Chapter Advocate Manual

Updated August 2019

Purpose

This manual sets forth the duties and responsibilities of Beta Alpha Psi Chapter Advocates (CA). In general, those duties and responsibilities are comprised of the activities outlined below, which are subject to the support policies outlined at the end of this document. CAs will serve a three year term, joining the Board during their third year. All other duties are as follows.

I. Chapter Advocacy Council

The seven chapter advocates serve on the Chapter Advocacy Council (CAC). Each CA will be the advocate for his/her assigned region(s). Generally each CA will serve a three year term. No CA may serve as a Faculty Advisor during his/her three-year term without prior CAC approval.

II. Chapter Advocate Selection 

The following outlines the procedure to identify and select candidates for vacant CA positions. 

 

• Call for Nominations: The Beta Alpha Psi Executive Office, in consultation with the CAC, will send out a call for nominations for regions in which the CA is in the third year of their term. Self-nominations are permitted. The target date for the call for nominations is October 1. Nominations are typically closed 30 days after the call for nominations.
• Review of Nominations: The Executive Office will provide members of the CAC access to nominations for CA positions. The CAC will review the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, as well as the extent of their prior service to Beta Alpha Psi. The CAC will convene to formally review the nominations and reach a consensus on a slate of nominees to be forwarded to the Nominating Committee of the Beta Alpha Psi Board of Directors for consideration. The nominated slate of CAs is due to the Executive office by December 15.
• Appointment of Chapter Advocates: The Nominating Committee of the Beta Alpha Psi Board of Directors, will review the nominations of the CAC and the information provided by the nominee. The nominating committee will vote to affirm the CAC state of nominations. Affirmation of nominee by the Nominating Committee of the Beta Alpha Psi Board results in the appointment of the nominated CA to a three year term.

 

III. Responsibilities of Attendance Requirements for all CAs

A. Attend and coordinate specified regional meetings.

1. Open and close the meeting with the host chapter representative
2. Facilitate one or more concurrent sessions if requested.
3. Attend and run the Faculty Advisors’ sessions.
4. Attend and run Chapter Presidents’ session.
5. Attend other sessions, as necessary.

B. Attend Board meetings as follows: August Board meeting (all CAs; beginning with the August meeting following election as CA), January Board meeting (third year CAs), and Board conference calls (third year CAs).

C. Attend CAC meetings as follows: August CAC meeting (beginning with the August meeting following election as CA), January CAC meeting (third year CAs), and CAC conference calls.

D. Attend the annual meeting and perform the follow duties:

1. Third Year CAs:
• Director of FAs
1. Lead Regional Meeting Workshop.
2. Moderate a session, if needed.
• Director of the CAC
1. Assist with Regional Meeting Workshop.
2. Moderate a session, if needed.
2. Second Year CAs:
• Lead PCA and Reporting Intranet Workshop or
• Lead New FA Workshop (See Section IX for more details)
3. First Year CAs:
• Assist with PCA and Reporting Intranet Workshop or
• Assist with New FA Workshop (See Section IX for more details).
4. Incoming CAs - moderate sessions, as requested.
5. All CAs should attend:
• Community Service Day
• Plenary Sessions
• Faculty Advisor Exchange (with Board and Professional Partners)
• Chapter President Exchange (with Board and Professional Partners)
• Regional Meeting Workshop
• Final Awards Presentation and Closing

IV. Communication with the Chapters in Assigned Region(s)

A. Distribute letter prepared by the Director of FAs, with summary results of participation in regional and annual meeting activities for the prior year, to all FAs by the end of September.

B. Offer assistance/encouragement to chapters as needed or requested.

C. Encourage participation at annual and regional meetings and other BAP activities.

D. Provide support to faculty advisors in region.

E. Encourage chapters to promote membership in the organization.

F. Encourage chapters to promote the possibility of starting a petitioning chapter to other schools.

G. Participate in appeal processes, as appropriate.

H. Offer assistance to the Executive Office (as requested) for issues related to:

1. Petitioning chapters.
2. Chapters on probation.
3. Chapters in danger of going on probation.

V. Probationary Chapters 

A. CAs are charged with the responsibility of monitoring chapters in the region that are on probation or at risk of being placed on probation. The Executive Office will assist the CA in this role by providing notice of underperforming chapters in their region.

B. For chapters at risk of being placed on probation, the CA should actively engage the FA to provide support and assistance to improve chapter performance.

C. For chapters placed on probation, the CA is charged with actively working with the FA to develop a plan to improve the operations of the chapter. This plan should be developed through interaction FA and student officers. The plan should be comprehensive and include activities and a timeline for accomplishment of these activities. If possible, the CA should meet with FA and student leadership at regional or national meeting.

VI. Petitioning Chapters

Required activities of the regional CA include the following:

A. Review submitted petitions for completeness and accuracy.

B. Forward your evaluation of the petition (accept/decline/more information needed) to the Executive Office for formal acceptance and assignment of chapter number.

C. Send a congratulatory letter to the Faculty Advisor offering your aid and assistance. 

D. Periodically contact the Faculty Advisor to offer your support and assistance. It is essential to monitor petitioning chapters.

E. Notify any existing petitioning chapters in your area when you become a Chapter Advocate and offer to assist them as needed.

F. Conduct the site visit, prepare a report of that visit, and complete the confidential site visit evaluation form. If the CA from that region is not able to complete site visit and installation, another CA may perform those visits.

G. Send your recommendation for installation and all reports to the Executive Office.

H. Be prepared to discuss your recommendation with other CAs and Board members.

I. Attend and participate in the installation ceremony.

J. Send a post-installation congratulatory note to the Faculty Advisor.

VII. Oversight of Regional Meetings

A. Prior to each regional meeting, the CA must:

1. In consultation with BAP’s meeting planner, confirm hosting commitments (city, date, host chapter) for at least the next two Regional meetings. Communicate this information to the Executive Office no later than one year in advance of the next meeting. 
2. Ensure that the host chapter(s):
1. Access and understand the current Regional Meeting Host Chapter Manual at least one year in advance.
2. Receive updates to the Manual, if any, by September 1 prior to the regional meeting.
3. Advise host chapters of the timelines set forth in Appendix B of the Regional Meeting Manual.
3. Assist the host chapters(s) in planning the regional meeting, including taking a leading role in conference calls.
4. Work with Professional Partners Liaison and host chapter(s) to arrange speakers.
5. Communicate with submitting chapters about the acceptance of their Best Practices abstracts once notified by Deloitte. Per the Best Practices Manual, chapters will submit abstracts online at the BAP website and the abstracts will be forwarded to Deloitte by the Executive Office. (See Best Practices Manual).
6. Approve the preliminary and final programs and operational/professional topics (See Appendix B for additional details).

B. During the Regional Meeting, the CA must:

1. Coordinate the opening and closing ceremonies as first and last speaker.
2. Coordinate the breakfast with Faculty Advisors, Chapter Presidents and Professional Partners.
3. Coordinate the lunch with all attendees.
4. Preside over the Faculty Advisors session, take notes, and discuss during Chapter Advocate conference call.
5. Perform duties related to Best Practices (See Best Practices Manual).

C. After the Regional Meeting, the CA must:

1. Ensure that host chapters submit the post-meeting reporting requirements on time.
2. Assess the regional meeting and process and forward comments to the Director of FAs for discussions at subsequent CAC meetings. 
3. Perform duties related to Best Practices (See Best Practices Manual).

VIII. Outstanding Faculty Advisor Selection

RSM US LLP provides funds annually to support the program that recognizes outstanding faculty advisors to Beta Alpha Psi. They have given the authority to BAP’s Board of Directors to identify, screen, and select the recipients of this award. These awards will be presented at both the American Accounting Association annual meeting and the Beta Alpha Psi annual meeting.

The process by which FAs are nominated and the forms to complete are found on BAP’s website. Chapters must submit a completed online nomination form and service spread sheet (uploaded through online form) no later than April 1.

A. The Executive Office will send all submissions to the Director of FAs no later than April 10th.  

B. The Director of FAs will prior to May 1st:

1. Review all submissions and provide a summary spreadsheet of the nominations to the CAs no later than April 15th.
2. Schedule and chair a conference call during which CAs should formally nominate FAs for receipt of the award.
3. Communicate that information to the Executive Office before the May Board conference call.

C. Selection of Outstanding Faculty Advisors

1. The Executive Office will distribute the CAC’s nominations and related submissions to the entire BAP Board of Directors prior to the May Board conference call.
2. After reviewing those nominations, the Board of Directors will select the FAs who will receive the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.
3. CAs will notify the FAs in their area who will receive the award, as well as those considered but not selected, as soon as possible.
1. Confirm that FAs will attend the AAA annual meeting.
2. Confirm that FAs will attend the BAP annual meeting.

IX. CA Responsibilities for the Three Year Term

Each first year CA will choose a path to follow to determine annual meeting responsibilities for the three year term and which manuals will be reviewed each year.

A. Path 1 will lead to appointment as Director of the Chapter Advocacy Council (CAC) in third year of term.

Year 1 duties:

1. Update Program of Chapter Activities.
2. Assist with PCA and Reporting Intranet Workshops at annual meeting.
3. Take minutes for the CAC meeting, as agreed upon.

Year 2 duties:

1. Update Policy and Procedures manual. Lead PCA and Reporting Intranet Workshops at annual meeting.

Year 3 duties:

1. Serve as Director of the CAC (See Section IX. A. for further details).
2. Update Chapter Advocate Manual.

B. Path 2 will lead to appointment as Director of Faculty Advisors (by year three):

Year 1 duties:

1. Update Faculty Advisor Manual.
2. Assist with New FA and Refresher FA Workshops at annual meeting.
3. Take minutes for the CAC meeting, as agreed upon.

Year 2 duties:

1. Update Petitioning Process guidelines located at “bap.org/petitioning-process".
2. Lead New FA and Refresher FA Workshops at annual meeting.

Year 3 duties:

1. Serve as Director of FAs (See Section X. B. for further details).
2. Update Regional Meeting Host Chapter Manual.

C. The CA who oversees international regions will review all manuals for issues related specifically to their regions and attend the Non-U.S. Chapter Meeting concurrent session at each annual meeting.

X. Third-Year Chapter Advocate Responsibilities

Third-year Chapter Advocates serve on the Executive Board with voting privileges.

A. The Director of the Chapter Advocacy Council is responsible for overseeing the activities of all Chapter Advocates and thus has the following added third year duties:

1. Maintain contact with and coordinate activities between Chapter Advocates and the Executive Office to ensure uniformity of actions.
2. Communicate information to CAs not on the Board after each Board meeting and conference call.
3. Set agendas for Chapter Advocates conference calls and meetings.
4. Render reports to the Board about Chapter Advocate activities/projects.
5. Serve as the primary contact for first-year CAs and assist their transition into their new role.
6. Serve on the Board’s Nominations Committee.
7. Serve on the Board of Directors as Director of the CAC attending all Board meetings.
8. Conduct conference calls on an as-needed basis.
9. Serve on any award nominations committees, as appropriate.

B. The Director of Faculty Advisors is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Faculty Advisors and local chapters and thus has the following added third year duties:

1. Assist other Chapter Advocates in recruiting new BAP chapters.
2. Draft ‘Talking Points’ for regional and annual meetings.
3. Manage the outstanding Faculty Advisor nomination process as outlined above.
4. Serve on the Board of Directors as Director of FAs attending all Board meetings.
5. Prepare a summary report on the results of all regional meetings for discussion at the June Board conference call.
6. Prepare a letter for FAs with summary results of participation in regional and annual meeting activities for the prior year. Forward to CAs for distribution to FAs by September 15th.
7. Serve on any award nominations committees, as appropriate

 

Appendix A Summary of CA Responsibilities

Manuals
	Chapter Advocacy Track	Faculty Advisor Track	International Track
3rd Year Advocate	Chapter Advocates	Regional Meetings	All
2nd Year Advocate	Best Practices	Petitioning Chapters
1st Year Advocate	PCA	Faculty Advisors
Annual Meeting (Sessions) [1]
3rd Year Advocate	Regional Meeting (assist)	Regional Meeting (lead)	International chapters
2nd Year Advocate	RI/PCA Session - Session #1	New Faculty Advisors (lead)
1st Year Advocate	RI/PCA Session - Session #2	New Faculty Advisors (lead)
Incoming Advocate	Attend a 1st Year CA Session	Attend a 1st year CA Session

 

[1] Also attends all Board of Directors sessions during the annual meeting