1. How do we determine "professional (service) hours"?

2. How often should we update our membership list?

3. What information should we give in an activity report?

4. What is the difference between ΒΑΨ and nonΒΑΨ?

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 International 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 submit the actual minutes of a professional or service activity on the professional or service activity worksheet on the intranet. 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 computer 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 on the professional activity worksheet with 0.6 hours of credit given for each member.

2. How often should we update our membership list?
Chapters must update membership information before beginning the professional or service activity worksheets each reporting period. The membership listing is used by the computer to calculate the adjusted member/pledge base, and if the list is not correct, the AMPB is not correct. Furthermore, if a member/pledge is not listed on the chapter roster as active, any time spent by that member/pledge on professional or service activities will not be accepted by the computer. It is critical that all membership changes are reported before an activity worksheet is started. Although baseline chapters are not required to report monthly, it is a good idea to periodically update the membership data in order to keep control.

3. What information should we give in an activity report?
An activity report must include adequate information for the International Office/Director of Chapter Activities to evaluate the chapter's participation in the activity and the nature of the activity. Does it comply with the PCA? First of all, 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. The heading also provides places to indicate the date, length of event, BAP or non-BAP, social or professional, and other check-offs. For BAP activities only, complete the event details section. Provide enough information that International Office can understand the activity. For a professional activity, include the name of the speaker, the title of the presentation, and about two sentences describing what was discussed. For a social activity (part of the professional activity worksheet), include the name of the firm or a list of companies represented, the number of professionals attending, and the type of social activity (golf outing, pizza party, etc.). For a service activity, indicate the organization receiving the benefit of the service and the nature of the service provided. The service description should be specific (assisted with registering participants for the Walk-a-thon; recorded cash receipts and disbursements for November and prepared November financial statements; assisted Career Placement center with setting up tables and chairs for the College of Business Career Fair). It is not intended that this paragraph be long, but it must contain relevant information.

For non-BAP activities, no event details are required. However, the chapter must retain the information described in the PCA until October 1 of the following year.

4. What is the difference between BAP and nonBAP?
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 International 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 Reaching Out 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 column on each month's worksheet for non-ΒΑΨ professional activities and for non-ΒΑΨ service activities. The appropriate time should be entered for each student on the worksheet itself (it will be a varying time). No activity detail is required. However, 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 International Office rather than by the chapter?
The International Office will enter credit for a Reaching Out Activity involving attendance whenever possible. This includes providing credit for attendance at the annual meeting, the T.J. Burns Undergraduate Seminar, the Graduate Case Seminar and regional meeting. For example, the International Office enters a "1" indicating credit for a Reaching Out Activity that reflects chapter participation in the activity. The International Office cannot, however, enter the time for the individual students (on the professional and/or service worksheet) since International Office does not keep track of attendance at each individual session. Therefore, the chapter reporter must include the actual participation time for individual participates in the reaching out activity on the professional or service activity worksheet.