Boulder Values

In order to promote a culture of continuous improvement within Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) at the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Values was created as an accreditation program that all university recognized fraternities and sororities must complete to remain in good standing with the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life (OFSL). In response to the ongoing challenges and limitations of our current COVID-19 reality, the 2020 iteration of Boulder Values is abbreviated and this program will continue to evolve as the OFSL establishes and grows.

This program is intended to provide a model for chapter leaders to critically reflect on their chapter’s purpose, operations, and to analyze the long term goals and outcomes of chapter offerings. It also provides a snapshot for both the chapter and university administrators to understand the chapter’s strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results at the end of the calendar year. The contributors for the necessary information should be chapter leadership and their advisors. Chapter leaders may review and solicit feedback from their general membership to provide more insight. However, the current chapter president is responsible for completing and ultimately submitting the required information.

There are two parts of the Boulder Values program. The first part is the completion of a form to capture raw data around membership statistics, community involvement, and chapter facility information (if applicable). The second part is the completion of a SOAR analysis. The following information will outline what is expected in each part.

Deadline/Submission

The deadline to complete Boulder Values is Friday, December 4, 2020 at 5pm. To completely satisfy requirements for Boulder Values, forms for both Part 1 and Part 2 must be submitted by the deadline. For any questions, please reach out to your council advisor or email bouldervalues@gmail.com.

Part 1: Data Collection

Please complete the Boulder Values Data Collection form to satisfy Part 1. This form asks for information regarding:

  • Membership Statistics
  • Community Involvement
  • Chapter Facility Information (if applicable)

Click here to complete the form.

Part 2: SOAR Analysis

You will use the SOAR Analysis Model to critically analyze your chapters strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results. Before completing this section, you should take some time to work through each of the questions listed on the model and receive feedback from chapter or executive board members. Please complete this form to satisfy Part 2. Responses to each question should be 4-6 sentences.

SOAR is a "...positive approach to strategic thinking and planning that allows an organization to construct its future through collaboration, shared understanding, and a commitment to action." (Stavros, J. & Hinrichs, G. (2009). The thin book of SOAR: Building strengths-based strategy.)

  • Strengths: What can we build on?
  • Opportunities: What are our stakeholders asking for?
  • Aspirations: What do we care deeply about?
  • Results: How do we know we are succeeding?

By using a SOAR analysis, an organization focuses on what they are doing well, what can be improved and what is most important to stakeholders. Using the SOAR approach, strategic plans can be more dynamic, creative and optimistic.

SOAR uses Appreciative Inquiry, an approach to organizational analysis and learning. Intended for discovering, understanding and fostering innovations in social organizational arrangements and processes.