Chapter Records

Recordkeeping

To keep good records, a chapter needs to find a permanent location to store chapter records such as the Chapter Advisor's office or a file drawer in the English department. The Chapter Secretary, Treasurer, and the Historian are responsible for maintaining chapter records. Some of the records a chapter should keep are:

• Correspondence
• Chapter meeting minutes
• Bank account statements
• Induction ceremony and award banquet programs
• Documents related to chapter activities such as fundraisers and service projects
• Journals and newsletters
• Any awards or honors the chapter may have received
• Chapter history

Enrollment Records

Write Away, Sigma Tau Delta's online chapter management system, serves as the permanent enrollment database for both your chapter and the Sigma Tau Delta Central Office. The system was initially launched in August 2008 and contains enrollments dating back to fall 2004. Chapters can also use Write Away to directly manage payment of induction fees, add and/or change Chapter Advisors and Chapter Officers, and maintain a chapter directory. All Chapter Advisors can access Write Away from the upper right corner of Sigma Tau Delta's website. Username/password assistance/retrieval is available on the Write Away login screen.

Checking Accounts

While some Sigma Tau Delta chapters have their own checking account at a local bank, many colleges and universities require student organizations to open an account with the university. The Sigma Tau Delta Central Office advises chapters to check their school's policies governing student organizations before opening a checking account at a local bank.

• Establishing a checking account at a local bank: Sigma Tau Delta recommends that Chapter Advisors open the account in the chapter's name (e.g., "Sigma Tau Delta, Zeta Zeta Zeta Chapter"). The Central Office also recommends that only a Chapter Advisor have signatory privileges on the account.
• College or university accounts: Be aware that it takes time to process checks through colleges and universities. If your school requires that all chapter money must be deposited in a school account, then allow more time to process a check from this account. Some colleges and university business offices can take up to three or four weeks to process a check for payment.