Candidate Manual
We, the Members of the Eta Alpha Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, recognize that we have certain responsibilities to the men and women who apply for membership to our chapter. We, therefore, provide a candidate program which is constructive and progressive. Our ultimate goal is to educate candidates to effectively carry out their responsibilities to the University and the organization. We retain the ideals of scholastic achievement and social maturity.
We hereby assume the following obligations, as they are in keeping with the modern, constructive candidate education program we presently conduct. We have also been informed of all rules and regulations and understand them as they are.
Scholarship
- We provide incentives for scholastic achievement.
- Minimum grade requirements will be satisfied.
- We encourage daily class attendance by candidates.
Social Development
- We encourage candidates to participate in extracurricular activities.
- We insist on and provide instruction for proper etiquette at all times.
- We encourage candidates to participate in philanthropic and tutoring endeavors.
Beta Alpha Psi and University Life
- We require candidates to become familiar with his/her fellow candidates.
- We encourage candidates to become familiar with active members and alumni of Beta Alpha Psi.
- We require candidates to become familiar with the customs, history and regulations of UNC Charlotte and the Belk College of Business.
- Candidates that are dismissed from Beta Alpha Psi will not receive a refund, except those exempt by another contract.
Leadership Skills
- We encourage each candidate to participate in a leadership role within Beta Alpha Psi.
- We encourage candidates to shape themselves into tomorrow’s leaders.
Introduction to Candidacy
Congratulations on becoming a “candidate” of Beta Alpha Psi, and it is the duty of this organization to prepare you for full membership. You will be introduced to the individual Members, the Alumni, and the organization as a whole. But for this candidacy process to have any impact on you, you must take an active interest in learning everything that you can.
Candidacy is the most important phase in becoming a part in Beta Alpha Psi. It is the knowledge and experience you gain in the next few months that will set the stage for your future with us as one of our members. Indeed, it is our goal to make you be a responsible and dedicated member, but the ultimate decision is up to you.
There are three essential parts of preparing to be a member of Beta Alpha Psi. First, you should make every effort to attend all professional and candidate functions. Second, get to know the members and your fellow candidates—you will be spending the next several years with them. Third, ask questions! If there is something you do not understand, ask your Candidate Coordinator or one of the officers.
Candidacy requires involvement on a different level – be prepared to have fun! The experiences awaiting you will be long-lasting memories of great times. Candidate membership does require some of your time; however it is by no means overwhelming and should not impair academic performance. This brings up a very important issue for any college student: budgeting your time. Beta Alpha Psi will help to teach successful time management. This will, in turn, improve your academic performance here at UNC Charlotte. In order to get the most from Beta Alpha Psi candidacy, you must participate fully, give your honest share of effort, and keep a positive attitude: Unto whom much is given, of him much shall be required.
What you receive in return for your candidacy will be well worth your efforts. You will make friends for life. You will learn not only about yourself, but how to associate with different kinds of people; Beta Alpha Psi will expand your horizons.
We have selected you as a candidate for membership because we believe you can benefit from and contribute to the academic, social, and leadership strength of Beta Alpha Psi. Always remember that your experience as a Beta Alpha Psi candidate will remain with you forever, long beyond your college tenure.
Chapter One
Beta Alpha Psi History
Beta Alpha Psi is a national honorary organization for Financial Information students and professionals. The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field. This includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, finance, and information systems; providing opportunities for self-development, service and association among members and practicing professionals, and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility.
Beta Alpha Psi was founded in 1919 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. By 2011, there will be 289 chapters on college and university campuses with over 300,000 members initiated since the formation of Beta Alpha Psi.
Its primary objectives are (1) to promote the study and practice of accounting, (2) to provide opportunities for self-development and association among members and practicing accountants, and (3) to encourage a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility among students of accounting. Beta Alpha Psi recognizes six key principles of professional and personal conduct: intellectual integrity, loyal service, respect for confidence, professional bearing, responsible behavior, and personal appearance. The organization believes that adherence to these principles will lead to a successful career in accounting.
Founded in 1984, the Beta Alpha Psi chapter at UNC Charlotte is a national scholastic and professional accounting organization. The primary objective is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the field of accounting. This includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, providing opportunities for self-development and association among members and practicing accountants, and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility.
Association among members is fostered through the wide variety of committees within Beta Alpha Psi, each providing unique opportunities for involvement with other students and the community. At UNC Charlotte, recruiters are invited to campus to give students a greater look at the opportunities and issues in the accounting profession. The annual Meet the Professionals and Initiation Banquets allow members and candidates the chance to speak with professionals on a one-on-one basis.
Chapter Two
Goals of Candidacy
You’ve already been told how important the candidacy process is; it is an important stage in becoming a professional member, and it is an integral part of your Beta Alpha Psi experience. We have a set of goals that we want to achieve for our candidacy program here at Eta Alpha Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi:
- To improve you as an individual in your scholastic pursuits
- To enhance your college experience by encouraging you in campus activities
- To create pride in Beta Alpha Psi
- To enhance your college experience through a community living environment
- To increase your self-esteem and self-confidence
- To unify the Chapter and your candidate class
- To improve you, mentally, academically, and physically
- To improve your interpersonal skills
- To teach respect for yourself and for others
- To provide an enjoyable and safe college experience
- To develop your leadership skills
The intent of the candidacy program is to achieve and exceed in each of the above goals. If at any time during the candidacy program you do not feel that we are helping you achieve these goals, please voice your concern to your Candidate Coordinator or an officer. In doing so, you will help both yourself, and this institution, improve and achieve our goals.
Our candidacy program is a unique college and life experience. It will incorporate social interaction with professional development to create a professional, well-rounded individual. After people meet you for the first time, their initial reaction of you should be “Wow.” As head of Candidacy Development of Beta Alpha Psi, our goal is to instill this “wow” factor to you.
We also hope that you will grow to better understand yourself, as well as what it means to be in Beta Alpha Psi. The candidacy program will help you decide if being a part of Beta Alpha Psi is what you desire; we will help you address that question, but only you can answer it. It is important to realize that membership in Beta Alpha Psi is not a given; it must be earned.
Candidate Rules and Attitude
Here is a detailed list of your requirements as a candidate of Beta Alpha Psi:
· Mandatory candidate meeting once a month. All absences must be excused by your Candidate Coordinator.
Satisfy professional and community service hours.
Pay initiation fee ($75) before the specified deadline.
You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (overall and major) to be initiated.
Candidate Attitude – This area is based on a cheerful willingness to accept and follow Beta Alpha Psi guidelines.
Attendance – You must satisfy 80% of the hours requirement for both professional and community service events and 100% of all candidate functions (unless you have a valid excuse) to be initiated.
Beta Alpha Psi Example – Your actions will reflect on the entire organization.
Chapter Three
Social & Dining Etiquette
The basic intention of etiquette is convey your level of class and sophistication to others. It is to be a courteous individual to those around despite any situation. The preceding are guidelines and tips intended to help you successfully navigate yourself in our ever changing social environment. Remember you have no second chance to make a first impression.
Thank You Notes
Writing thank you notes is an important sense of acknowledgment and gratification that you will be doing throughout your life. A personal thank you note is the most appropriate medium to express appreciation and interest. This will hold true not only for individual needs, but for any gift or generosity your chapter may receive.
There are a wide variety of preprinted thank you notes available. However, merely signing your name at the bottom of the card is almost as bad of a sign of disrespect as not sending one at all. Since whoever you are sending the thank you note to, has the time and thoughtfulness to send you a gift in the first place, the least you can do is write a personal expression of thanks. For a more personal touch, write your note on a more formal card or folded note paper available at upscale stationers.
Be specific and appropriate in writing your thank you note. Thank the giver for the specific gift and mention how useful it is, or the compliments that you have received for it. If the note is for an act of kindness, the same descriptiveness is also appropriate. Thank them for the “heartfelt”, “thoughtful”, “touching”, or “kind” act. After writing that sentence, add one or two sentences that are more personal. Thank them for coming to your party, showing support, or showing you a great time. Your last sentences should simply reiterate your general thanks. Something along the lines, “Once again, thank you for your generosity/courtesy,” followed by a closing such as, “In appreciation,” “With gratitude,” or just “Sincerely.”
Your choice of wording in a thank you note should be genuine and be from the heart. Simply think of what you would like said to you if you were receiving the note.
Telephone
With today’s mobile phones we have the luxury to stay in touch almost everywhere we go, but there are a number of occasions when making or receiving phone calls are inappropriate. Such occasions are during mealtimes, chapter meetings, committee meetings, important social events, and especially during any portion of our ritual. If the phone call is extremely important than anyone needing to reach you surely would leave a voicemail.
When you do receive a voicemail, always try to return them that same day if possible or at least within 24 hours. Even if you do not have an answer to the caller’s question, it is still polite to call them back and say you will call them back when you do find the requested information.
Periodically check your voice mailbox to ensure that it is not full. This situation is counterproductive for both of you—you will have no up-to-date messages from those trying to reach you. You will lose some of you creditability and those trying to reach you will become frustrated.
Finally, when you are calling someone and someone other than the desired party answers, politely identify yourself and ask for the person with whom you would like to speak. You never know who is on the other line, so it’s important to treat them with the utmost respect.
Email Courtesy
As with voicemails, try to reply to email messages on the same day if possible, but within 24 hours at most. When replying to a question, copy the question into your email, and then provide your response—do not just send a bare message that only says, “Yes” or “No.” It’s too blunt and may confuse the reader.
Also email is an effect medium of communication and for that reason it should follow standard writing guidelines especially for professors and in the business world. It is never too late to become accustomed to using proper spelling and grammar in your messages.
Conversation
Effective one-on-one communication is a more important skill, especially when recruiting new members or speaking with dominant administrators on campus. However no matter where you are or with whom you are speaking, you will benefit from keeping these tips in mind.
Do not discuss personal issues such as religion, politics, or other powerful topics (abortion, racism, etc.); ethnicity, religion, or other jokes which demeans individuals or groups are in appropriate in every circumstance. Refrain from asking random women if they are married or their weight, however if a woman volunteers this information to you, you may be able to ask a few polite questions about her husband and/or children.
Topics of conversation that are welcomed include academic, job-related, personal interests, or appropriate compliments are always encouraged.
Shaking Hands
There is a lot more involved to a handshake than meets the common eye. To be honest, many people will perceive you by the mannerism and quality of your handshake. It is important to make a good hand shake; often times an interview or conversation will be indicative of the initial handshake. You do not have a second time to make a first impression.
For a good handshake you should keep your fingers together with the thumb up and open. Then slide you hand into the other person’s so that each person’s web of skin between thumb and forefingers touches the others’. Be sure to squeeze firmly, but not too firm for about three seconds, then “pump” your elbow once or twice. Then release you hand even though the introduction continues and keep eye contact with the other person.
When name tags are present, always wear your name tag on the right side of you chest. This way when you are introduced to someone, you are able to shake his or her hand as your eyes follow up their arm to their nametag. It is a lot easier to read someone’s nametag that is on the right side than the left side because you are not looking across his or her body.
You should always extend you hand for a handshake when meeting someone for the first time, greeting someone you have not seen for a while, greeting guests, saying good-bye to people at a gathering, or whenever someone else extends a hand.
