Perspectives Winter 2014

Winter 2014

A publication for members of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors AFA1976.org | @AFA1976

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Stupid Stuff Smart People Say

Why are smart fraternity/sorority professionals falling into a trap of false logic?

Women Leaning In

How can women professionals support one another with the same passion with which they support students?

When was the last time you critically analyzed and evaluated why you do what you do?

@kevincsnyder

editor’s note During the weeks leading up to the printing of this issue of Perspectives, the internet ignited in a firestorm in our corner of the world—the little corner where fraternity/sorority professionals pore over post after post online about our community, our organizations and our students.

Several news outlets like Bloomberg and the Huffington Post seem to have fraternity/sorority life in their sights, with numerous pieces squarely aimed at us. Then in mid-February, The Atlantic dropped a highly researched, in-depth bomb of sorts about the myriad of fatal and harmful incidents that have occurred in recent years. And our corner of the Internet blew up again.

When the media picks up an incident that seems sensational or shocking, we swing into reaction mode. “How could this happen,” we ask. “What were they thinking?” “Not again.”

Just as often, we say, “But this is a small population; most of the students do the right thing.” Or, “But fraternities also provide positive leadership and growth experiences.” And of course, “The media is just trying to sell copies,” (or more modernly, drive online subscriptions).

Heather Matthews Kirk Editor @hmk0618

Stop shooting the messenger. The problems are real, and we know it. Without a spotlight shining on them, no one will rush to solve them.

DR.

KEVIN SNYDER BE GREEK… BE PROUD!

When you want to get your fraternity and sorority members laughing, motivated and engaged! The leadership principles shared in Be Greek...

Be Proud! will inspire fraternity and sorority leaders to discover the incredible membership benefits from their affiliation. Kevin will motivate, entertain and engage students to take action in their chapters, their communities and on their campuses. He utilizes humor and enthusiasm to remind audiences why “being Greek” is a tremendous honor.

EXPLORE YOUR LEADERSHIP DNA!

Ask us about Kevin’s other keynotes that help explore students’ passion for leadership and success: The PASSION Project: Inspiring Students To Succeed!; UNSTOPPABLE: A Recipe for College Completion; and EXPLORE AND SOAR: Making Your First Year of College F.U.N.!

BOOKING INFORMATION: (303) 745-5545 • info@campuspeak.com www.campuspeak.com/snyder

Yes, we have core competencies, community-wide values, award and recognition programs, educational initiatives, hotlines, conferences, leadership workshops, prevention weeks, social media campaigns, philanthropic endeavors, and more. But psychological and physical hazing, elicit drug and alcohol abuse, racism, sexism, [insert other -isms here], sexual assault and unsafe facilities remain.

Stop shooting the messenger. The problems are real, and we know it.

Without a spotlight shining on them, no one will rush to solve them.

The problem isn’t the media. Our problems are real, and they persist. Our members are harming themselves and each other, and it’s happening again and again and again.

I’ll repeat—our members are harming themselves and each other. This may not be the rule, but it certainly is not the exception.

The behaviors are not anomalies. I would agree with Caitlin Flanagan’s statement in The Atlantic piece: “There is a Grand Canyon-size chasm between the official risk-management policies of the fraternities and the way life is actually lived in countless dangerous chapters.” The chasm doesn’t just apply to policies—the general purpose of our organizations, the values, the mission and outcomes are also lost on a great population of our members. This dissonance propagates these harms.

“But when done right, fraternity is a transformational experience,” we say. When done wrong, it also appears to be a transformational experience. So, instead of focusing on combating the arguments presented in the media, turn attention to what must change. Then do something about it. Instead of blowing up social media, we need to collectively figure out how, figuratively, to blow up the environments and circumstances breeding these behaviors.

The media is currently reacting to the results of our inaction. While preemptively designing structures that facilitate a positive reality might not seem like sexy, above-the-fold-worthy media content, it could change the game for our students and communities.

Our problems are not small. They are complex and pervasive. When we think about industry-wide challenges, we must realize true solutions should be on that same scale. That is hard work. It is going to take drastic leadership and willingness for each of us to fundamentally change the way we approach our work. Maybe this spotlight is needed for us to take bold steps.

I believe the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors is uniquely positioned to become a catalyst for this progress, with many of the constituents close at hand.

Meanwhile, the media spotlight burns bright.

Perspectives

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Winter 2014

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from the president Wherever you stand and whatever you believe about our present trajectory, know you are contributing to this profession and you are needed. So be audacious. Be impractical. Be different.

Be authentic. Be something. But in doing so, be great.

Thad Doyle 2014 President tmdoyle@uakron.edu

So be audacious.

Be impractical. Be different.

Be authentic. Be something.

But in doing so, be great.

Since our time together at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, I have reflected on my closing comments during the Business Meeting and what role I hope to play in the Association in 2014.

It is paramount that I act on my own advice and the challenge I put to our membership. As president, I am fortunate to be surrounded by a talented group of board members who challenge and support me on a regular basis to be the greatest version of myself. During this transformation of the Association, we will continue to ask the tough questions as they relate to why we do what we do, what we should be doing, and how will we arrive at our desired outcomes. I am committed to provide a solid foundation for the Board of Directors, including drawing expertise from sources outside of our field. I will continue to push us to think strategically as we envision the future of the Association.

For those of us who have chosen to dedicate our lives to advancing the fraternity/sorority experience through working in this profession, our work is more critical now than ever before.

The landscape of higher education is rapidly evolving in relation to limited financial resources, reduced staffing and increased competition for incoming students. We must be cognizant of how these critical issues affect our profession, asking ourselves critical questions: •

How are we ensuring our fraternity/sorority members will persist to graduation and are being prepared to succeed academically, socially, emotionally and civically?

•

How does membership in our organizations complement the mission of the host institution?

•

How do we continue to focus our work so AFA enhances its members’ abilities to foster impactful fraternity/sorority experiences?

These big questions don’t have quick or easy answers, but I challenge you to elevate the dialogue to identify our best approach to remain relevant and complement the higher education experience.

This requires us to think differently as we work with today’s students. We need to use a critical lens to evaluate how we meet students where they are developmentally and provide educational and social mechanisms for them to enhance personal and professional development. We need to continue to provide evidence that student learning and outcomes are being met. Research is paramount as we document and tell our story of providing a co-curricular experience that aligns with the academic institution.

The Board of Directors will be working alongside you. We will be identifying key areas that will make up the strategic framework for AFA, including research, professional development, partnerships and advocacy. Much like we as members need to be different and audacious, so too does AFA. So as you enjoy this edition of Perspectives, allow it to challenge your thinking. Read this cover to cover much just like you do your other favorite magazines. Process the ideas and concepts being presented by the authors. Share your thoughts in an engaging and meaningful conversation with colleagues. Continue to learn, grow and develop as a professional, and as you do, continue to be more awesome!

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Talk about this at #AFAPerspectives

Perspectives is the official publication of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, Inc. (AFA). Views expressed are those of the individual authors/contributors/advertisers and are not necessarily those of the Association. AFA encourages the submission of articles, essays, ideas and advertisements.

Submissions should be directed to the Editor, advertising queries to the staff.

Submission Deadlines: Spring 2014: February 1, 2014 Summer 2014: May 1, 2014 Fall 2014: August 1, 2014 Editor: Heather Matthews Kirk Zeta Tau Alpha Heather-Kirk@zetataualpha.org (317) 872.0540 @hmk0618 AFA Staff: Lea Hanson Director of Marketing & Communication lea@afa1976.org Monica Ceja Coordinator of Marketing & Communication monica@afa1976.org 2013 Editorial Board: Noah Borton, Delta Upsilon Fraternity Emilee Danielson Burke, Shippensburg University Andrew Hohn, University of Illinois Scott Isenga, University of Central Arkansas Nathan Thomas, Bradley University

Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors P.O. Box 1369, Suite 250 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369 info@afa1976.org phone: (970) 797.4361 fax: (888) 855.8670 www.afa1976.org @AFA1976 AFA is a proud member of:

in this issue

8 Stupid Stuff Smart People Say Dan Wrona and Michael A. McRee

Too many smart fraternity/sorority professionals are still saying stupid things that lack basic critical thinking, deflect responsibility, or just simply display incompetence. When was the last time you critically analyzed and evaluated why you do what you do?

“Leaning In”: Embracing our Stories and 14 Women Authentic Selves Kayte Sexton Fry, Sue Kraft Fussell and Jennifer Levering

Three women tell their stories of turning points in their lives and careers. As student affairs professionals, theory is the foundation of what we do, and the application of challenge and support comes pretty effortlessly to us when working with our students. Why not with each other?

24 Man Up: Redefining Support to Prompt Mature Masculinity Scott Isenga

Men constantly receive messages about what it means to be a “real man,” but some of the behaviors we see in today’s fraternities seem to define mediocrity more than manhood. Even though the male sex is privileged, is today’s lack of nurturing and mentoring actually prohibiting young men from becoming mature, masculine men?

HIGHLIGHTS

13 :: 2014 NEC Update 20 :: The “BIG” Idea: Re-Visioning Mentoring Relationships in Fraternities & Sororities 26 :: Annual Meeting Wrap Up 30 :: Point | Counterpoint: GPA Requirements for BGLO Membership

COLUMNS

03 :: Editor’s Note 04 :: From the President 07 :: Letters to the Editor 35 :: Spotlight

letters to the editor “THANK YOU for investing in and supporting my development and success.

I’ve been impacted by the generosity of the AFA Foundation each year I’ve attended the Annual Meeting.”

- Taylor Symons New Professionals Seminar Attendee

The AFA Foundation is making a difference to AFA members, and it is because of your gifts.

You made an impact on each of these members, so we wanted to share their words with you.

The programming, publications, resources, networking and job placement opportunities provided by AFA can be found nowhere else. Thanks to the support donors like you provide to the AFA Foundation, AFA can offer these benefits that would not be possible from membership dues alone.

“I found the Annual Meeting exceeded all of my expectations. I loved being around a recordsetting number of people who believe in the power of fraternity and sorority.”

- Julie Bunson Jennifer Jones Hall Scholarship Recipient

Fall 2013

A Publication for Members of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors AFA1976.org | @AFA1976

“I gained so many ideas and tools to use with my chapters. I left the Annual Meeting more excited than ever to help advance the fraternal movement.”

- Matt Crimmins New Professionals Seminar Attendee

“I was able to further my own professional philosophy as a young professional, evaluate the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and evaluate individual and organizational change.”

- Sarah Wild New Professionals Seminar Attendee

Reimagining Fraternity It’s 2013. Let’s think differently about our profession.

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Fraternity/Sorority Movement or Inertia?

We often say we’re “advancing the movement,” but are we driving forward or resisting change?

If Only I Could Reach More

Proving our effectiveness has become an expectation.

How can we make the most of our resources?

Sparking Conversation and Critical Thinking

Thank you for the fall 2013 issue of Perspectives. I can’t remember an issue that gave me so much to think about and debate with colleagues.

I found myself muttering “Yes! Yes!” as I read the article by Josh Schutts. I’ve been saying for years the “values movement” has fatal flaws, and I thought Josh hit the key issues on the head. The article

by Noah Borton and Dan Bureau about whether individuals might change their affiliations got my gears moving. Those thoughts led me to write a blog post that took the idea a bit farther (“What if people could join an additional fraternity?”), and the blog earned more response than most anything else I wrote in 2013. How valuable it is when we put creative thinking out there!

Tweets about our Fall 2013 issue James Crawford @Padfoot20

Thanks to @awcarlson & @AFA1976 for the Spotlight in fall 13 Perspectives. It inspired great conversation with @antjwil in the office today!

Erica Lopez @ericaleads

Just enjoyed a nice cup of Joe & the fall #AFAPerspectives.

So much to process - loved every page!

There were a couple of articles I had some disagreements with, but those also led to some very valuable conversations at the Annual Meeting.

Going forward, it would be fantastic if individual articles could be posted on Facebook so that additional thoughts and opposing views could be shared. Having the ability to comment on a particular article and see the comments of others would add a great deal to the Association’s social media presence and encourage a greater dialogue. Allowing individual articles to be accessed on the website, and creating a mechanism for comments from readers would also encourage more conversation. That conversation would quadruple the value of the actual article.

T.J. Sullivan CEO, CAMPUSPEAK, Inc.

Dustin Page @dustINpocket

ation AFA Found 9 P.O. Box 136 2 , CO 8052 Fort Collins

We Want to Hear Your Thoughts Tweet using #AFAPerspectives Post your comments Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Email Perspectives Editor Heather Kirk Heather-Kirk@ZetaTauAlpha.org

Highly enjoyed the article by @growthguide_tim in #AFAperspectives! My desire to own the future is what has led me to pursue new positions.

Erin Lynam @erinlynam

Great article in #AFAPerspectives by @MattDeeg to remind us as professionals to keep up with the times.

Kim Novak @NovakTalks

#AFAPerspectives fall 2013 had some great stuff in it! Thanks authors and editor.

Perspectives

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Winter 2014

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by Michael A. McRee and Dan Wrona We would all like to believe we have a field full of intelligent thinkers, but sometimes, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

We are trying to strengthen the chapters we have before adding any more.

We just need a code of ethics or standards program.

All the “good” schools (or my peer/benchmarking institutions/organizations) are doing it.

Statements like these reflect a lapse in critical thought.

We believe they stifle transformation, misrepresent the intelligence of our colleagues in the field and limit our professional credibility. As such, they deserve to be confronted.

Halpern (1999) states that if critical thinking is a goal of education, then higher education must help students improve their skills and abilities to think critically. “It is not enough to teach college students the skills of critical thinking if they are not inclined to use them” (Halpern, 1999, p. 72).

When facilitating a group of students, professionals help develop critical thinking skills by inviting them to dwell in questions, make meaning, dig under the surface of issues, examine their worldview, and reconsider their reality (McRee, 2012).

If this is what we need to do with and for students, should we not role model critical thinking behaviors ourselves? As with students, poor logic is often a product of unchecked or unevaluated thinking. It gets passed down from generation to generation, without examining why (McRee, 2004, 2006). When was the last time you critically analyzed and evaluated why you do what you do? For many of us, it has not been recent. We use the same flawed reasoning as our students, and we cannot expect them to go where we are unable or unwilling to go ourselves.

To be clear we, the authors, are as guilty as everyone else. We have had our own moments where we have said and done illogical things too. It is hypocritical to expect students to step up and exhibit leadership while we ignore our own thinking errors. Just like working with students, when discover how our thoughts, words and behaviors are contributing to current problems, we can find new levels of growth and achievement as professionals and as

a community. From this perspective, we want to begin a critical exploration of the stupid things we do and say as professionals.

What is stupid?

We use the descriptor to identify statements and behaviors that reflect fundamental misunderstanding of how things work. Whether intentional or unintentional, these statements ignore deeper complexities of the situation and lack critical thought.

We should copy what they’re doing. We need to keep up with ________.

I’ve been here three years...this is how it has to work.

I’ve been doing this for ________ years. I know what I’m doing.

If we did ________ all our problems would go away.

When stupid comments show up, they often take the form of deflecting responsibility, searching for silver bullets, chasing fads, addressing symptoms while ignoring root causes, starting with a solution before clarifying the problem, or attempting to solve complex problems with minimal information.

Every chapter needs to be represented on this ________ (board, committee, etc.).

If I could just get everyone into a room and teach them ________.

It’s up to students to decide whether we do that or not.

Are you using [MBTI, LPI, The Golden Circle, bystander intervention, etc.]? We need to start doing that because we have a real problem with ________.

Stupid statements make us too quick to pull the trigger. We make generalizations rather than pinpointing unique and important features of the problem, and we end up with a misguided focus and half-hearted attempts to create change.

Students just need to learn how to hold one another accountable. Let’s do training on that.

There are a lot of violations happening. We need to do more enforcement.

There aren’t enough alumni involved. We should start a mentoring program.

When colleagues commiserate with one another in a game of one-upmanship, the dynamic worsens. Rather than gaining perspective and insight from the benefit of shared minds, we rehearse a toxic thought process and propagate substandard ideas.

Did you hear about what happened at ________ (institution, headquarters, conference, council, meeting, or with ________ vendor)?

[Their horror story.] “Yeah that really sucks, but [my horror story].”

Wait, you won’t believe this. This past semester, ________.

It is important to understand stupid logic is not to be confused with lame excuses or the long list of reasons we choose not to act.

I don’t have enough ________ (time, money, energy, support, etc.)

It’s hard.

I’m too busy already.

Or routine accidents.

We tried this initiative, but it flopped.

Something happened that was impossible to expect.

Or incompetence.

I refuse to learn assessment.

We did the program, but no one learned anything.

I don’t care what the procedures say. We are handling the incident my way.

“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share...”

(Frankfort, 2005, p. 1).

Stupid stuff includes only those things we continue to say and do without thinking, ignoring a deeper understanding of what’s happening.

What cost do we pay?

When smart professionals say and do stupid things, the true impact is delayed. Like credit card interest, the real cost is hard to see. If we look more closely, we can see how failure to think critically racks up additional costs over time through: • • • • •

Inhibited the development of skills that come from creating initiatives on our own Stagnation of the community around outdated ideas Lack of innovation and no mechanisms to expect future development Burning through resources with no results to show for it Reducing our credibility for producing insightful, effective projects as professionals

And if that isn’t enough, stupidity has other side effects: • • • • • • • • •

Copyright infringement Theft of intellectual property Integrity Poor professionalism Initiatives that do not address real needs Over-simplification of complex issues It might feel or sound good, but it’s not doing any good.

What you think you want is not what you really need.

We’re guessing.

These hidden costs explain some of the problems we complain about as professionals. Again, by perpetuating stupid ideas, we are getting in our own way.

Why we say and do stupid stuff

It would be stupid of us to expose these things without articulating in more detail why we do and say them and where they originate. In order to think critically about this dynamic, we forced ourselves to do some research.

What makes people say stupid stuff? Why is it that even the smartest of us find these statements so attractive? Why do we fall into the trap of recycling bad ideas? While we haven’t created an exhaustive list, a number of phenomena in psychology and sociology provide explanations. No element is driven by a single factor. In fact, most stupid things have some element of each of the following cognitive distractions.

Ego We want to be liked. We desire to connect with others in a unique field. We want to have our name on things, and there are incentives to do so in a field that celebrates relationships over results. We need positive strokes and attention.

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There are a lot of violations happening. We need to do more enforcement.

Check out this cool best-selling leadership book. We are realigning all of our efforts around all of its teachings (Birnbaum, 2000).

The Ikea effect “People attach greater value to things they built than if the very same product was built by someone else” (Vedantam, 2013). Like the wobbly table you put together, there is a greater affinity to your own work. If you created something at a previous or current campus/headquarters, it becomes a sacred cow you are afraid to critique even if it is causing problems. You like your own stuff more, even if it’s ineffective.

Well, on my campus ________.

When I was in school, we did ________.

I created this thing, and we need to do it here.

Fundamental attribution error We credit behavior to the individual rather than the environment or the context of the situation.

That person is the problem.

We need to hire someone like ________ (the hammer, the relationship builder, the administrator), and that will solve ________. ________ really “gets it” (and clearly I know what “get it” means). ________ doesn’t “get it” (and I don’t understand why) (but clearly I do).

If the NIC/NPC/NPHC/NALFO/NMGC/NAPA and their organizations would stop being so ________.

________ is currently doing ________ and we need that here (without doing following the same process to develop what was needed at their campus/headquarters).

Sunk costs error We throw good money after bad with the rationalization that you’re already stuck, can’t change course, or must attempt to get something out of the resources already invested.

________ won an award at that conference. We should do that.

Last time we brought a speaker to address that problem and students loved it. We need to do that more often.

Talk about this at #AFAPerspectives

We need more education (even though we’re already doing a lot and it’s not working).

We just need to send more students to ________ (because if we change the student, we can change the culture they’re in).

Dysrationalia “We are all ‘cognitive misers’ who try to avoid thinking too much. This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view. Thinking is time consuming, resource intensive and sometimes counterproductive. So we’ve developed a whole set of heuristics and biases to limit the amount of brainpower we bear on a problem. These techniques provide rough and ready answers that are right a lot of the time—but not always” (Kleiner, 2009). Over simplifications of larger data (“most,” “usually,” etc.) always have inaccuracies. Problems occur when these over simplifications become our only approach of work and we fail to check their accuracy (Collins, 2001).

We’re too busy just trying to keep up with what we already have in place.

The VP is more interested in ________ (without even having a conversation with him/her).

That’s the campus’/headquarters’ responsibility/fault.

My students won’t ________.

Other possible candidates…

Many more psychological phenomena also contribute to the problem.

• • • • • • • •

These reasons are fallacies. And a fallacy can be described as an argument that uses poor reasoning, whether or not its conclusion is true.

Replacing old stupidity with new thinking

Stupid only exists as long as professionals, upon hearing a ridiculous notion from their colleague, nod in agreement or smile silently in dissent, allowing it to continue. Absence of critical thought as to whether a simple summation of a complex problem truly explains everything there is to say.

Here are some poignant examples we have heard, seen, done and witnessed: We need a Balanced Man or Men of Principle thing.

It’s not in my job description.

We brought in that speaker because they were already in the area.

Well if ________ happens then we’d have to ________, and that wouldn’t work because of ________.

We do that because I saw it at UIFI, IMPACT, LeaderShape®, AFLV, NGLA, SEPC, SEIFC, or another conference.

Causation versus correlation Without inquiry, testing or verification, we leap to thinking that two simultaneous variables cause one another, rather than being caused by another thing (Godin, 2012).

How many alums do you have in the area? (PS: It doesn’t matter how many alums you have in the area, it matters how many are willing to be a chapter advisor, on the housing corporation board.)

I need to build relationships before I start making change.

We can’t move forward until everyone agrees.

We need to get organized first.

We need more values-based education.

The lizard brain Seth Godin frequently talks about the lizard brain, which uses fear to maintain status quo and prevent us from taking risks (Godin, 2010). This mostly explains excuses we make, but it shows up frequently as a primary motivator for not questioning what we find normal and comfortable.

You can’t get rid of alcohol, so there’s no reason to go alcohol-free.

We’re not ready to ________.

That’s against the policy.

Learned helplessness Dependency Tunnel vision Politics and scheming Miscalculation of risk vs. reward Confirmation bias Laziness Lack of confidence

I just know it will work.

Instead of saying these things, we invite you to replace them with a few questions to ponder: • • • • • •

How do you know you were successful?

How do you decide where to invest your resources?

How do you measure your effectiveness?

How do you get new ideas?

Is there just one solution that will work nationwide?

Just because you liked it when you did it, does that mean it’s appropriate now?

Last time we brought a speaker to address that problem, and students loved it.

We need to do that more often.

Let’s be clear. We, the authors, started off saying and doing stupid stuff that we heard and saw other professionals say and do. As we have learned, grown and developed, so should you.

None of us should remain stagnant. To execute an intentional, aligned plan requires different work. What we say and how we think about the challenges we face dictates our actions. If our words and thoughts are inaccurate or shallow, our solutions can only go so far. We need to check ourselves and challenge others when we rely on stupid logic. We need to rethink our understanding of the situation and consider other options for action so we can get at better solutions, be taken seriously and have a greater impact.

Smarter stuff we might try Have we mentioned anything you’ve heard, said or done before? Do you respond with a silent nod or a smirk and let it pass? Or do you challenge the idea? Do you let other people’s thoughts and opinions drive whether or not you develop what should be done on the campus, at the headquarters, or in a given situation? Don’t let the urge to “look good” own your life or drive your behavior.

What you should do instead: • • • • • • •

Use good instructional design.

Ask questions of your students and each other.

Assess unique needs before identifying a solution.

Develop things on your own based upon your own situation.

Evaluate programs on more than satisfaction.

Try different programs/speakers/initiatives.

Research what works in other industries and professions.

Disrupt the pattern Is there a common pattern for how stupid ideas spread?

Landmark Education and The Landmark Forum have an educational distinction called Rackets™ (Landmark Education, 2000). A Racket™ is defined as an unproductive way of being or acting that includes a complaint that something shouldn’t be the way it is. Often, we don’t notice that while our complaints may seem justified, even legitimate, there is a certain payoff—some advantage or benefit we are receiving that reinforces the cycle of behavior. At the same time, this way of being has steep costs, whether in our vitality, affinity, self-expression or sense of fulfillment.

By recognizing these patterns, their costs and how we have been keeping the pattern in place, we have the choice to interrupt the cycle and discover new ways to interact that lead to new levels of happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment in areas that are most important to us.

Be smarter People like to invent stories. We often tell ourselves a “story” of “how things are” when it’s often not the case. In order to improve we must examine and reexamine our own metacognition (i.e. how we think about how we think). Our challenge to you is to be more intentional. Become your own Jedi master. Identify underlying issues, reasons and rationalizations, and overcome the urge to propagate the excuses for why things are the way they are.

You can’t get rid of alcohol, so there’s no reason to go alcohol-free.

Help us expose, confront and correct stupid mistakes in our field—from our “thought leaders” to our “average colleagues,” from students to alumni. Take time to review the examples we’ve provided and help us identify more. Find out what’s really going on in these situations. Surface your blind spots and help to identify others. And, subscribe to the conversation.

Those who are successful, smart and effective are no different, they just invest their time and focus differently. You can too.

In fact, we believe our success with fraternal organizations depends upon it.

Michael A. McRee is the Associate Executive Director for the Delta Upsilon Foundation where justice is the foundation.

He served as the VP at LeaderShape, Assistant Executive Director at AFLV, Greek Advisor at the University of Oregon, and consultant at the NIC. His undergraduate degree is from Kansas State University. He earned his masters and Ph.D. in education at the University of Illinois.

Dan Wrona is CEO and Project Leader of RISE Partnerships and currently serves as Interim Associate Director in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership at the University of Iowa. He has provided training and consulting on more than 200 campuses, and contributes his expertise in instructional design, strategy, systems-thinking, risk prevention, and culture change to advance fraternity/sorority life.

NEC Overview & Update

by T.J. Sullivan

Serving on last year’s Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) was a wonderful challenge. With so many big changes in the Association’s board structure in 2013, the NEC (to which I was the appointed from Region 5) felt a certain weight of responsibility. Certainly, we wanted to make sure strong, qualified candidates were slated and that anyone elected would be a good fit for the new governing board model.

of the Association to have similar conversations. The NEC will gather opinions about what voices and experiences possible candidates would add to the current leadership. Members should encourage those colleagues they’d like to see run.

We also felt it was incredibly important that members of the Association—including those already in leadership positions— felt good about the process of selecting future leaders. We were deeply committed to treating the process with utmost care.

The added twist for this year, of course, is the election of the next Association president. This person will be the first under the reorganization to serve a two-year term. Bylaws require that candidates slated for the president’s spot must have served at least one year on the board. That means all seven current members of the executive board will be eligible, but dozens of former board members—current in eligible categories of membership—are also eligible. The NEC expects interest in this election to be very high.

Last year, the NEC had to face many considerations as it received and solicited nominations. What obligation do we have to present choices representing diverse demographics?

Why aren’t more qualified women applying? Why do we have no applicants west of the Mississippi? While the specific deliberations of the NEC are confidential, trust me when I say they were exhaustive. The 2013 NEC wanted to make Tweet using sure its process was beyond reproach.

GIVE YOUR INPUT

#AFANEC or email NEC Chair Dan Bureau at DABureau@memphis.edu

Our result was the slating of four qualified board candidates with intentional diversity in a variety of aspects. The slate had members in three umbrella organizations. It included one headquarters employee and three campus-based professionals.

It included two men and two women. Three candidates lived in the Eastern time zone; one lived in the Pacific time zone. The choices didn’t encompass every possible demographic (it was strange not having a candidate from the Midwest, for example), but the NEC was satisfied that members had choices in 2013.

Where possible, there were also choices for regional director candidates and members of the 2014 NEC. So, here we are. This year’s NEC jumped right into action at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, brainstorming a list of potential candidates. Members had numerous conversations that began with, “Have you ever thought about throwing your hat in the ring?” The 2013 committee wished there had been more potential candidates, so the 2014 group got to work early.

Nominations will officially begin in April and will continue through the end of May, but it’s not too early for all members

Talk about this at #AFAPerspectives

The heavy lifting for the NEC will begin in early summer as nominations are evaluated and discussed and candidates are interviewed. If all goes well, there will be a large number of nominations for all positions. The slate will be announced the first week of August; voting will commence Aug. 21 and continue until Sept. 11.

I am personally excited the 2014 NEC is such an excellent cross section of our Association’s membership. We have newer members and seasoned ones. We have members of every umbrella group. Associate, affiliate and professional members are all represented. By design, every region of the country is represented. Past Association president Dan Bureau serves as this year’s NEC chair.

You will see the NEC consciously ramping up its communication to members, so there will be very little excuse to feel baffled by the process of selecting the Association’s leaders. NEC members will be actively soliciting opinions for qualified candidates, and we will be communicating with you through various Association communications venues from start to finish.

Whether you nominate someone, nominate yourself or simply take an active interest in those being nominated, your participation strengthens the Association. We look forward to creating a very exciting ballot for you.

NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE TIMELINE Nominations for the 2015 Board of Directors begin online end of April

Deadline to accept nominations June 13

Deadline for nominations May 24

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Throw your hat in the ring. Make the NEC really work this year digging through dozens of amazing potential candidates.

2015 slate announced Aug. 4

NEC reviews nominations, interviews candidates through July 12

Voting Aug. 21-Sept. 11

Deadline to renew membership to be eligible to vote Aug. 19

WOMEN LEANING IN Embracing our stories and authentic selves

by Kayte Sexton Fry, Sue Kraft Fussell and Jennifer Levering

We are not alone.

Three impactful women—Brené Brown, Sheryl Sandberg and Oriah—have written about the concepts of facing fears and realizing the possibilities we have to bring our inner strength and confidence as successful women to the surface. Brown (The Power of Vulnerability) has encouraged women to be vulnerable and tell our stories with courage. Sandberg (Lean In) has started a movement on the idea to “lean in” and be empowered to achieve our full potential as women. Oriah (The Dance) has taught us about living authentically and embracing a more meaningful life. Three thoughtful leaders with three different perspectives, all offering a similar message that can help us to become stronger women.

As student affairs professionals, theory is the foundation of what we do, and the application of challenge and support comes pretty effortlessly to us when working with our students. Why not with each other, though?

Why don’t we challenge and support our colleagues and other women in the same way we challenge and support our students? Rarely do we invest in ourselves as much as our students and those with whom we work. Why don’t we challenge and support each other in ways that will advance our personal and professional development?

Why don’t we invest time in ourselves and in each other so we can advance our profession? The three of us were fortunate to have an experience that created a space for this honest dialogue among women in our profession.

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Nourish was not a retreat or a conference. It was a standalone experience created by women who saw a need to spark authentic conversation among female professionals in our field. Funded by a grant through the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values’ The Gathering program, nourish gave us the opportunity to come together regardless of age, position or affiliation to reflect on our fears, dreams, hopes and insecurities. Our discussion was based around the writings of Oriah, and we shared our stories—both personal and professional, spent time in meditation and reflection, and most importantly, talked about what brings us joy. This experience made us realize we were not alone, something women in our profession need to recognize.

Now, we’ve chosen to share a part of our stories with you—our struggles and our journeys toward realizing our potential. We are not experts by any means, but we discovered the importance of being vulnerable and wanted to encourage you to do the same. We imagine you may see yourself, in part or whole, in one of our stories and this connection will feel encouraging. At the very least, we hope you’ll agree with us that women need to practice the art of being better to ourselves and to each other. It’s never too late to start creating a more meaningful life.

Jenny’s story I’m assuming my story is like many of yours—well at least that’s what I thought. Work hard, volunteer to build your skill set, work harder, volunteer more to connect with others in the field, work later to support students, go to all student meetings and events, go home, eat dinner late, work on volunteer work, respond to work e-mails, go to bed, wake up the next day and do it all over again.

I turned 30 a few years ago and realized my life was clearly not balanced. I realized I was working to prove as a woman within a male-dominated administration that I could do anything. I was fighting uphill battles every day without proving anything to anyone, not even myself. It took a significant job change and a few swift kicks in the ass by several close friends for me to realize I was doing too much and nothing really that well. Over the last few years I have worked on addressing my insecurities and tried to tackle why I tend to choose what I now know is the easy way out—to bury myself in work. What I’ve learned is, I choose that behavior because it is the EASY way out. It is easier to work late than to go home and write in a journal. It is easier to go to an Interfraternity Council meeting than a yoga class or the gym after work. It is easier to say “yes” to students than “no.” It is so easy to bury ourselves in this work.

I truly believe women put this stress on ourselves. We make up in our heads that we need to do it all. No one is telling us that, but through judgment, comparison, oneupping, and misguided perceptions and expectations, the pressure we unintentionally put on one another and ourselves is outrageous.

I had the opportunity to co-create an experience (nourish) for women in our field this past year. My goal was to get away from the traditional professional development experiences where we learn about how to be better administrators and change the focus to how to be better women. Through nourishing the mind, body and soul we nourished sisterhood and reflected on who we were and who we wanted to be. This type of development is work, but necessary so we can continually be better women. Later in the year I attended one of the educational sessions at the AFA Annual Meeting focused on the Lean In concept, and it was packed.

Women in our field are dying to do this work for themselves.

Don’t wait until you burn out or hit rock bottom in your role.

Start saying “no” to others and “yes” to yourself.

The challenge is, after time, I lost sense of who I was and who I initially dreamed I was going to be. I was so sucked into the stress and the work. It seemed “cool” to be busy and work late; the more I worked, the “better” I was. After much reflection it is frustrating to know I had it all wrong, but it is also rejuvenating to know there is an opportunity to create a more balanced life—not just for me, but for other women in our profession by starting honest dialogue on the topic.

My challenge to all of us is to start doing the work on our own.

Don’t wait until you burn out or hit rock bottom in your role. Start saying “no” to others and “yes” to yourself. Start figuring out where you find nourishment in your life and how you can stay nourished to maintain a healthy life. Nourish your mind—read. Read for fun, read to stretch your brain. Nourish your soul—reflect. Journal, think, pray, meditate. Finding time for meditation in my life has made all the difference. Nourish your body—try yoga if you haven’t. Try to do something active every day, just something! Nourish sisterhood—we as women have an opportunity to make life better for all women in our field, but it must start with us. Start with you. I’m working on myself; it’s an ongoing process. I hope you will join me!

Perspectives

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Kayte’s story I was the typical young fraternity/sorority professional.

I lived to work, and nearly 75 percent of my time was spent doing just that my first few years in the field. Did my relationships suffer? Probably a little, but at the time, I was focused on my professional path. I knew what my end goal was and figured I had a lot to prove to get there. I thrived on the busy days, long nights and weekend events, forgetting to focus on myself and choosing to do what I thought was the norm in our field.

Fast forward a few years. I landed my second job where I was doing similar things but with a little more balance and a lot more perspective. Just when I was getting in a groove, some amazing news came my way—I was pregnant! This was such a blessing, and of course being a planner, I started to think about what work would look like after my son arrived later that year.

My choice was obvious. I would continue with what I knew. That’s what I desired at the time. That’s what others expected of me, right?

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In Sandberg’s Lean In there is a piece about charting our unique course and defining which personal and professional goals fit our lives, values and dreams. I had to embrace this idea and allow myself the opportunity to re-chart my course. Shortly after I reframed my perspective, I was unexpectedly offered a new position that aligned perfectly with my course by allowing me to work remotely supporting a profession I love and to stay at home with my son. Albeit during the first few months of transition into this new role, I still found ways to be hard on myself, as working from home had its own challenges I did not anticipate.

Choosing to leave paid work behind in 2010 was not easy; it was the culmination of many humbling and challenging moments across a fulfilling and successful 16-year career in higher education and association management. “I peaked too early” and “I burned myself out” are throwaway phrases I have used to describe what I felt back then. I was too close to the situation to know how intensely unhealthy my relationship with work had become and how deeply my identity had become embedded in my job. A hard break with work was my solution to workaholism I could not manage.

The burning question: why are we, as women, innately hard on ourselves and each other no matter our situation? The way Sandberg states it speaks to me. “If I had to embrace a definition of success, it would be that success is making the best choices we can…and accepting them (Sandberg, 2013, p. 139).”

As women, we need to stop trying to live and work in the way we think others expect us to. Sometimes we are the ones creating unnecessary expectations of ourselves. We also need to stop comparing how we live and work with how others choose to live and work.

Make choices that are right for YOU. Even if they wind up being the wrong ones, it is a very brave and important piece of success and happiness.

It wasn’t until recently when I started to do the self-work I’ve been avoiding for years that I unpacked my real truth—I’m afraid. I’m afraid of not living up to my potential (personally and professionally). I’m afraid of letting anyone down. I’m afraid of not being the best mom, wife, friend, professional, [insert word here] I can be. I’m afraid of the perfectionism that drives me deeper into busyness and workaholism. I’m afraid of being vulnerable and actually letting people know this about me, even though I’m certain I am not alone in these fears.

We also need to stop comparing how we live and work with how others choose to live and work. Make choices that are right for YOU.

After returning to full-time work after maternity leave, I knew it was going to be hard to balance both worlds but had seen other women in our field do it well. After several months of juggling it all, I finally realized my heart and mind were being pulled in different directions, and I wasn’t doing either of my jobs well. This was a tough moment for me. I had failed, or at least that’s how I painted the picture in my head. So many questions ran through my mind. Am I a bad mother if I choose to continue working like this? Will I lose part of my identity if I choose to stay home with my son? Deep down I knew what I wanted. I was afraid to say it out loud. I had invested so much of myself into this profession. What will people think? Why couldn’t I figure out how to do both like so many other women had?

Talk about this at #AFAPerspectives

Sue’s story

As women we need to work on being kinder to ourselves and to each other. I encourage you to reflect, practice gratitude and lean into joy. Try not to focus on the negativity and what you can’t do. Be vulnerable. Talk to someone. Through my nourish experience I learned it is not a weakness to lean into others and talk about challenges you face or happy moments in your day. It’s not being an “emotional woman;” it is being authentic.

With the support of good women, you can better embrace yourself and the journey you’ve chosen. These things have helped me to realize my worth in work and life, empowering me to better serve myself and others.

today tell me I’m not alone in this assessment. I’ve become more comfortable articulating my experience with friends and colleagues; my choice is not something of which to be ashamed. I’ve chosen to lean in to myself, my family and meaningful volunteer work. This has as much worth as the myriad ways my professional sisters and brothers are choosing to lean in.

I recently completed a Brené Brown e-course and have enjoyed the opportunity to peel back the layers of my perfectionism and fears and embrace authenticity. It’s invigorating, and it’s scary as hell. But it’s essential to embracing the “New Sue” I’m putting together for the rest of my life’s journey. Also essential is sharing this journey with others. The support of other women is critical to my success and our collective success in the fastpaced, dynamic worlds of work and life. It isn’t surprising to me the Lean In sessions at the AFA Annual Meeting were standing room only and that my nourish sisters were impacted just as deeply by our shared experience as I. The realities of today’s world are creating disharmony and imbalance, and our souls—impacted in ways we’re just starting to recognize—are seeking to experience this journey in communion with others.

Now I work on accepting the person I am, celebrate all this means, and encourage others to do the same.

Participating in nourish, a program designed to (re)connect the mind, body, soul and relationships, and exploring the writings of Oriah provided me the opportunity to recognize [cue The Wizard of Oz comparisons] I knew this all along.

As Oriah’s work revealed to me, my need to abandon “Old Sue” was me turning toward a desire to know and create “New Sue,” a worthy, valuable person contributing as much today as when I was working fulltime. I’ve learned that “pushing the edge…was not about doing more or trying harder or going further or faster but about doing less, trying easier” (Oriah, 2001, p. 75).

Slowing down and pressing pause was indeed pushing the edge for me, not to mention uncommon in our field; the reactions I received four years ago and continue to experience

As Oriah states so eloquently, “… Surrender what we cannot control… hold still and let the demons we have been running from catch us. There is no greater terror. But there can be no greater liberation,” (2001, p.84). I fought the voice inside for years telling me I was out-of-balance. Now I work on accepting the person I really am, celebrate all this means, and encourage others to do the same before they “peak too early” or “burn themselves out.” Being in community with others, providing support and encouragement for whatever your journey looks like is the best way we can nourish each other as women— as human beings—and ensure we’re our best selves for the people we love and aim to serve.

Perspectives

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What’s your story?

We are only three of many within our profession who have a story to share. In this new year, our challenge to you is to take time to reflect, to focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot, to be honest about what’s keeping you from having the most meaningful life, and to make authentic connections with others.

Women love to talk. We love to talk and share and talk and share more. What are we talking about though? Are we talking about anything of substance? About anything that’s actually going to move us forward? Are we talking about what is easy or our real stories? “Talking can transform minds, which can transform behaviors, which can transform institutions,” (Sandberg, 2013 p. 148). If we make the time to engage in deep conversation with ourselves and one another, we can transform our institutions and our profession. We can support the many versions of leaning in that exist and preserve each other for the meaningful work we love and want to do.

Jenny Levering is the Director of Student Activities and the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Jenny is a member of Delta Gamma and enjoys volunteering for the Circle of Sisterhood, the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values and Beta Theta Pi. She has a master’s in student affairs from Ball State University and a bachelor’s in communications from Loyola Marymount University.

Kayte Sexton Fry serves as the E-Learning and Curriculum Design Consultant for Zeta Tau Alpha and has previously worked as a campus-based professional. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and master’s degree from North Carolina State University.

She lives in North Carolina with her family and enjoys volunteering for fraternal organizations as she believes in the positive influence they can have on development.

Sue Kraft Fussell is a family wrangler and committed volunteer. After 16 years in higher education and association management and many “Can I really do it all?” moments, Sue determined that to be her best self, paid work needed to take a backseat to the more fulfilling work of service—to family and others. Sue currently leads the grants team for the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation and serves on the Synergos, AMC board of directors.

“This was EXACTLY what I needed in my career: a space to think differently about what we do.”

the gathering TheGathering.AFLV.org | June 10-13, 2014

Brown teaches us that it’s important to have the courage to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. Being vulnerable can be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. What is your story? How can you share your story with others so we can support women in our profession in a real way? The most nourishing thing about this work is that we all have a story.

Our best to you as you begin telling yours.

You are the right person to attend if any of the following apply:

How can you share your story with others so we can support women in our profession in a real way?

• You’ve facilitated a ton of undergraduate leadership programs.

• You’ve participated in the entry-level professional development programs.

• You’ve been to an AFA Annual Meeting or two (perhaps many more than that).

• You’ve read the best business books and all of the great Perspectives articles.

...but perhaps more importantly: • You recognize and value that things in the fraternity/sorority profession to need to change.

• You want to engage in compelling questions, powerful thinking, and revolutionary action.

• You want to do this work differently.

There is not a set number of professional years of experience needed, nor do you have to have a certain title. Instead, we seek participants who are ready to challenge the status quo, ready to learn and contribute at a high-level, and ready to take the next step professionally.

The Gathering is created by

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and is endorsed by

While there are excellent examples of strong Big/Little relationships whose influence has positively impacted the campus, unfortunately, success is almost entirely dependent on the character and quality of the individuals involved. The structure deserves closer examination. Sometimes it works; often it doesn’t. As professionals, we can collectively invest more effort into supporting the healthy development of these relationships. By setting standards, matching selectively and providing clear guidance for how to use these one-to-one relationships, we can take organizations to a deeper level of motivation and connectedness. I propose focusing on five aspects as we move forward in that pursuit: Re-envision the commitment, establish shared responsibility, build the framework, foster the environment, and guide the process.

Re-Envision the Commitment

Sharon Parks’ Big Questions, Worthy Dreams (2011) helps define the foundations to mentorship: • • •

by Nate Burke

The official introduction to my “Big Bro” began with an event intended to trick the new members into thinking we had been cut from the fraternity. After what was deemed to be an appropriate amount of mind games had concluded and all was revealed, it was time for our “family night” celebrations to begin.

I was given a bottle of Crown Royal and told it was my family’s official drink. I quickly learned many of the guys in my family collected the purple velvet purses the whiskey bottles came in and was told (as an 18-year-old) that with this gift I could now begin a collection of my own. At the time, we were arguably the strongest fraternity on campus with the most student leaders, highest GPA, largest roster, champions of intramural and fraternity/sorority competitions, and positive campus and community relations.

Yet this is how that organization showed me what it meant to be a Big Brother and how I would in turn guide my own Little Brothers.

When done well, a Big/Little relationship can be an incredible opportunity to integrate new members into our organizations, prepare them for future leadership roles and guide them through life’s transitions. Yet, to accomplish that, a Big Brother/Sister must be more than a tour guide for navigating the fraternity/sorority social scene. A more substantive approach to this relationship only happens when we strategically redefine the experience. When we move it from a surface-level buddy system centered around alcohol and gifts to a process of developing values-based relationships, we create systematic and self-sustaining mentoring communities.

all too well. However, as a fraternity/sorority advisor, I now see these situations as something else: missed opportunities.

It is unfortunate that excellent role models are sometimes excluded from the process because they cannot financially afford the traditional gift requirements of taking a Little.

It is unfortunate some Bigs never take the relationship to a meaningful level, because no one showed them how. It is unfortunate my story reflects some of the stereotypes we know

While not all fraternities and sororities have a Big/Little program, mentoring can occur between anyone, regardless of a formal relationship. The fact that many of our organizations already do have a structure in place designed to connect the newest members to more seasoned members creates a unique opportunity to better facilitate mentoring environments.

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One of the real and fundamental issues in our organizations is a lack of meaningful and effective mentoring between members.

When I ask students what types of problems they face in their chapters, I generally hear the predictable responses: grades, alcohol, apathy, etc. Yet, the challenges they identify do not address the root issues. Those are not the real problems; they are the symptoms of the larger, underlying issues, like this void of peer connection and accountability.

Mentoring is an intentional, mutually demanding and meaningful relationship between two individuals.

Good mentors help to anchor the promise of the future.

Mentors convey inspiration for the long haul.

Framing the Big/Little experience with this language allows students—often for the first time—to see a different, more substantive purpose for the relationship. As Steve Farber discusses in his book Greater Than Yourself, truly great leaders in life become great because they cause others to be greater than themselves (2009). This statement casts an excellent vision for a chapter-wide mentoring program. Many of our students have never considered the idea that the Big/ Little relationship should be intentionally designed in any certain way, so we have to help redefine the expectation. We cannot expect Bigs and Littles to move beyond surface-level roadblocks unless we illuminate a more meaningful path.

Establish Shared Responsibility

“Because we are social beings, if each new generation is to contribute to the ongoing creation and renewal of life and culture, young adults need more than to be challenged individually to realize their full potential… If they are going to have the courage to take the road less traveled… then they must discover that in doing so, they will encounter a new sociality: a trustworthy network of belonging.” (Parks, 2000, p. 134) Many of our sororities and fraternities are classified as social organizations. We are social because the connection between members is fundamental to our existence. As social beings in social organizations within a millennial generation of a 21st century world, connection matters. This is one of the most important ways our current approach to chapter mentoring may be missing the mark. It doesn’t work to allow each Big/ Little pair to operate independent from the group, left to invent rules of their own, isolated and siloed. This is how we end up with one exemplary Big/Little pair in the same chapter as another where the Big is facilitating family-based hazing.

There must be consistency in standards and expectations for the organization. Likewise, each Little should feel s/he is getting a similar experience as others in the new member class.

This consistency adds another layer of connection for everyone.

For as valuable as it is to have a mentor, it’s just as valuable that the Little not feel alone or even “alone with just my mentor,” as Parks put it. When the meaningful development of members becomes a shared goal for the chapter, the Big/ Little connection can extend beyond the individual pairs and create a systematic community of mentors. As the organizational culture adopts and embraces this change, these mentoring communities become self-sustaining from generation to generation.

Build the Framework

For chapters who currently have no formal structure for the Big/Little process, the idea of developing one can be foreign and daunting. In addition to providing the consistency between mentoring pairs, creating a framework also allows our chapters to define what success looks like for them: what it means to do their program well, what the outcomes should be, and what learning experiences will lead to those outcomes.

In general, if you can help them create a path, they will know whether or not they are staying on track.

What’s important for us to remember is meaningful mentoring does not just happen. It occurs when a system is intentionally designed and consistently supported in a way that creates a space for it to happen. I would suggest there are two components to consider when building a framework like this for fraternities and sororities: selection and training, and structure and curriculum.

Selection and Training Not every member of your organization should be a Big. Farber says to even be capable of a “greater than yourself” relationship, “you need two things: (1) humility, and (2) a firm and evolving sense of who you are and what you are here for” (2009). So you may find it can even be better to pair one strong Big with multiple Littles, than to assign a new member to a Big who may not enact organizational values or commit to mentorship. While an argument could be made for giving

Questions to Consider when Selecting Bigs These questions are topics that can help you determine the best system for your community and organizations.

•

What are the standards and expectations for Bigs?

•

How do we promote the opportunity to generate interest from older members?

•

How do we convey the vision for the program?

•

How do we provide constructive feedback for members not selected to be Bigs and help them understand their role in supporting the chapter without that title?

•

How are Bigs matched with Littles?

Perspectives

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Winter 2014

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new member priority preference in selection, I argue there are many factors to consider during selection to spark intentional mentorship. Training may be the most important (and neglected) piece of this discussion. One excellent approach to training is to facilitate a mentor orientation for members selected to be Bigs. I have led versions of this on both an individual chapter level and for the entire fraternity/sorority community. This can be a keynote presentation, interactive workshop or chapter retreat and could be facilitated by advisors or university staff. In general, its purpose is just to create a space to talk through the things discussed thus far, like what it means to be a mentor and the basic expectations for Bigs. You could also include the Littles in this program to help ensure everyone is on the same page. The intent is not to overly-formalize the Big/Little relationship, but to establish a shared vision and some common experiences for everyone.

Structure and Curriculum You have the opportunity to craft a formal or informal process. Informal may mean you facilitate an orientation and then allow the pairs to develop their relationship organically.

Formal may mean you develop a timeline for ongoing trainings or check-ins beyond the orientation. One strategy for continued check-ins may be to integrate Bigs in the new member curriculum and calendar already implemented. Are there certain new member meetings in which it could be beneficial for Bigs to attend? Might it be helpful to have a roundtable for Bigs at some point in the new member process to share best practices with one another?

At the core of whatever model you may choose should be learning outcomes you hope to achieve. Parks identifies four topics she calls the “central gifts of mentoring,” which could serve as a framework for these programs: recognition, support, challenge and inspiration. How can we set our expectations, training or curriculum around those four components?

Whether the program is formalized or more informal, I recommend crafting a program charter for the Big/Little experience. In addition to providing consistency between officer terms and transitions, this document could serve as a manual or resource guide to distribute at the orientation and revisit as needed. A good starting point for this written program may include: • • • • •

•

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Explanation of the program’s vision and purpose, in alignment with the organization’s values Overview of the role of the Big as a mentor (maybe using the “gifts of mentoring” framework) Expectations of the Big Calendar of new member events, if necessary Relationship agreement ◦◦ Perhaps a contract a Big signs agreeing to the expectations ◦◦ Perhaps an agreement both the Big and Little cocreate and sign Resources ◦◦ Other information on mentoring ◦◦ Student success tips (campus resources, etc.) ◦◦ Hazing education ◦◦ Suggested activities for Bigs/Littles

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• • • •

Who do I really want to become?

What does it mean to be a friend?

What does it take for me to truly trust someone?

How does finding meaning in our ritual evolve over time?

Questions like these help us move away from just punishing a behavior, like alcohol abuse, to exploring reasons a student is abusing alcohol. This type of mentoring allows us to address real issues rather than just their symptoms.

As we continue to examine our role in creating mentoring communities through Big/Little programs, there are a several other questions to consider.

• • • •

Guide the Process

Foster the Environment

Beyond the infrastructure, so much of the real impact of a positive Big/Little program simply has to do with what happens when the people get in a room together. So, if we have identified specific learning outcomes for these experiences, we also need to intentionally consider how we work to foster environments conducive for those things to happen.

Parks identifies several specific features of mentoring environments that can best facilitate a true exchange of ideas among those in the community: network of belonging, big enough questions, encounters with otherness, habits of mind, worthy dreams, and access to images. These features help us do things like set aside our business to make room for contemplative pause and transcend ideas of “us and them” to form a new “we.” Each of these features could be examined more closely in relation to the fraternity/sorority mentoring experience, but in my work with Bigs, I like to focus on one in particular—posing big enough questions.

“Questions of little consequence or those that only skim the surface of things can distract and preoccupy us” from the larger, deeper issues (Parks, 2000, p. 137). So the types of conversations our environments should foster need to include questions big enough to matter, to mean something, and to move us beyond the surface and into genuine connection with one another. Big questions stretch us. They make us think critically, examine closely and share vulnerably.

As values-based organizations, mentors should be helping new members explore core principles at the meaning of the ritual.

Ritual is meant to be lived, not read. So that means we have to talk about it. Big enough questions help us think about ritual in both practical and philosophical terms. In our training and resources, we can provide Bigs with sample questions that can help them navigate these more complex conversations.

The role of the fraternity/sorority professional is critical in creating an intentional Big/Little experience. Whether an organization staff member providing resources to chapters, a campus professional facilitating training, or a volunteer working with an individual chapter, we have one important thing in common—we provide stability within the community.

Our student officers cycle in and out of their positions each year, and the entire collegiate organization turns over every four. One of the best ways to maintain consistency from year to year is to make sure this stays on our personal radars. We can think of ourselves as the mentors of the mentors. Many of these ideas could also easily be applied to advising styles and establishing mentoring relationships between alumni volunteers and student executive officers. In regard to the Big/Little experience specifically, it is important we are there to help establish expectations and foster accountability.

As professionals, we can also employ Parks’ concept of communities of practice when guiding our students specifically as it relates to activities Bigs and Littles can engage in together and within groups. Parks’ three communities of practice are called hearth, table and commons.

Hearth is described as having the power to draw and hold us, to warm both the body and the soul, to cause us to linger, pause and reflect. It “begins as it happens and concludes whenever” (p. 155). Hearth may be what you hope to achieve in your mentor orientation if you facilitate it as part of a retreat in which the members enjoy one another’s company so much they are in no rush to leave. It’s been said a group has become a community when someone brings food to the meeting, and this is exactly what is meant by Table. The meal table is where we learn delayed gratification, ritual, fellowship and how to disagree with one another, while remaining aware of our common bonds. If your organization does not regularly eat meals together, this could be an opportunity to help foster the dialogue and further develop community bonding. Commons is meant to describe the physical space that unites us, provides consistency and confirms a shared life. For many of us this will be the chapter room in our organization’s house, but it is worth exploring how we may create spaces like this for our organizations if there isn’t a house involved. How can space foster mentoring?

• •

How do we check in on our Bigs?

What do we do if our Bigs aren’t meeting the expectations?

How do we continue to create fun and engaging experiences for the mentoring pairs together and separately?

How do we use mentoring pairs during the new member process? In chapter programs? In contests and incentives?

In debriefing ritual? In assessing chapter needs?

How are we using what we know about mentoring communities to best set our students up for success?

In general, how are we using our wisdom and influence to help guide the process for our students?

Conclusion

At their cores, fraternities and sororities exist to make men better men and women better women. It’s a developmental, transformational experience. It’s also a cyclical one, in that the individuals make the organization better, the organization makes the individual better, and the whole thing repeats itself across generations. So, when you have a program intentionally designed to pair emerging and seasoned leaders together, it affords an invaluable opportunity to create a space for that growth process. A disservice occurs to the entire organization and its members when that opportunity is not maximized.

You may or may not agree with the practical ideas for how this may be implemented, but above all, reenvisioning the Big/Little experience will not only better serve our members in their personal growth, but will also establish self-sustaining systems of peer-connectedness for our organizations year after year.

And if, as Steve Farber says, great leaders become so by causing others to be greater than themselves, then I argue that it is also true great organizations become so by causing each new generation to become greater than the last.

As values-based organizations, mentors should be helping new members explore core principles at the meaning of the ritual. Ritual is meant to be lived, not read.

Nate Burke is the Associate Director of Student Development & Campus Vibrancy at Stetson University where he oversees the areas of Fraternity & Sorority Involvement, Campus Vibrancy & Traditions, and Leadership & Organization Development. Nate earned his master of arts in college student personnel at Bowling Green State University and bachelor of arts in organizational communication and psychology at the University of Central Oklahoma.

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other hand, encourage and reinforce positive behavior. If you witness a young man opening a door for a woman, cleaning up after a meeting, or attending non-required leadership or educational sessions, provide them with praise.

missions of building better men. Each organization has its own process to make this mission a reality, but the consistency for which this truly happens varies widely.

By Scott Isenga

Be a man.

A gentleman.

A better man.

A real man.

In the life of a man, one soaks in societal constructs from media, peers, role models and family that tell us what a being “real man” entails. Many fraternities are focused on the journey of masculinity and their mottos and aims tout building truer, better, gentler men. Yet some of the behaviors we see in fraternities seem to define mediocrity more than manhood, showing we are not meeting this aim.

In 2013, a magazine reporter went on a quest to define manhood. He asked 504 people in seven days, “What is a man?”

(Chiarella, 2013, p. 122). Themes emerged in the responses highlighting strength, working hard, conviction, taking care of your own, and leadership. Achievement of these qualities represents a mature masculine individual, and I would argue these are qualities our fraternities seek to instill as they develop men throughout the membership experience. However, the support needed to cultivate these qualities appears to be eroding. Frankly, men are losing.

While the male sex has been the dominant and privileged sex for centuries, today the lack of nurturing and mentoring men receive is proving detrimental to them becoming mature, masculine individuals (Grainger, 2013). When intentional support is provided for an area of identity development, we can see the positive gains it paves. For example, women are now better educated than their male counterparts and are poised to dominate 12 of the 15 projected fastest growing professions in the near future (Dorment, 2013). Women started surpassing men in educational accomplishments in the early 1990s and have not stopped since (Pollard, 2011; U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Women have still not entirely overcome institutional sexism or pay discrimination, proving there is much work to be done, but there have been countless other advances, especially on college campuses, and the support is in place to achieve even more gains.

We can look around many college campuses and see women’s centers, female support groups, feminist unions, sororities, and activities based around women’s empowerment and equality.

These facets of a college campus provide a nurturing, supportive and empowering environment for young women outside of the classroom. Meanwhile society dictates young college men must become strong, independent, scholarly, adaptable leaders. This

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is a great expectation, but I pose young men are not provided with a supportive and nurturing environment to help them attain this outcome. Instead, they are expected to achieve these things (and more) over a few short years through intramurals, classes, student organizations or fraternities, of which only fraternities are specifically geared toward this purpose.

Support structures on college campuses simply do not exist because men have historically been considered the dominant, privileged sex. “The idea that men have untold societal advantages is so firmly ingrained in the American psyche that to suggest otherwise is seen as offensive,” states David Grainger, Editor in Chief of Esquire (2013, p.12). The same is true on our college campuses today because young men and women walk into their higher education careers with decades of knowledge that women are fighting for equality every day.

This is why the fraternity can be a crucial part of the support needed to move toward advanced masculinity. It is the only element specifically honed on supporting the growth of a mature man, and even then, only if the environment and practices are intentional. Fraternities are poised to be centers of positive masculine development, yet without purposeful, systematic intervention and support, we risk creating a system that disfavors the exploration of such.

Men are developing a masculine identity despite the vacuum of institutional influences on that development. They arrive to college with a socialized version of masculinity learned from media, peers, role models and family. While the diversity of sources is great, they do not promote the development of characteristics which align with the outcomes favored by higher education. This is especially true in a society where in real life, consistent role models are increasingly scarce. In the absence of male mentors, many young men look up to figures in popular culture and entertainment. These individuals are the antithesis of what fraternities hope to build, and we accept the students who look up to them into our membership, hoping our processes and education will develop them into something greater.

The lack of focus on men’s issues and support of young males is troubling, especially when it comes to men’s organizations.

In short, fraternities exist on campuses today with collective

Fraternities are well positioned to be a positive intervention around male development in college. However, there are also challenges which inhibit success for fraternities in this endeavor. Fraternity men have a socialized sub-identity of the fraternity male. The socialization of this identity is influenced by lifestyle brands like Total Frat Move (TFM) capturing the eyes and ears of current and potential brothers. Before even joining a fraternity, young men get a glimpse into one definition of the actions and lifestyles which define a socially acceptable fraternity man within the TFM norm. This is unlikely to generate a commitment to values that align with the espoused missions and values of fraternities. The TFM brand is so egregious—yet believable—that men naturally assume what they view encapsulates the fraternal experience.

The glorification of heavy drinking, Chubbies, koozies, fratting hard, slam pieces and post-graduation alumni job hookups are promoted as desirable behaviors and characteristics.

The lifestyle is glorious, but these depictions do not mention character or leadership development, academic achievement, or preparation techniques for life after college. This incongruence encourages men not to seek important opportunities that will benefit them after graduation.

Instead of preparing fraternity members to be elite and dynamic future leaders of the world, our current system prepares them to settle for mediocrity. We are creating a mixed bag of leaders, followers and apathetic individuals. Without the proper encouragement and support, the men of our fraternities will not be equipped to meet the needs of society beyond our university campuses. The problem is complex and multifaceted, but fraternal professionals have vast opportunity—from a campus or national level—to support men in exploring mature masculinity.

With the goal of increasing male maturity by creating holistic and meaningful experiences, here are six ideas and concepts that could assist professionals providing college men necessary support and direction through their fraternity experiences: •

•

Nurture and mentor men because, whether guys want to admit it or not, they need it. Push yourself to go deeper than surface-level conversation; stop only talking about sports, and have more meaningful dialogue. Model what it means to care and to share. Start conversations with young men by asking about their lives and not just what is happening in their organizations. Inquire about their classes, family, dreams, or even what happened over the weekend. Remember at least one important detail from each conversation and utilize that information in a future chat. Taking an active interest in the lives of young men on a consistent basis is the best way to form long lasting, meaningful relationships.

•

Identify influential, involved and upstanding fraternity men in your organizations and position them as role models for younger members. Students are more likely to look up to and emulate peers than a staff member, so recruit these individuals to be advocates. Talk with them about mature masculinity. Encourage them to promote positive masculine behaviors and expectations to their members.

•

Advise organizations and/or councils to make a set of community standards amongst themselves. This can be a highly engaging and eye-opening activity or foundation for a leadership retreat or chapter workshop. Standards can include examples of proper conduct in the fraternity community, classes, social events, relationships, or sporting events. With a set of community standards, men are asked to hold each other accountable each day.

•

Encourage men to create and host non-traditional fraternity functions (that do not involve alcohol). The aim should be to cultivate different aspects of young men’s lives, prompting critical thought or experiences outside one’s existing world view. From business etiquette to showing vulnerability, from discussing about current events to learning about other religions, the topics to address can map directly to the qualities of a mature masculine individual.

•

Encourage fraternities to take risks, develop their own ideas and processes, rather than replicating what sororities do or what they see on TFM. By taking risks—and even failing— men are pushed outside of their comfort zones and they must look to each other for support. The hope is to create cognitive dissonance so they learn important lessons through experience.

Obviously, the issues facing men today are varied and complex, but not insurmountable. As a profession, we must commit to ending the regression of fraternity men into an army of Animal House-worthy characters. If our goal as a profession is to develop young men and women into responsible citizens for the postcollegiate world, we need to recognize men need an increased amount of attention, support and nurturing from advisors, headquarters staff and volunteers. It is time for our profession to invest in assisting in the positive development of men as caring, responsible, intelligent and respectful leaders.

Scott Isenga is the Assistant Director of Student Life at the University of Central Arkansas. He is a Michigan native and graduate of Grand Valley State University with a master’s in college student affairs leadership. Scott’s passions include writing, studying African-American and urban history, developing young leaders, and raising awareness around men’s issues.

Do not encourage or ignore negative stereotypes. Instead of just brushing off or laughing with men about TFM-inspired themes, take a stand. You do not have to be an angry, buzzkill advisor, but let men know what is inappropriate. On the

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ANNUAL MEETING WRAP-UP Jack L. Anson Award Rick Barnes Pennington & Company FarmHouse

Rick Barnes received the Jack L. Anson award for a well-respected individual not in the field of higher education who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the fraternity/sorority community beyond his respective organization. Barnes was recognized for his work as a strategic organizational leader and as an inspirational leader to undergraduate students.

Barnes is the CEO of Rick Barnes, LLC, and currently serves as International President of FarmHouse International Fraternity, Secretary/Treasurer for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values, and a member of the Board of Directors for Synergos, AMC.

Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Awards The Distinguished Service Award was created in 1985 and renamed for AFA’s second executive director, Sue Kraft Fussell, in 2006 to recognize individuals who have exhibited high professional standards and achievements in one or more of the following areas: service to AFA, programming or service that reaches beyond the recipient’s campus/organization, development and research activities, and service to the college and fraternity/sorority communities.

Andrea Cooper Kristin’s Story Alpha Chi Omega Andrea Cooper has served college and fraternity/sorority communities for 16 years by helping collegiate women and men bring awareness to sexual assault, recognize signs of depression and suicidal thoughts, and share this knowledge with others. Cooper is retiring at the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year.

Dr. Kent L. Gardner Award

Cooper currently serves on the Board of Directors of Greeks against Sexual Assault and One in Four, a men’s organization educating men against sexual assault.

The Dr. Kent L. Gardner was established this year in honor of its namesake, the Executive Director Emeritus of Order of Omega. The award will be presented annually to a senior college/university administrator who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to fraternities and sororities.

Lisa Fedler Swiontek Sigma Kappa Foundation Sigma Kappa

Gardner was the first fraternity/sorority advisor at The University of Texas at Arlington and retired as Vice President for Student Affairs in 2005. He served as Executive Director of Order of Omega for 27 years and was named Executive Director Emeritus in 2012.

Lisa Fedler Swiontek has worked as a professional at the campus, headquarters and umbrella organization level and made countless contributions to fraternal programming throughout the years. Her ongoing commitment to both the AFA Foundation and the Sigma Kappa Foundation have been instrumental in their evolution and continued success.

Dr. Kent Gardner The University of Texas at Arlington Kappa Alpha Order

Fedler Swiontek is the Sigma Kappa Foundation Executive Director and serves on the Board of Directors for the AFA Foundation and the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values.

Robert H. Shaffer Award Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE Fort Hays State University Sigma Kappa

Tisa Mason received the Robert H. Shaffer award for an educator who has given exceptional long-term service to the betterment of women’s and men’s fraternities.

Mason was reconginzed for her advocacy of the fraternity/sorority experience and her work as an innovative, solution-based thought leader.

Mason is the Vice President of Student Affairs at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas; currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values; and previously served as the Executive Director of the Sigma Kappa Foundation.

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Kelly Jo Karnes Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville Sigma Sigma Sigma Kelly Jo Karnes has dedicated her career to fraternity/sorority advising as a campus-based professional. She is passionate and committed and has worked tirelessly to ensure a healthy fraternal experience for her students.

Karnes has served the Association in many ways, most recently as Past President in 2011.

She serves as a National Panhellenic Conference delegate for Tri Sigma, volunteers for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values, and is a lead facilitator for the LeaderShape Institute®.

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ANNUAL MEETING WRAP-UP The AFA/AFA Foundation Recognition Luncheon recognizes professional contributions of AFA members for the advancement of the fraternity/sorority profession and the Association. AFA recognizes excellence in Association publications, educational programming and professional contributions.

1

2

3

WHERE DO WE LIVE?

1. Oracle Award

Tim Reuter, Elgan Baker, Michael Hernandez & Dan Bureau A Values-Based Learning Model to Impact Maturational Change: The College Fraternity as Developmental Crucible

1 5

2. Essentials Award

Stevie V. Tran & Nathan Arrowsmith Title IX Empowers Fraternities to Include Transgender Members

4

5

6

8

9

4

3 2

80.4%

Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity Know the Strength, Amount and Time

Region 1:

4. Outstanding Change Initiative

Region 2:

5. Diversity Initiative

86.5%

are “very” or “quite a bit” influenced by educational programming

3. AFA/CoHEASAP Outstanding Alcohol/Drug Prevention Program

Quinnipiac University Transforming the Fraternity & Sorority Life Community Using a University Learning Paradigm

7

WHY DO WE COME?

are “very” or “quite a bit” influenced by networking opportunities

202 attendees 300 attendees the average number of ed sessions attended, a 13.6% increase from the average number of ed sessions attended at the 2012 Annual Meeting

Region 3:

304 attendees

The Ohio State University A commitment to diversity from excellence to eminence

Region 4:

6. Excellence in Educational Programming, Campus

Region 5:

7. Excellence in Educational Programming, Organization

WHAT IS OUR LONGEVITY?

WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE?

0-2 years experience

More education on:

173 attendees 95 attendees

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Interactive media risk management program

10

11

NOT PICTURED

Perspectives Award

Leslie Fasone Putting Prevention Into Practice

Shelley Sutherland Outstanding Volunteers Emilee Danielson Burke Christine Loy

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. A34Life Project

8. Excellence in Educational Programming, Vendor

The Leadership Institute-Women with Purpose Service Immersion Experience

9. Gayle Webb New Professional Christina Wellhouser

10. Shelley Sutherland Outstanding Volunteer Noah Borton

11. Shelley Sutherland Outstanding Volunteer Viancca Williams

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30.4% of attendees

3-6 years experience 38.7% of attendees

7-19 years experience 26.7% of attendees

20+ years experience 4.1% of attendees

Supervisory and managerial roles

Moving to the next professional level

Fraternity/sorority life in the larger scope of student affairs

Regional attendance data was collected by the AFA Central Office through the Annual Meeting registration process.

All other data was collected from the overall Annual Meeting evaluation, which was sent to all attendees and completed by 460 attendees.

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GPA Requirements for BGLO Membership: Hurtful or Helpful?

Transitioning from GPA Requirements to Holistic Application Reviews

Honoring Our Founders, Creating a Standard & Accountability for Black Men

By Donald Mitchell, Jr. I struggle with fraternities and sororities denying membership solely or greatly based on grade point average. Minimum GPA requirements mean students who do not meet the standard are rejected without consideration. Do members of fraternities and sororities not want students who fall below the GPA minimum to become engaged, find a sense of belonging on college campuses, develop as leaders, persist toward graduation, increase their GPAs, or develop professionally? While I would argue every fraternity and sorority should consider alternatives to relying on GPA as the measure for membership, I particularly find it troubling for historically black fraternities to exclude potential members solely because they do not meet a minimum GPA. Given the importance of Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs) for black students in higher education, I do not understand the value in giving so much credence to GPA. While this argument is transferable to all fraternities and sororities, I emphasize historically black fraternities because of the current state of education for black males in the United States.

My fraternity was founded more than 100 years ago.

The men who founded it believed it was important to emphasize brotherhood as a way to help them persist on a predominantly white campus. They went on to serve in the armed services, practice dentistry and medicine, educate our youth, defend the public, and became some of the earliest entrepreneurs and businessmen of color.

The fraternity assisted in their success. I contend that when historically black fraternities continue to increase GPA requirements, they negate the founding principles of these organizations because black men who often need the support they offer by failing to meet GPA requirements are denied access without consideration.

Some black men need these organizations for social support and integration, leadership development and professional development—particularly at

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By Cory J. Anderson Black men attending college need a support system that provides accountability to an established standard.

Fraternity membership can provide this support system through adherence to a set of standards including grade point average. As professionals, we need to encourage students to meet and exceed the academic standard, mentor young men (even if they come from different backgrounds), and focus on our collective purpose.

This was important to the founders of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) and remains so today. Let’s look through the lens of the Alpha Phi Alpha founders to gain further insight on success, mentorship and purpose.

Success

“Success in life calls for thorough preparation. Success in American life today is fraught with keen competition.

The Negro must compete not only with members of other races, but with those within his own race who have caught the vision of the new age and who are lured along by the attritions of success. The rank and file are dependent upon trained men and women for guidance and extraordinary service.” —Eugene Kinckle Jones (Mason, 2010, p. 116) All BGLOs profess ideals of scholarship, achievement, service and leadership. It is important BGLOs continue to uphold the mission and values of our founders to ensure members are competitive in their respective field upon graduation. As a means to do so, BGLOs have established minimum GPA requirements as a part of their membership criteria. This is a justifiable method to ensure potential new members are held to at least a minimum standard. Jack Thomas, President of Western Illinois University and Alpha Phi Alpha member, confirms. “…I believe that all Black fraternities were founded under the auspices of some level of scholarship. Becoming a member of a fraternity should

point | counterpoint predominantly white institutions—as these benefits positively influence academic outcomes (Harper, 2008; Mitchell, 2012; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). As college enrollment rates for black men decline, institutions of higher education are seeking novel ways to engage and retain black men who do attend. While historically Black fraternities can serve as a supportive option, GPA requirements sometime marginalize those who may want or need to join historically black fraternities.

Perhaps, fraternities and sororities fear lowering GPA standards will attract less serious, more socially-focused members, and that hazing, alcohol abuse and the other negative behaviors will increase. Yet, unfortunately, the negative behaviors associated with fraternities and sororities exist even as GPA requirements continue to increase for some organizations.

Furthermore, in the limited studies conducted on BGLOs and academic outcomes, there are no conclusive empirical findings that indicate negative academic outcomes related to BGLOs. In 2000, Shaun Harper introduced one of his two studies on the impact of BGLOs on academic outcomes in Perspectives. He found that 92 percent of BGLO chapters fell below the overall fraternity/sorority GPA average. His findings, however, are not surprising as black GPAs typically fall below the overall GPA average at predominantly white institutions (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Spenner, Buchmann, & Landerman, 2005). Thus, Harper’s results are valuable, but inconclusive. The remaining studies on BGLOs and academic outcomes have been positive. BGLOs are noted to increase classroom engagement (Harper, 2008), positively influences persistence (Mitchell, 2012), and increase student engagement (Mitchell, Gipson, Otieno, Putschko, & Lucas, 2014). Given the documented benefits of black fraternities, perhaps the men that need historically black fraternities the most are those who are academically challenged and should be considered for membership without regard for GPA cut-offs.

Gayle Davis, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Grand Valley State University, states inequities

require a higher order of thinking. Acceptance into said organization(s) should be a privilege that is earned, not given without thought or scrutiny,“ he said (J. Thomas, personal communication, Oct. 14, 2013).

Part of that scrutiny includes GPAs in addition to other factors such as participation in chapter events, organizational involvement, leadership and community service hours. BGLOs should utilize all the information available to them to evaluate potential new members with the understanding there are certain minimum standards that must be met. On some campuses, it may be important to raise standards. For example, a few chapters within the author’s organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, decided to raise the overall GPA requirement to a 2.7. Their rationale for the change is to ensure potential new members who join the fraternity continue to maintain their academic standing after affiliating with the fraternity. These chapters are doing well academically and have maintained a strong membership.

Mentorship

“Let those on the higher rounds reach down and pull, while those on the lower rounds reach up and push as they climb. Let us ever touch hands and grow.” —George Biddle Kelly (Mason, 2010, p. 142) Making the transition to college can be difficult for any student, however, there is a particular set of issues facing Black men. As campus and headquarters professionals, it is important we seek to understand all of our students and their challenges. Some of these challenges are described by President Thomas. “The societal expectation(s) and/or negative stereotype(s) that Black men are not academically gifted or otherwise cognitively engaged in academic settings have manifested into an apathetic attitude for many Black males,” he said (J. Thomas, personal communication, Oct. 14, 2013). In addition to dealing with negative perceptions, many Black males interested in BGLOs must grapple with figuring out how to pay for school and the culture shock of being in a predominantly white environment.

President Thomas goes on to say, “This lack of resources

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point | counterpoint play a role in achievement gaps as measured by GPA. She notes that underrepresented minorities, who often attend “underfunded schools may participate in ineffective educational programs more frequently than well-funded affluent schools” (as cited in Jarvi 2013, para.

4). She goes on to highlight, “When you see somewhat lower GPAs on average, of still very successful students of color…these college readiness factors may well play a part” (as cited in Jarvi, 2013, para. 6). Davis pinpoints one of the many concerns I have with GPA being the determining factors for membership for black men. They and other marginalized populations have been excluded from educational opportunities using standardized measures; historically black fraternities use these same measures to exclude prospective members.

In addition, while seeking to be consistent in nature, a minimum GPA is not. GPAs do not take into account institutional type. Is a 2.5 at an institution known for its rigor equivalent to a 2.5 at an institution with open access?

I argue it is not, and students should not be penalized because of different institutional cultures and contexts.

While fraternities and sororities cannot—and should not— influence institutional academic policies, the sweeping GPA standards sometimes set by these organizations impact who can benefit from membership. Furthermore, I hypothesize there is no statistically significant difference between a 2.4 and a 2.5 at any institution. Yet we rely on these random incremental shifts.

I have presented a litany of issues, but I also will present solutions that might create avenues of access for students seeking membership. First, academic eligibility could be based on an institution’s “good academic standing” measures. If a student is in good academic standing at an institution—whatever that means for each institution—they should be able to join. Second, fraternities and sororities should use a holistic review process that highlights the complete applicant.

I am not asking for open access. I am asking for consideration for the student seeking membership who puts forth effort to join by attending information sessions;

often lends itself to failure rates while concomitantly causing many Black males to detach themselves from the educational process.”

With so many issues facing Black men in college including those looking to join BGLO fraternities, what can be done? In my experience, it requires a collaborative effort. Stakeholders need to work together to create programs, initiatives, standards and expectations for potential and current members to follow.

One of the most impactful ways to help improve the Black male experience and ultimately draw more members to BGLO fraternities is through mentorship.

Current members should establish opportunities to mentor other black males arriving on campus. This is not an interest group, but a touch point for fraternity members to live out their mission by assisting members of their community in adjusting to college life. Fraternity members can help potential new members navigate the campus and guide them away from making the same mistakes current members made. The goal would be to increase the number of potential new members that meet membership requirements. For those who do not want to join, the fraternity would hopefully still have gained an ambassador.

Once qualified members join, fraternities need to create methods to maintain and exceed standards. For example, the Alpha Scholastic Initiative (ASI) was created by a former headquarters intern who saw his chapter’s GPA drop dramatically. ASI is comprised of seven steps that help members create better habits to improve their academic standing. Another example arose when a former collegiate board member created a constitutional amendment to ensure collegiate members and chapters would be held to a particular academic standard.

Purpose

“Our purpose is to raise the intellectual and cultural level, yes—and the moral level also; to aid in the development of special skills: to build men of vision, courage and selfsacrifice who are willing to develop a wise, consistent

networking with current members; supplying excellent recommendations; learning about the organization; and providing a comprehensive package for membership, despite the fact the student has a 2.4 GPA. For example, I would like historically black fraternities to capture the student who is involved in the community, engaged on campus, studying 18th century British literature, and works 10 hours a week to pay the tuition bill. These are the men who need, want, deserve and would benefit from access into historically black fraternities. Not everyone with a 2.5 is accepted. Likewise, maybe not everyone with a 2.4 should be rejected. Ultimately, GPA minimums do not equal automatic acceptance, just as they should not equal automatic denial. The whole student must be considered.

If holistic review processes were adopted, I would expect the quality and quantity of membership to increase. I would also expect positive academic gains—not limited to GPA—according to existing empirical research by Harper (2008), Mitchell (2012), and Mitchell, Gipson, Otieno, Putschko and Lucas (2014).

Not everyone will want to join; neither should everyone receive an invitation to join. I am, however, asking historically black fraternities to consider those who may want to join, those who should be eligible to join based on their institution’s “good academic standing” measure, and those who make a concerted effort to join by fulfilling all of the other standards. I question what my founders would say about where historically black fraternities are and where they are going. I advocate for my perspective because of the oath that binds us— advocating for achievement for all men, particularly black men to achieve academic success.

While sharing a potentially controversial viewpoint, I welcome and encourage serious conversations about this issue because this is a time when, not only historically black fraternities, but all fraternities and sororities can make their impact on the nation, and the world, because of the values prescribed within these irreplaceable organizations.

Donald Mitchell, Jr., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of higher education at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. His scholarship theoretically and empirically explores the effects of race, gender and underrepresented identity intersections within higher education contexts, with a particular interest in historically Black fraternities and sororities and historically Black colleges and universities.

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leadership toward the integration of a truly democratic society.” —Alpha Phi Alpha founder Henry Arthur Callis (Mason, 2010, p. 18) As a Black male student, I struggled my first few years in college. I came from an urban environment where my education was adequate, but did not prepare me for success in the college classroom. It was not until I became interested in my fraternity that I was challenged to raise my GPA to meet the 2.5 minimum requirement.

Over the next year I decided to make some changes. I sought out my academic advisor, attended study groups, and dedicated daily time to my studies and created a personal plan for my academic work. At the end of the fall semester I felt good about the work I had done; I nearly made the Dean’s List. By spring, I was an initiated member into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

My low GPA initially prevented me from joining my fraternity. However, it also could have hindered my opportunities for scholarships, job opportunities and admission into graduate school. As advisors, it is important for us to help our students understand that their GPA is a large part of their college career and their future success. The GPA is not the deciding factor, but if the academic standard is not met and maintained when they join a fraternity, it may hinder students from their purpose in attending college, which is to graduate.

Creating a culture of higher standards along with the right support combats some of the issues Black men face when they enter college. It shows them they can be scholarly, achieve goals, provide service and be proud to showcase their leadership skills as it did me almost 15 years ago. Meeting and exceeding the standard is one of the ways we can help Black men find the opportunity to reach their goals and in turn honor the foundation our founders set for us.

Cory J. Anderson is the Director of Membership Services for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He has worked in higher education for more than 10 years as a campus fraternity/sorority advisor and fraternity headquarters staff member. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Eastern Michigan University.

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spotlight SOUTH CAROLINA

Panhellenic Leaders Design Campus-wide Mentoring Program Big impact starts with big ideas. And the Panhellenic president at Elmhurst College was thinking big about how sorority women on her campus could support students far beyond their chapters. Carly Pizzitola sought to lead Panhellenic women in providing value and augmenting the mission of the college by reaching outside the fraternity/sorority community. With the help of Director of Fraternity/Sorority Life Elizabeth Doyle, she developed the Rising Leaders Guide Program, a structured platform for sorority women to mentor first-year women through their initial weeks of college.

“Sorority life is all about empowering women, and we wanted to challenge our members to think about everyday actions that can go a long way,” Doyle said. “Students don’t have to join sororities to be supported by us.”

June 19 - 22, 2014

Doyle and Pizzitola set out to design a mentoring experience that would help freshmen women grow a deep connection to the college. With Schlossberg’s Theory of Marginality and Mattering as the foundation, they crafted a program inspired by and patterned after an existing staff-student mentoring program offered through the Office of Student Success and Retention.

During the second week of the semester, each sorority member emailed her assigned freshman, introduced herself and asked for an in-person meeting. The pairs were encouraged to meet monthly throughout the semester, with the sorority members providing support by asking motivational questions about academics and involvement. They helped the freshmen

Presented by the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values

“The program focuses on a one-on-one mentoring connection that should ultimately grow into a deeper connection, whether through a student organization or overall acclimation to the campus community,” Doyle said. “That helps the first-year student feel she belongs and can be successful.”

Two of the key tenants expressed in training were for the sorority women to be themselves and “be authentic.” This was central to the program, because “we wanted to remind them that it was most important to listen to the individual student voice.” This was key because the mentoring took place in the same semester as Formal Recruitment. Doyle and Pizzitola wanted to make sure mentors were focused on the students’ needs, whether their interests landed them in a sorority or other opportunities. Yet, many of the mentees did show interest in joining sororities.

“Sorority life is all about empowering women, and we wanted to challenge our members to think about everyday actions that can go a long way.”

Sorority women were able to volunteer to be mentors, with any member who wanted to participate being paired with a freshman.

Mentors attended a training session and received a resource guide that provided an outline of the program, important email communication, conversation points for on-on-one meetings, and resources to help them provide advice.

Fraternal Housing Conference www.housedirectors.org

troubleshoot transition concerns, guided them to campus organizations and resources, and taught them positive studying practices.

“I was interested in sorority life before I even stepped on campus, so I was excited to be paired with a sorority woman for the Rising Leaders Guide Program,” said Kelly Winters a freshman student (and now a member of Phi Mu). “My mentor Stella spent time talking with me about involvement, Greek life and all the leadership positions you can hold. She made me feel more comfortable about joining and confident in applying for an officer role within Phi Mu. Stella also told me about the close bond she had with her sisters. It encouraged me to put effort into getting to know my sisters and having my own bond.”

Winters’ mentor got as much out of the program as she did.

“It was a rewarding experience to learn about a woman who has similar interests and to give advice on life as a college student,” said Stella Abbinante, an Alpha Phi member. “I was thrilled she was so interested in going Greek and happy she found her home in Phi Mu.”

Spotlight highlights best practices and work well done. Is there an initiative working well in your organization? Email Perspectives editor Heather Kirk at heather-kirk@zetataualpha.org.

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Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors www.afa1976.org P.O. Box 1369 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369

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