor.

The Chapter Reports Manual describes reports chapters and colonies are required to file and tips on timely and complete report submission.

The Colony Member Manual outlines theprocess for a colony to become a chartered chapter of Theta Phi Alpha. It provides information particular to colony members and their advisors.

The Colony Operations Manualprovides guidelines for running a successful colony in preparation for becoming a chapter.

The Financial Manual outlines individual and chapter financial responsibilities, provides information on budgeting, record keeping, and collections. It is the primary tool for the chapter Treasurer.

The My Sister, My Friend Educator's Guideoutlines Theta Phi Alpha's pledge sister education program requirements. It is the primary guide for the chapter Pledge Sister Educator.

The Risk Management Handbook provides information on managing risk at the chapter level and describes Emergency Procedures. It is the primary guide for the chapter Risk Manager and an important tool for the Board of Directors Chairman. It is also useful for Alumnal Associations in event planning.

The Recruitment Guideoutlines proven recruitment techniques, provides ideas for recruitment workshops and recruitment themes. It is the primary guide for the chapter Recruitment Chairman.

The Scholarship Guideoutlines scholarship program goals and provides study techniques. It is the primary guide for the chapter Scholarship Chairman.

The Song Book is acompilation of popular Theta Phi Alpha songs. Some sheet music is included. It is the primary guide for the chapter Song Chairman.

Leadership Conference

Leadership Conference is the educational program of the Fraternity. Leadership Conference is held the last weekend of June during odd-numbered years. The Conference provides unique opportunities for all collegians, pledges sisters and alumnae to learn firsthand about the various aspects of chapter life. Chapters and colonies are required to send delegates and other members required by Grand Council, although they are strongly encouraged to bring as many members as possible. Educational programs are presented on a variety of topics of interest to the memberships of our chapters and colonies. Leadership Conference is a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and become acquainted with members of other chapters or colonies.

National Convention

National Convention is the supreme governing body of the Fraternity. Held the last weekend of June in even-numbered years, this is where major business of the Fraternity is conducted. The main items of business at Convention include changes to the National Constitution and Bylaws, ritual, and the fee structures. The Convention body elects the key Fraternity officers. Motions are also made to direct other aspects of the Fraternity, such as to form a study of a particular topic. Business is conducted formally in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. The Basic Parliamentary Procedure section of this manual will help Convention attendees understand the various levels of motions made to the Convention body.

Each colony must send a Delegate and Alternate Delegate to Convention. The Convention Fee paid annually by each chapter funds the Delegates’ trip to Convention, including travel costs, lodging and Convention meals. Chapters often fund the expenses of the Alternate Delegate.

Voting members of the Convention body are members of the Grand Council, one delegate for each chapter and alumnal association and the Past National Presidents.

Convention includes business sessions, educational workshops, the awarding of Founders’ Foundation Scholarships, the Siena Medal and National Awards and the election and installation of the Grand Council. Special events to honor Sapphire Circle Sisters (those who have been initiated for 50 years or more) and Compass Club Members (sisters who have attended five or more National Conventions) are also held.

Appropriate attire for Convention is business attire for business sessions and meals. The Fraternity Night Banquet requires dressy evening attire. Other special attire may be needed. Delegate and Alternate Delegates will be informed of all attire requirements in the materials provided prior to Convention.