1. How do we determine "professional (service) hours"?
2. How often should we update our membership list?
3. How should we identify activities?
4. What is the difference between ΒΑΨ and nonΒΑΨ activites?
5. How do we know if an activity will receive credit?
6. What is the best way to report non-ΒΑΨ activities?
7. Which reports are done by the Executive Office
rather than by the chapter?
1. How do we determine "professional (service) hours"?
A professional or service hour is equal to 50 minutes, based on the concept used for continuing professional education. The chapter reporter will input the actual minutes of a professional or service activity on the professional or service activity worksheet in the excel workbook. The computer will then divide the minutes by 50 to convert to hours. Remember that the minutes reported should exclude those things that do not count including breaks, refreshments, BAP organization discussions, and the like.
For example, the chapter holds a professional meeting that begins with 10 minutes of chapter business (reviewing upcoming events, getting members to volunteer for activities, etc.). The speaker then discusses the topic for 40 minutes and answers questions for 20 minutes. The discussion is followed by 30 minutes eating pizza with representatives from the firm. In this example the chapter should report the 60 minutes (40 minute presentation plus 20 minutes of Q&A) as a professional activity. The workbook will give each member attending the presentation 1.2 hours of credit for the activity (60 / 50). The chapter may also choose to report the 30 minutes of pizza and networking with the firm as a social activity. Remember, only 2 social activities can be reported each year. The social activity would be reported as a second activity in the workbook with 0.6 hours of credit given for each member.
2. How often should we update our membership list?
Chapters must update membership information throughout the year, generally on a monthly basis. New pledges must be entered into the reporting intranet no later than October 15 and February 15 each year. The membership listing is available to download to the chapter’s Excel workbook. Therefore, an updated membership listing is necessary for an accurate listing of active pledges and chapter members. The membership listing is used by to calculate the active member/pledges, and if the list is not correct, the total active member/pledge number is not correct. It is critical that all membership changes be made to the reporting intranet. We recommend updating the reporting intranet monthly but no less frequently than October 15, December 15, February 15 and April 30.
3. How should we identify activities?
The heading for the activity (professional and service) worksheet should indicate a descriptive name for the event. Rather than saying "Meeting One" the heading should read something like "Ethical Challenges" or "Interviewing Skills" or some other descriptive title that helps to identify the meeting. For a service activity, indicate the organization receiving the benefit of the service such as “March of Dimes Walk” or “Blue Ridge Food Bank.” Put yourself in the place of the person reviewing the activities. Does the title provide enough information to determine whether the event qualifies as a professional or service event?
For non-BAP activities, just title the activity “Non-BAP Hours.” The chapter must retain the information about these activities as described in the PCA until October 1 of the following year.
4. What is the difference between BAP and non-BAP?
BAP versus non-BAP refers to the host, organizer, or sponsor of the event or activity. For a professional activity to be a BAP activity, the meeting or event must be planned and hosted by the chapter. For a service activity to be a BAP activity, it should be planned, hosted, organized, and sponsored by the chapter. This means the activity is announced as a BAP activity at chapter meetings and a majority of those attending the event would be BAP members/pledges. If the meeting or activity is planned, organized, and sponsored by another party, but BAP members are welcome (invited) to attend, the event should be classified as non-BAP.
5. How do we know if an activity will receive credit?
If you have a question before hand about an activity, the best thing to do is contact the Executive Office or Director of Chapter Activities about the appropriateness of the activity. In general, if the activity follows the guidelines of the PCA, it will be acceptable. However, if it does not follow the guidelines, or it is questionable, then it may not receive credit. In this case the activity will not be approved and the number or National/Regional activities or the time submitted will not reflect that activity.
6. What is the best way to report non-ΒΑΨ activities?
The best way to report non-ΒΑΨ activities is to use a single worksheet for all non-ΒΑΨ professional activities and a single worksheet for all non-ΒΑΨ service activities. The non-BAP hour detail should be maintained in a separate file. At the end of the year, the reporter will apply the one-to-one matching rule and only input the allowable non-BAP hours on the worksheet. Only the time allowed after the one-to-one rule should be entered for each student on the worksheet itself. The chapter must retain information about the activities that supports the time reported. The information retained by the chapter should include the name of the student, the date of the activity, the time spent on the activity, the host of the activity, and then describe what the member/pledge did to justify the credit requested.
It is important that the reporting secretary and faculty advisor carefully review the non-BAP hours submitted by member/pledges and determine whether the activities meet the definition of a professional or service activity in the PCA. Only report the time for activities that meet the definition of a professional or service activity. Remember, only BAP sponsored socials with professionals (limited to 2 socials per year) will count for credit. Non-BAP socials with professionals will not count under the current PCA.
7. Which reports are done by the Executive Office rather than by the chapter?
All activities are now reported by the chapter on the reporting intranet.
