Perspectives Summer 2009

SUMMER 2009 A publication for members of the association of fraternity/SORORITY ADVISORS.

Making Meaning of the Impact of Spirituality and Religion

in this issue:

Religious & Spiritual Differences | Spirituality: The Forgotten Precept | Applying AAHEA Principles of Assessment | How to Bolster Mental Resiliency in Student Leaders

Did you know?

Gamma Sigma Alpha launched a new website: www.gammasigmaalpha.org Visit the site for: •

Current Chapter Resources

•

Information for Prospective Chapters

•

Details about our Regional GPA Competition and Graduate Student Scholarship

•

Brand new blog!

Carolyn E. Whittier, Ph.D., 2009 President

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s you begin to review the Summer 2009 edition of Perspectives, I hope you are taking time for yourself personally, professionally, spiritually, and emotionally. One of the challenges of fraternity and sorority professionals is finding a strong balance between personal and professional responsibilities and activities. It is important that we take care of ourselves to ensure that we are giving our best to our families, our friends, our work, our students, and all the other important areas of our very busy lives.

While you are spending the summer preparing for the year ahead, the Association is also busy with preparations for upcoming programs and services. I am pleased to share that as of July 1, 2009, we are officially the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. We would ask that all references to our Association be edited accordingly on all websites, publications, and other items where AFA is referenced at your campus or inter/national organization. In addition, I want to remind everyone of the dates of the 2009 Annual Meeting, December 6-10. The 2009 Annual Meeting will start on a Sunday and end on a Thursday, deviating from our typical meeting schedule.

I hope you will also take the time to enjoy this issue of Perspectives as it focuses on the role of spirituality and religion in the college fraternity and sorority experience. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to learn more about the important role of religion and spirituality with the development, colonization, and chartering of a new Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority and Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity at Virginia Commonwealth University. These two historically Jewish organizations are changing the landscape of fraternity and sorority membership at VCU by providing our students the opportunity to share in brotherhood and sisterhood along with spiritual and religious celebration and connection. The addition of these two chapters has allowed an expanded conversation about the important role spirituality plays in the lives of many of our undergraduate fraternity men and sorority women.

Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Academic Honor Society

www.gammasigmaalpha.org director@gammasigmaalpha.org - 317-876-4695

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Perspectives / Summer 2009

As many fraternities and sororities have a foundation in religion and/or use religious or spiritual text as part of ritual ceremonies, it is no wonder our members are exploring their own religious and spiritual identities along with their membership in a fraternity or sorority. It is our hope that this issue of Perspectives will provide you with important information related to the role of religion and spirituality with our current undergraduate members.

As always, thank you for your continued work on behalf of the Association, the fraternal movement, and the undergraduate fraternity men and sorority women across North America.

Fraternally,

Allison St. Germain

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or many years, I introduced myself at interfraternal meetings by saying something similar to the following, “Hi, I’m Allison.

I work for Alpha Epsilon Phi, but I’m a Delta Zeta. No, I’m not Jewish, but Catholic.” I said that so many times that others could begin to do that introduction for me. I was privileged to have the experience of working for a Jewish organization because it helped me find good mentors in the field who helped me understand the role that religion and spirituality play in fraternity/sorority life. I could ask questions safely and not feel like I was offending anyone by approaching a subject which is, at times, touchy. I found there is a real need for organizations that identify and support the religious and spiritual needs of undergraduate members.

How many of our undergraduate members today avoid talking about religion and spirituality just because they do not have a safe place to begin such challenging conversations? Are we providing them the space to have these discussions? Do you feel unqualified to have these discussions yourself? What I found during my years with AEPhi was that it did not matter much that I was not a member, nor Jewish. What mattered was that I shared a common set of values with the students and alumnae with whom I worked. As fraternity/sorority advisors, we find ourselves in a unique position to have a set of common values that transcend the letters we wear and allow for meaningful learning opportunities.

This issue of Perspectives begins the conversation of the role of religion and spirituality in fraternities and sororities. We are sure these articles are just the tip of the iceberg and we hope the thoughts shared in this issue will spark some real, honest conversations in our profession.

Please join in the conversation.

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.

All Perspectives correspondence and submissions should be submitted to:

Allison St. Germain 2009 Editor Director of Educational Technologies Delta Zeta Sorority 14 Elgin Avenue Bethel, CT 06801 asg@dzshq.com Phone: 513/523-7597 Direct: 203/798-8777 Fax: 513/523-1921 Perspectives is published four times per year.

Submission deadlines: Fall 2009 August 1, 2009 Winter 2010 November 1, 2009 Spring 2010 February 1, 2010 Summer 2010 May 1, 2010 Send address corrections to AFA:

Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors 9640 N. Augusta Drive, Suite 433 Carmel, IN 46032 317.876.1632 Fax 317.876.3981

in this

info@fraternityadvisors.org

4 Using Religious & Spiritual Differences as a Catalyst for Change 7 Spirituality: The Forgotten Precept 10 From Where I Sit 11 Applying AAHEA Principles of Assessment to Fraternity and Sorority Life 14 Up on the High Wire: How to Bolster Mental Resiliency in Student Leaders 17 Get Involved in YOUR Association!

Board 2009 Editorial

regular columns From the Top............... 2 Editor’s Notes.............. 3 Core Competencies... 11 Putting It In Perspective............ 14

Amanda Bureau, Heartland Truly Moving Pictures Megan Johnson, University of Iowa Georgianna Martin, University of Iowa Heather Matthews, Zeta Tau Alpha Monica Miranda Smalls, University of Rochester Katie Peoples, Drexel University Jessica Pettitt, CAMPUSPEAK, Inc. Todd Sullivan, University of Connecticut Nathan Thomas, Bradley University Rob Turning, Johns Hopkins University

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Using Religious & Spiritual Differences as a Catalyst for Change

By Georgianna L. Martin & Megan P. Johnson

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s fraternity/sorority professionals, we must be cognizant of the impact our biases and viewpoints may have on undergraduates. As educators, we support the academic mission of higher education, enhance the educational process, facilitate student growth and development, and work to understand the needs of a diverse student body. It is imperative we ask ourselves, and the students with whom we work, critical questions about the world around us and our place within it. What does it mean to question your own beliefs – beliefs about a God or the absence of one, the role of religion in society, and how religion shapes political views? What happens when others question your beliefs about religion? What happens when you, intentionally or unintentionally, question the deeply rooted beliefs of others?

At some point in our lives, each of us has encountered a situation where we found ourselves in a heated debate with someone whose beliefs or perspectives differed dramatically from our own. These intense dialogues can be healthy; however, we need to be aware of how these conversations take shape. This article will explore the role of religion in fraternal organizations and in the lives of students. It also will provide practical suggestions for engaging in difficult dialogues about religion and spirituality within fraternal communities.

Students undergo a variety of transitions during the college years, and these transitional periods are a time for creativity, pursuing career aspirations, establishing oneself in society, and coming to realize one’s major goals and purposes in life (Levinson & Levinson, 1996). Similarly, college students may encounter periods of confusion and awkwardness as they struggle to make meaning of their lives during this time (Love & Talbot, 1999).

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Parks (2000) further discussed this transitional period as a time of constructing an emerging faith for many traditional-aged college students. She described faith as “the desire of human beings to live at more than a mundane level, and to make meaning of the whole of life” (p. 20). This process may occur as students begin to ask and seek answers to what Parks termed ‘big questions,’ such as: • Who and what is trustworthy?

• What meaning does my life have?

• Is my work meaningful?

• What do I care about?

It is by engaging in questions such as these that young adults come to discover and struggle with meaning and purpose in life.

For some students, processing these larger questions may come in the form of a spiritual quest (Strange, 2000). It is equally important, however, to realize students bring a variety of religious/spiritual values and beliefs to campus and these differing perspectives may be in conflict as students are challenged to interact with people who are different from themselves. For example, Ali and Bagheri (2009) discussed the importance of creating safe dialogue on issues related to Muslim students. In particular, they highlighted the effort to educate students about global and local events on many college campuses while also acknowledging that in the current political climate, “heated discussions about political issues that are intertwined with religious conflicts may be inevitable” (p. 52).

Providing safe space for such discussions not only brings contentious issues to the forefront, it also provides an opportunity for marginalized students to find a voice.

...it is important that fraternity/sorority staff, inter/national officers, and campus administrators consider the evolving demographics among college students and how these students are included or excluded in our organizations.

The role of religion in fraternities and sororities Many fraternal organizations have religious aspects to their rituals, and, whether overt or covert, it is not difficult to find the influence of religion in fraternal values and symbols.

Given the time period in history when many fraternities and sororities were founded, it is not surprising that religious symbols and philosophies are part of their infrastructure.

We need to ask ourselves questions such as: what role do these religious underpinnings have on current members? And, are fraternities/sororities with religious underpinnings marginalizing students who do not ascribe to the religious aspects of their rituals? As fraternities and sororities simultaneously embrace their core values and focus on their missions, they also evolve to meet the needs of students. Fraternities and sororities continually change policies to reflect societal standards. This often happens when organization leaders realize that their organizations have included some at the expense of excluding others. Historically, fraternities and sororities have altered exclusionary policies; two prime examples include eliminating racial segregation and including sexual identity in non-discrimination clauses. While religion/spirituality is a sensitive subject, the goal of this article is not to induce a knee-jerk reaction to the role it plays in fraternities/sororities. Rather, it is important that fraternity/sorority staff, inter/national officers, and campus administrators consider the evolving demographics among college students and how these students are included or excluded in our organizations. A recent article in Newsweek states, “while we remain a nation decidedly shaped by religious faith, our politics and culture are, in the main, less influenced by movements and arguments of an explicitly Christian character than they were even five years ago� (Meacham, 2009, p.

34). Many fraternities and sororities are rooted in a myriad of Christian-based principles and ideals, yet the college demographic is not exclusively Christian.

If you are a member of a fraternity or sorority, think about your ritual and the lore within your organization. Were you asked to place your hand on a Bible during a ritual? Is a Judeo-Christian God or Jesus present in your songs, ceremonies, creeds, or oaths? Many fraternal organizations are based in religious principles. We are not talking about organizations whose outward purpose is to acknowledge the cultural heritage of a particular religion (e.g., fraternal organizations rooted in Catholicism, Judaism, or Islam). The missions of these organizations place religious heritage at the forefront, so potential members can be aware of this prior to joining. In contrast, fraternities and sororities with religious references, but which are not explicitly based on religion (e.g., most of those who include Judeo-Christian references in rituals, creed, oaths, etc.) need to acknowledge the potential ramifications these religious references may have on their members.

One of the most powerful interfraternal experiences I (Johnson) had was a recurring conversation with women of a National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) chapter at Dartmouth College. Many of the members did not identify with the Christian perspective that was evident in the overt and covert messages of their organization. I recall several conversations where women engaged in open dialogue about the role that Christianity played in their ritual. Many of the members were turned off by what they read or heard.

The positive side of these dialogues was that the women were exploring and critically thinking about their ritual and their core values; the adverse reaction of these conversations was that many of these women felt alienated from the ritual – but not the membership. I always challenged the women to read their ritual, engage in dialogue about it, and to think about the common practices of our country when the ritual was written.

However, I could not remove the feelings of estrangement these women felt from the one binding experience that links all members together. If the fraternal movement is about making sure members are connected to our rituals, how do we ensure these documents

are inclusive? Or, at the very least, are we talking to members about how and why these religious undertones are part of current rituals?

We are not advocating that rituals with religious undertones be removed; rather, we are proponents of engaging in difficult dialogues with students regarding the role of religious references in modern-day organizations. At many inter/national programs, institutes, and conventions the importance of ritual is discussed. Fraternities and sororities perform these timeless ceremonies with members resulting in the sense that one is connected to something greater than oneself. With the demographic of students changing, are fraternity/sorority leaders taking the time not only to perform these rituals, but to talk about them? The importance of stated values is often addressed, but does that discussion also touch upon the religious influences on fraternity/ sorority rituals? Do we acknowledge the historical relevance and the religious implications of the language and actions used in rituals and how these relate to current members? Do we acknowledge whom fraternity/sorority rituals might exclude because of these religious undertones? How do we challenge members to think critically if we are not role modeling that behavior ourselves?

Engaging in difficult dialogue about religion Watt (2007) defined difficult dialogue as an exchange of opinions and thoughts among members of a community about potentially conflicting values or beliefs. One important outcome of difficult dialogues among college students is an increased level of critical consciousness; defined by Paulo Freire (1970) as the ability to acknowledge systemic social, political, and economic disparity and to take action against oppressive agencies in society.

For example, academic calendars are often based on Christian holidays, but do not reflect or include major holidays of other world religions. While educators may acknowledge this disparity, it is often not overtly discussed on campus. Watt warns professionals in student affairs that facilitating

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difficult dialogues with college students is a necessary factor in helping them unlearn oppressive thoughts and actions to which they have been socialized by societal structures. She also asserts that professionals should expect defensive responses from students as these are “normal human reactions to the uncertainty that one feels when exploring their privileged identities in more depth” (Watt, 2007, p. 119). Further, as an educator, recognizing your own values and beliefs as a religious/spiritual person, or as someone who does not ascribe to any faith or spiritual tradition, is a vital component to engaging students in dialogue about religious issues. It is important to recognize your biases, whatever they may be, prior to engaging in difficult conversations with students. Although these dialogues are not easy, they are crucial for student growth and development. What follows are some practical suggestions for helping professionals integrate difficult conversations about religious differences into their work with fraternity and sorority members.

• Include conversations about religious/ spiritual differences in campus-wide fraternity/sorority leadership retreats by challenging students to identify ways in which their organizations may exclude some members and potential new members.

One way this can be accomplished is by having members of the same organization reflect on their ritual.

• Integrate difficult dialogue criteria into awards programs. These factors could be more inclusive than just about religious

dialogue. For example, special recognition could be given to organizations that focus attention on a number of social justice issues such as educating members to (a) improve racial relations, (b) end homophobia and heterosexism, (c) defeat “ableist” attitudes, and (d) develop religious dialogue across differences, to name a few.

• Encourage organizations to talk about their religious foundations during recruitment and during new member periods. Initiation should not be the first time a new member becomes aware of an organization’s religious heritage or mission.

• Help organizations use difficult dialogue about religious differences to build brotherhood/sisterhood. While conversations about controversial topics can be tough, working through their individual differences has potential to help members bond as brothers/sisters.

Concluding Thoughts We recognize this is a controversial and dense topic and may be one of many “issues” that cross our desks as educators. However, with an added emphasis of focusing on ritual and understanding fraternity/sorority heritage, we can address this issue, both encouraging students to think critically about their organizations and collectively working to end disparity. It is important that we continue to take steps to acknowledge the areas for improvement within the fraternal movement that must be addressed to meet students’ needs.

References Ali, S. R., & Bagheri, E. (2009). Practical suggestions to accommodate the needs of Muslim students on campus. In Intersections of Religious Privilege: Difficult Dialogues and Student Affairs Practice. S.K. Watt, E. E. Fairchild, & K. M. Goodman (Eds.) New Direction for Student Services, 125, 47-54.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed.

New York: Herder and Herder.

Levinson, D. J., & Levinson, J. D. (1996). The season of a woman’s life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Love, P. G., and Talbot, D. (1999). Defining spiritual development: A missing consideration for student affairs. NASPA Journal, 37 (1), 361-375.

Meacham, J. (2009, April 13). The end of Christian America. Newsweek. Retrieved May 3, 2009, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583/ page/1 Parks, S. D. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Strange, C. C. (2000). Spirituality at state: Private journeys and public visions. Journal of College and Character, 1. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from http://www.collegevalues.org/articles. cfm?a=1&id=134 Watt, S. K. (2007). Difficult dialogues, privilege and social justice: Uses of the Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) Model in student affairs practice. College Student Affairs Journal, 26(2), 114-126.

– Georgianna L. Martin is a doctoral student in the Student Affairs Administration and Research program at the University of Iowa. She serves as a research assistant in the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education (CRUE).

– Megan P. Johnson, who is also a doctoral student, is working on a degree in Higher Education at the University of Iowa.

If the fraternal movement is about making sure members are connected to our rituals, how do we ensure these documents are inclusive?

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By Michelle Marchand Rebholz and Shawn Hoke

Spirituality:

The Forgotten Precept?

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cholarship, leadership, friendship, and service. These four concepts are familiar to anyone

involved with fraternities and sororities. We stress these values, center experiential learning opportunities around them, expect chapters to exemplify them, and conduct research on their impact. As we seek to develop students holistically as well as question, defend, and/or promote fraternal relevancy, it has become a shared responsibility for us to reflect on and assess if we are truly developing each of these values in our undergraduate membership. Holistic development has long been a foundational component of student affairs administration, as well as fraternities and sororities – striving to make men better men and women better women, in every aspect of their lives. As Capeheart-Meningall (2005) asserted, “the challenge for colleges and universities is…to educate students holistically. This requires providing programs and activities that emphasize social, physical, intellectual, career, psychological, cultural, and spiritual development” (p. 31). As leaders, educators, innovators, and members of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA), we often discuss the first several items on Capeheart-Meninghall’s list, but what role, if any, does spirituality play in the organizations with which we are affiliated and which we advise? Before we can begin to address this question, we must first reflect on and understand the influence religion had on the birth of fraternities and sororities.

Historical Perspective The College of William and Mary was established on February 8, 1693, when King William III and Queen Mary II approved the creation of an institution of higher education in the Virginia colony (College of William and Mary, 2009). Originally, the institution was founded to be a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences” (College of William and Mary, 2009, p. 1). According to Marsden (1992), the influence of religion on the founding of higher education was so strong that “histories that deal with American colleges before 1870 have to take religion into account, since its presence was so pervasive…” (p. 4).

In 1890, James B. Angell, President of the University of Michigan, “reported that twenty-two of twenty-four state schools conducted chapel services, at twelve of which attendance was compulsory, and four still required church attendance as well” (Marsden, 1992, p.

11). Thirty-four years later, schools such as the University of North Carolina still required its undergraduate students to attend chapel

services, and by 1939 approximately a quarter of all public institutions still had voluntary chapel services (Marsden, 1992).

The collegiate fraternal movement is as old as the United States of America. According to Baird’s Manual, “…the first American society bearing a Greek letter name [Phi Beta Kappa] was founded December 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia…” (Anson & Marchesani, 1991, p. I-10). Through its founding, Phi Beta Kappa provided an operational blueprint for today’s fraternities and sororities, utilizing such traits as: the charm and mystery of secrecy, a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge for external display, a background of high idealism, a strong tie of friendship and comradeship, [and] an urge for sharing it values through nationwide expansion (Anson & Marchesani, 1991, p. I-10).

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It is through the use of ritual ceremonies that individuals are initiated into fraternity and sorority membership. Often secret, these ceremonies extol the values of the organization, explain the expectations of membership, and culminate in the taking of an oath of membership (Callais, 2002; McMinn, 1979). Through his investigation of the esoteric rituals of college fraternities, McMinn (1979) found that the promotion of scholarship, fellowship, service, leadership, and religion were common themes. Given the prominence of religion in higher education at the time of the founding of the first Greek letter organizations in the United States, it is easy to understand the influence religion had on the founders as they identified values, wrote oaths, and designed rituals.

Religion vs. Faith vs.

Spirituality Even though religion was one of the original components of many fraternities and sororities, many organizations have followed the lead of higher education and become more secular in order to be more inclusive and accepting of members’ varied belief backgrounds. Before addressing the role of spirituality in today’s fraternities and sororities, it is important to make a distinction between religion, faith, and spirituality, as those three terms are not interchangeable.

Love (2001) defines religion as, “a shared system of beliefs, principles, or doctrines related to a belief in and worship of a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator(s) and governor(s) of the universe” (p. 8). Similarly, Nash (2001) defined religion as having an institutional set of beliefs, values, and practices that are based on the teachings of a spiritual leader or sect.

Faith, on the other hand, can be defined as exemplifying an attitude of trust and belief in something that goes beyond what can be proven (Nash, 2001) or a system of “meaning making, which is the process of making sense out of the activities of life and seeking patterns, order, coherence, and relation among the disparate elements of human living” (Parks, 2000, p. 8).

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While religion requires adhering to a certain set of shared doctrines and history, faith is believing that there is someone or something out there whose control and power extends beyond what we are capable of as humans. Both religion and faith can be instrumental, non-negotiable components in some people while holding no value to others. Spirituality, however, has the ability to extend to all persons, as it is not rooted in the same systemic or higher power nature of religion and faith.

Similar to definitions of the term “leadership,” spirituality has hundreds of published descriptions of the word and concept. Two definitions of spirituality that we find useful in applying to fraternities and sororities are: • A universal instinct towards connection with others and a discovery of our place in the larger web of life (Palmer, 1998).

• The values that we hold most dear, our sense of who we are and where we come from, our beliefs about why we are here – the meaning and purpose that we see in our work and our life – and our sense of connectedness to each other and to the world around us (Astin, 2004).

Focusing on four key components of spirituality articulated in these definitions – something bigger than oneself, values, meaning and purpose, connections – the link to the mission and goals of fraternities/sororities becomes much more apparent.

Spirituality and College Student Development Over the past decade, spirituality has received significant attention in college student development. Many scholars have researched and published findings on the role of spirituality and college student development. Of the many theories established, Love and Talbot’s (1999) five part process of spiritual development integrates the various components needed for holistic student development. Students navigate through the process at their own pace, as spiritual development is a constant and continuous progression. Similar to Chickering & Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors of psychosocial development, a student’s background, experiences, relationships, abilities, values, and so on dictate the starting point and framework for spiritual development and determine how they will make meaning of new information attained throughout their spiritual journey. Love and Talbot’s theory seeks to bridge a student’s current life with the life he and/or she is developing as he and/or she integrates new knowledge with old (Capeheart-Meningall, 2005).

Spiritual Development (Love & Talbot, 1999) 1.

Internal process of seeking personal authenticity, genuineness, and wholeness as an aspect of identity development

2.

Process of continually transcending one’s current locus of centricity

3.

Developing a greater connectedness to self and others through relationships and union with community

4.

Deriving meaning, purpose, and direction in one’s life

5.

Increasing openness to exploring a relationship with an intangible and pervasive power or essence that exists beyond human existence and rational human knowing

Building on Love and Talbot’s process, Capeheart-Meningall infused spiritual development into student life outside the classroom by providing examples of cross development in each of the five areas.

The Forgotten Precept?

1.

Seeking personal authenticity, genuineness, wholeness

Student values clarification, goal setting, leadership programs, judicial processes, principles that govern personal behavior, living in congruence with what you believe

2.

Continually transcending your locus of centricity

Life management skills, time and stress management, wellness, building healthy relationships, finding balance

3.

Greater connectedness to self, others, and community

Appreciation for diversity and inclusion, student accountability, traditions, volunteerism, community building

Of the five ritualistic precepts identified

by McMinn (1979), some would argue that spirituality is the forgotten precept in fraternities and sororities. In many ways, spirituality is alive and present in the values, beliefs, and programming of fraternal organizations – although it is not directly identified using the term spirituality. The challenge now is for us to be intentional with this additional aspect of student development and infuse it into the core values that fraternities and sororities already espouse – scholarship, leadership, friendship, service, and spirituality.

4.

Meaning, purpose, and direction in life

Explore skills and interests, personal goal setting, selfexploration and understanding, community dialogue, career exploration, life planning

References

5.

Openness to exploration

Programs directly addressing spiritual development, understanding different and appreciating different religious belief systems

Examples of Spiritual Development in Student Life (Capeheart-Meningall, 2005)

While Capeheart-Meningall provided a broad look at how spiritual development can be integrated into student affairs practices, we can take it a step further by tying each of the five processes of Love and Talbot’s theory into current goals and programs in fraternities/sororities.

Most items are already components of an undergraduate chapter’s yearly programming such as alumni career development sessions, time management workshops, accountability through standards and honor boards, community service, and strategic planning. While many fraternities and sororities discuss inclusion and provide diversity education focused on race, gender, and sexual orientation, the largest component missing from the personal development spectrum is spirituality and, more specifically, the openness to the exploration component of Love and Talbot’s process. In order for campuses and organizations to holistically develop members, programming is needed that will allow students to clarify the differences between religion, faith, and spirituality and provide them with opportunities to examine different belief sets and backgrounds.

Opportunities for Growth As Capeheart-Meningall asserted, “spiritual development is critical both to the integrated development of the student and to the fulfillment of our responsibility to educate the whole student” (2005, p. 33). As fraternity/sorority professionals, we have the opportunity and responsibility to positively impact and influence the development of undergraduate students.

Spiritual development within fraternities and sororities, just as with leadership, scholarship, service, and friendship, has the ability to make members more well-rounded students, citizens, and representatives of the values, missions, and purposes of their organizations.

The challenge we face as an Association and profession is how we choose to address and implement spiritual development in fraternal organizations. We can look toward other functional areas of student affairs for best practices and opportunities for partnership, such as the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP) and National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) 2008 National Leadership Symposium, which examined the topic of “Authenticity as a Spiritual Framework for Educating a New Generation of Leaders”.

At the campus level, we can collaborate with academic departments such as philosophy and religious studies or the university chaplain’s office to create programs that address the spiritual development needs of fraternity and sorority members. Programs could be created that examine the similarities and differences between fraternity/sorority rituals and religious and/or spiritual rituals or include a guided dialogue and demonstration on a faith tradition that is celebrated in a group setting such as a Jewish Seder. We can create an Online Community discussion for Affinity Connection group within AFA to discuss spirituality and its impact on our students and organizations. Through research and professional development, we can become comfortable understanding and articulating the difference between religion, faith, and spirituality in order to educate our students and challenge their holistic development – mind, body, and soul.

Anson, J. L., & Marchesani, R. F. (Eds.). (1991).

Baird’s manual of American college fraternities.

Indianapolis, IN: Baird’s Manual Foundation, Inc. Astin, A. (2004). Why spirituality deserves a central place in liberal education. Liberal Education, 90(2), 34-41.

Callais, M. A. (2002). Sorority rituals: Rites of passages and their impact on contemporary sorority women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

Capeheart-Meningall, J. (2005). Role of spirituality and spiritual development in student life outside the classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning: Spirituality in Higher Education. San Francisco: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chickering, A., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

College of William and Mary (2008). History and traditions. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from http://www.wm.edu/about/history/index.php Love, P. (2001). Spirituality and student development: Theoretical connections. New Directions for Student Services: The Implications of Student Spirituality for Student Affairs Practice. San Francisco: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Love, P., & Talbot, D. (1999). Defining spiritual development: A missing consideration for student affairs. NASPA Journal, 37(1), 361-375.

Marsden, G., & Longfield, B. J. (Eds.). (1992).

The secularization of the academy. New York: Oxford University Press.

McMinn, B. (1979). A content analysis of the esoteric ritual manuals of national college social fraternities for men. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Mississippi.

Nash, R. J. (2001). Religious pluralism in the academy. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Parks, S. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

– Michelle Marchand Rebholz is the Greek Life Coordinator at Lehigh University.

– Shawn Hoke serves as the Interim Director, Campus Life Clarion University of Pennsylvania and National President of Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity Summer 2009 / Perspectives

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By Nathan P. Thomas & Robert J. Turning

An Interview with Mari Ann Callais and Christian de la Huerta

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he central theme of this issue of Perspectives is spirituality and religion in today’s college fraternity and sorority. The topic is challenging and maybe even controversial today, yet was central in the conversation of many fraternity and sorority founders years ago. Spirituality and religion within fraternities and sororities is a century-old discussion and one that came to the heated forefront within inter/national fraternities and sororities with the elimination of exclusionary clauses in the 1960s. Christian de la Huerta, spirituality author and speaker, and Mari Ann Callais, Ph.D., former National President for Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity (an historically Catholic women’s fraternity) and speaker on rituals, share with us the view from their “seats.”

To start, the difference between religion and spirituality should be defined, to which de la Huerta offers: Religion and spirituality are not the same thing; they may fulfill the same purpose, but sadly, too often they may not. Religion is the dogma, traditions, and systems of belief. These can even assist the process of spirituality by offering the support of community, a calendar of holidays and celebrations, inspirational music, etc. Spirituality is our nature, our innate human right. It is who we are.

This issue of Perspectives seeks to understand whether conversations regarding spirituality and religion are relevant and important for today’s member. If they are, in what ways can we prepare ourselves for these conversations and appropriately guide students through the discussion in our roles within the institutions of fraternity, sorority, and campus? Callais suggests, I have experienced that more often than not, religion and the discussion of religion comes into play when rituals, specifically initiation, are being discussed, experienced, or even debated. As a journey through time [historically through Theta Phi Alpha], undergraduate members have questioned some of our ceremonies and the content of those ceremonies. I have seen heated discussions at

our national meetings. I have more recently seen a generation of students who are more tied to our founding than before. Today, I believe students want to understand why something is the way it is, as opposed to being satisfied that is the way it has always been done. The challenges with religion and spirituality come when we do not explain it to them and help them work through it.

scandals, and corporate scandals, among other things, have forced many to wonder where to place their trust. Existential questions (i.e. Who am I, really? What am I doing here? What is my purpose?) become more pressing in times of dramatic social change, uncertainty, and insecurity.

In their research and predictions on the millennial generation, Howe and Strauss (2000) found today’s students as more closely identifying to the values of their parents.

College is, and has been, a time for exploration of a student’s freedoms and values. Within the millennial generation, will the exploration of spirituality and religion increase or decrease?

Additionally, knowing students identify closely to their parents’ values, what inner conflicts and challenges will come if students challenge their belief system, as they may also believe they are challenging their parents’ belief system in the process?

I believe in order for religion, spirituality, and basic values to be relevant to today’s fraternity and sorority experience, they must be consistent. At any level, if our actions do not reflect our message, then we will never be the kind of organizations we are capable of becoming. As national organizations, if we are going to acknowledge these beliefs are part of who we are, we have to put them into practice. We have to teach our members both younger and older, to be true to whatever values we profess. It is not an easy task.

Religious and spiritual student organizations are active on campuses, and Arthur (2008) cites a renewed openness to religious organizations on campuses. Awareness of religious organizations may now be a topic included at new student orientation and a part of a student’s acclimation to campus life more so than it was in the past. Notes de la Huerta, I have been offering spiritual retreats for the past 20 years, and during that time the majority of those attending were in their 40s and 50s. I have noticed a change in recent years, however, where younger people in their 30s and some even in their 20s are participating.

The involvement of students in conversations about religion and spirituality is likely to continue to expand. According to de la Huerta, As our world continues to change in dramatic ways, and as systems we took for granted implode in front of our eyes, people are forced to look for answers elsewhere.

The worldwide economic downturn, church

Callais concludes,

We encourage you to be engaged with the role religion and spirituality plays in your work with fraternities and sororities and challenge your own reflections that may occur in the process.

References Arthur, J. (2008, August 1). Faith and secularisation in religious colleges and universities. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 29(2), 197-202.

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York, NY: Random House.

– Nathan P. Thomas is the Executive Director of the Center for Residential Living and Leadership at Bradley University.

– Robert J. Turning is the Greek Life Coordinator at The Johns Hopkins University.

8

Join the discussion on religion and

spirituality in fraternity/sorority life by visiting the Association’s Online Community and clicking on the “Perspectives Discussion” link.

From Where I Sit is a section in Perspectives featuring a personal perspective on the interfraternal community. Do you 10

Perspectives / Summer 2009

have an opinion to share on fraternity/sorority life? Tell us how things look from where you sit by emailing your thoughts to the editor at asg@dzshq.com, and you could see your ideas in a future issue of Perspectives.

By Sara L. Jahansouz, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Applying AAHEA Principles of Assessment to Fraternity and Sorority Life

T

he Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) continues to support and promote assessment as a daily practice for the purpose of advancing fraternal values. As noted in previous issues of Perspectives, assessment is an area in which time and energy is being dedicated to ensure the continued development of competencies that support student growth and learning. Essentially, assessment is a contributing factor to the support of fraternal relevancy within higher education. The Association has been intentional in noting assessment as a core competency for all members; this means that all members of the Association must be willing and capable of understanding and applying assessment practices within their work with fraternities and sororities.

As referenced in AFA’s Strategic Framework, assessment should be utilized to ensure that learning outcomes are developed that reflect community values and standards. The Association uses assessment practices to determine where time and resources should be allocated to best serve members and support student learning within higher education. In turn, this same practice should be utilized as a guiding principle in our work as educators.

The American Association of Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA), formerly known as the Association of American Higher Education (AAHE), established The Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning (Astin, et al., 1996). This document serves as a framework for fraternity- and sorority-related assessment practices as well as a working definition of assessment within higher education and student affairs administration. The Principles on Assessment support and promote the foundational purpose of fraternity and sorority life.

The first principle states that assessment of student learning begins with educational values. This should be a very easy starting point, as the educational values within fraternity and sorority life are defined not only by organizational and/or community mission statements, but also the academic mission of the institutions at which our organizations are hosted.

To understand the development that occurs through fraternity and sorority membership, student development must be assessed as it occurs over a significant period of time through a series of meaningful experiences. This means the development of learning throughout a

member’s collegiate experience must be considered holistically, not just at the beginning or end of collegiate membership. The second principle supports effective assessment through longitudinal studies of learning over time.

The third principle states that assessment works best when the programs or experiences it seeks to improve have a clearly stated purpose. It is necessary to clearly define what it is that should be accomplished; making assumptions about the goals and/or learning outcomes trying to be achieved is not an acceptable practice. A clearly stated purpose makes assessing the effectiveness and ability to meet or exceed learning outcomes much easier to accomplish.

Because assessment can be easily misconstrued, the fourth principle is one which is often overlooked. Assessment requires attention to outcomes, but also equally to the experience that leads to those outcomes. Assessment should not just be applied to meeting or exceeding outcomes, but also to creating an understanding of what it takes to achieve the desired outcomes. This principle is key in assuring that time and resources are best allocated to support experiences that support positive student growth and learning. Outcomes alone are not enough.

While some strategies for assessment can be more time consuming than others, the incorporation of meaningful assessment practices may enable a professional to better allocate time and resources. The fifth principle notes that assessment must be practiced over time, not just in small windows. Assessment should be a guiding principle within the daily operations of professionals working in fraternity and sorority life. This can be easily achieved through intentional and meaningful adaptations to current practices and ideologies. Because learning outcomes are based on shared values and standards, stakeholders must be engaged in dialogue determining what students should gain through fraternal membership as well as how we should assess that this is or isn’t happening.

The sixth principle encourages the engagement of all stakeholders in the assessment process. Assessment cannot be successful if the fraternity and sorority life professional is the only one committed to this practice.

There is no need to waste time on issues that are not of concern to our stakeholders or campus community and don’t support shared commitments and standards. The seventh principle encourages us

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to be intentional in assuring that our stakeholders are taken into consideration through the tools that are utilized as well as the areas that are chosen to be assessed.

The eighth principle acknowledges that assessment is a major factor in supporting and creating cultural change, but unfortunately, assessment alone cannot create miracles. Assessment helps to define the case for change, but a supportive environment and other conditions must be readily available to lead to the desired improvement.

Talk is cheap. We must be willing to back-up our claims and achievements through assessment practices. With fraternal relevance increasingly emerging as a critical issue, fraternity/sorority professionals must commit to ensuring that our claims of supporting student development are actually supported through active assessment.

The ninth and final principle reminds us that educators must utilize assessment in order to meet our responsibilities to students and the public.

The process of creating a culture committed to assessing student learning through the fraternity and sorority experience continues to evolve. Just as student populations and fraternity and sorority trends remain constant in change, so does the way in which student learning is assessed. While the practices of assessment continue to develop through access to technology and ability to engage more stakeholders, the one thing that remains the same is the commitment to holistic student learning.

The application of the AAHEA Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning ensures that assessment practices support the relevancy of fraternity and sorority life within higher education.

References Astin, A., Banta, T., Cross, P., El-Khawas, E., Ewell, P., Hutchings, P., et al. (1996). Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. Retrieved February 9, 2007 from http://www.facet.iupui.edu/ resources/AAHE%20Principles.pdf

– Sara L. Jahansouz serves as the Assistant Dean of Students for The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). She is also a Doctoral student in Learning and Leadership at UTC.

AAHEA Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning 1. Assessment of student learning begins with educational values.

2. Assessment is most effective when it reflects an understanding of learning as multidimensional, integrated, and revealed in performance over time.

3. Assessment works best when the programs it seeks to improve have clear, explicitly stated purpose.

4. Assessment requires attention to outcomes but also and equally to the experiences that lead to those outcomes.

5. Assessment works best when it is ongoing and not episodic.

6. Assessment fosters wider improvement when representatives from across the educational community are involved.

7. Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions that people really care about.

8. Assessment is most likely to lead to improvement when it is part of a larger set of conditions that promote change.

9. Through assessment, educators meet responsibilities to students and the public.

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Perspectives / Summer 2009

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By Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

How to Bolster Mental Resiliency in Student Leaders The brave young leader takes a deep breath and plants a bold foot out on the high wire. The foot wobbles and the leader feels a transitory catch in the throat before leaving the security of the platform and planting the other foot one step ahead on the wire.

“Must not show hesitation or trepidation,” the young leader thinks. “Head up and smile. I can do this.”

The fear is quickly replaced by the exhilaration of knowing that an audience is watching in awe of this death-defying feat. The leader’s heart beats strongly and the mind focuses on the task at hand. Shouts of encouragement and admiration can be heard below.

“What a wild ride! People are depending on me and believe I am up to the task,” thinks the leader. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. I can’t let them down!”

Then someone yells from the platform, “Oh! We forgot to tell you. You must juggle these plates as you try to keep your balance. Just a couple, no worries.

We know you are up to it.”

The leader turns back, catches the plates tossed into the air, and starts to juggle. Despite the distraction, the leader continues on, defying the tension in the gut, powering through one step and then another, looking confident, and smiling outwardly. Shortly the mind of the leader starts to chatter.

“Perhaps this is too much for me. Maybe I was not ready after all. I can’t really turn back now. Where is that safety net?”

The voice from the platform yells out again, “Here are some batons ablaze and a unicycle. I am afraid these are now yours to deal with as well.”

Sweat dripping down the temple of the leader now gives away the internal trepidation. Suddenly, our leader feels alone and trapped with no way down.

The audience below is nothing but a silent, dark abyss.

“Are they just waiting for me to fall?” our leader wonders. Just then a voice from the podium shouts, “I am sure it will just be a temporary thing, but now I must request that you wear this blindfold.”

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E

by hopelessness. Being resilient does not mean powering through impossible expectations or suppressing feelings of anger or sadness.

It does mean having the ability to adapt to stress and ultimately to grow from it.

As a faculty member, advisor, and mentor, I have seen student leaders new to these stresses wonder if they will be up for the challenge.

Students are not the only ones to feel this way. Throughout history, pressures and self-doubts have crushed even the most remarkable leaders. A few examples of people whose careers have intersected with emotional distress include:

Unfortunately, many undergraduate leaders have been conditioned to think that the only acceptable outcome is perfection and a fully packed résumé. This belief leads them into what the authors of The Wounded Leader (Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002) describe as the “conspiracy of busyness.” From a young age, talented children learn to build a mask to hide any imperfections, lest they disappoint parents and teachers. The development of this outer shell inevitably makes it more difficult to get in tune with their inner emotional lives and true selves.

ven though high-performing leaders often exude confidence, they are vulnerable to the sometimes impossible expectations placed upon them by themselves and others. It’s no secret: when work needs to get done on campus, many administrators entrust it to the busiest students. As resources get tighter, campuses and organizations are trying to manage more with less, and mental resiliency becomes an important trait for a leader.

• Sir Isaac Newton suffered bouts of insomnia and was so sensitive to criticism he was considered by many to be paranoid.

• Although there is some controversy, most historians believe Meriwether Lewis, the famed explorer of the Lewis and Clark team, took his own life after a professional public humiliation that led to increasing agitation.

• Marie Curie was considered an obsessive genius, but after winning her second Nobel Prize in science, she was hospitalized for severe depression.

• Winston Churchill battled what many consider bipolar disorder and referred to his mood swings as his “black dog.”

• Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, one of the first men on the moon, experienced debilitating depression and alcohol dependence upon his return, which was attributed in large part to the unexpected impact of fame.

• Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh’s Man of Steel, admitted that he almost “worked himself to death” as a coping strategy for mental pain.

More recently, Mike Wallace, anchor for 60 Minutes, acknowledged life-threatening depression after an accusation of libel and a related lawsuit. He stated, “At first I couldn’t sleep, then I couldn’t eat. I felt hopeless and I just couldn’t cope…and then I just lost all perspective on things. You know, you become crazy. I had done a story for 60 Minutes on depression but I had no idea that I was now experiencing it. Finally, I collapsed and just went to bed” (CBS Cares, n.d.).

Indeed, as fraternity/sorority advisors, we need to tell student leaders who struggle with the stresses of being a leader that they are certainly not alone. In fact, most likely because of their struggle and pain, not despite it, these world famous leaders transformed their struggles with anxiety caused by pressure and found a greater calling in life. Some found a previously unknown inner strength or, like Mike Wallace and Terry Bradshaw, they became advocates for mental health.

Mental Resiliency for Student Leaders Today Mental resiliency can be thought of as a mental muscle that helps us bounce back from life stressors. People who are mentally resilient are able to see past adversity and function at high levels despite chaos and disruption. In contrast, less mentally resilient individuals often succumb to feelings of victimization and become immobilized

Many students holding leadership positions, such as those within fraternal organizations, find themselves on a race to the impossible; it is no wonder young leaders can be initially devastated when their lives are sidetracked by personal or professional adversity. In addition, the authors of The Wounded Leader argue, the psychological needs of the leader are not always met through his/her roles. This discrepancy can often cause feelings of disillusionment and disappointment. Small cracks in the mask often lead to maladaptive coping strategies like high-risk drinking, acting out sexually, and eating disorders. Each of these is used as a way of either temporarily soothing internal dissonance or unconsciously punishing the self for being imperfect.

Underneath the mask we find what the authors call the ‘inner face’ or the ‘whole-hearted soul’ of a person trying to emerge as a leader (Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002).

Similar to how top performing athletes develop skills specific to their sport, today’s student leaders must learn to develop this muscle of mental resiliency to grow from these challenges and sustain their talents and passions over the long term. Olympic athletes do not become champions overnight – they require daily conditioning to develop strength and avoid injury. Mentally resilient leadership is developed in the same way, through daily practice and a focus on the long-range plan for leading an extraordinary life.

Our young leaders also need to develop mental resiliency to effectively lead others who often have less developed coping skills. Leaders calibrate the emotional states of followers, making themselves epicenters of stress reactions of their peers. When they crumble, others lose hope about their own ability to manage as well. Knowing the increasing levels of mental health issues facing college campuses today, student leaders will likely face emotional challenges as collegians.

Recommendations for Bolstering Mental Resiliency in Student Leaders

1

Strategically train students in life skills. Due to the helicopter parent phenomenon, today’s students sometimes lack basic life skills and benefit greatly from workshops that teach money management, sleep hygiene, relaxation, time management, and so on. Knowing that students’ schedules are already completely overloaded, these skills training sessions must be handled with care, otherwise they may inadvertently increase stress rather than reduce it. Rather than offer them as an additional event to put in their daily plan, find ways to dovetail the development of these skills into plans the students already have.

Summer Spring 2009 2009 / Perspectives / Perspectives 15

At the top of the life skills list are: communication skills and how to help a friend. Many of us are keenly aware that we, as administrators, are often the last to know when a problem is bubbling. In a recent University of Texas survey (Malmon, 2009), researchers discovered that of those students who admitted they had been suicidal, 67 percent first disclosed their troubles to a peer, and only 23 percent first disclosed to an older adult like a parent or professional. Thus, we need to train students to learn empathic communication and warning signs plus risk factors for despair, dysfunction, depression, and even suicide. Many effective models for this training exist and help decrease the bystander behavior that often allows people to fall through the cracks.

2

Foster multiple interests and offer flexibility and freedom. This means encouraging students’ growth in several directions. When we put all our “eggs in one basket” – whether it is the basket of a relationship, academic success, or athletic accomplishments – we set ourselves up to be vulnerable. If my entire identity rests within one dimension of my life and something happens to that basket – all my eggs are broken, and I am devastated. Just as with our financial portfolios, we need to diversify our interests.

The young student leader looks out again from the platform.

This time the high wire has transformed into a footbridge…with handrails. The safety net is clearly in view, and the audience is lit up encouraging our leader and handing over equipment to ensure a successful passage across.

A voice from the platform yells, “Are you sure you don’t want to spin some plates on your journey?”

To which our young leader replies, “No, thank you. I’ve got my plate full at the moment and no more spinning plates are needed.”

Three strategies play a role in the success of this goal.

First, finding balance between work and play, between activity and rest, and between knowing, being, and doing is key to expanding multiple areas of interest. Second, is pursuing areas of interest with a mind of moderation. Seeking greatness is admirable, but if you are trying to be the top scholar in your class as you run for student body president and at the same time train to win a marathon and publish a book – failure at one of these is inevitable. Sometimes being ‘good enough’ is fine, but many of our high-performing students have been conditioned to think that only excellence and perfection is acceptable. Finally, variety can help buffer against the single-source identity. In other words, it does not really make a difference if a person is ‘diversifying’ by being a basketball player, a soccer player, and a weight lifter. One major injury would cause all of those activities to be wiped out. In Heroic Leadership, Lowney (2003) discusses “living with one foot raised”. In other words, leaders succeed by finding opportunities in uncharted territories, and then they experiment by getting involved in things slightly out of their comfort zone in the spirit of constant self-evolution.

3

Explore the wisdom of the crucible. Ad Astra per Aspera (to the stars through adversity) is a leadership lesson that comes the hard way (Ackerman & MaslinOstrowski, 2002). Leadership studies contributor Warren Bennis (Bennis & Thomas, 2002) found that those who learned from their darkest days were often transformed into better leaders.

He called these experiences ‘crucibles’ in the lives of these leaders, because crucibles are vessels that turn base metals into gold, or in the case of leaders, fiery ordeals into magical experiences (Thomas, 2008). Many of our young leaders have not experienced life traumas by the age of 18, and if they have, many have not fully worked through all the lessons to be learned from those experiences. Leaders often believe that if they just work hard enough or smart enough, they will rise above the inevitability of being wounded. Sooner or later, they are rudely awakened to the fact that no one is immune, especially those who live in the messy life of leadership (Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002).

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Understanding that adversity is inevitable and part of the cycle of leadership can allow the young leader to respond with grace and consider the experience as a potential catalyst for the next stage of greatness. For those who have worked through major challenges, many find that it serves as a wake-up call and can often become a touchstone, bringing the leader to a wiser perspective. Without this insight, our wounded leaders can easily become indefinitely entrapped in the bitterness or humiliation of the wound (Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002).

References Ackerman, R., & Maslin-Ostrowski, P. (2002). The wounded leader: How real leadership emerges in times of crisis. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bennis, W., & Thomas, R. (2002). Geeks and geezers: How era, values and defining moments shape leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

CBS Cares. (n.d.). Retrieved on January 29, 2009 from http://www.cbs.com/ cbs_cares/topics/?sec=5 Lowney, C. (2003). Heroic leadership: Best practices from a 450-year-old company that changed the world. Chicago: Loyola Press Malmon, A. (2009, January). Collaborating with students on mental health concerns. Plenary presentation at the NASPA Mental Health Conference, Boston, MA. Thomas, R. (2008). Crucibles of leadership: How to learn from experience to become a great leader. Boston: Harvard Business Press.

Whyte, D. (2002). Crossing the unknown sea. Collingdale, PA: DIANE Publishing.

– Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas is the Project Director of Regis’ Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant. Additionally, she is the Executive Director for the Carson J Spencer Foundation (www.CarsonJSpencer.org), a Denver-based nonprofit supporting the mission of “sustaining a passion for life” through innovative and effective suicide prevention programs. Dr. Spencer-Thomas is a professional speaker (www.CAMPUSPEAK.com).

Get Involved in YOUR Association!

AFA Involvement Opportunities

The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors is a volunteer-driven organization, and AFA volunteers are an essential vehicle for identifying the opportunities and challenges facing fraternities and sororities. Through our Volunteer Management Program, leaders from all aspects of interfraternal movement are brought together to help AFA make the best decisions in moving forward. Whether you are a veteran volunteer or just considering getting involved, we hope you will choose to volunteer in the upcoming year.

How Do I Volunteer?

The first step is filling out the on-line Involvement Form. The Involvement Form is available year-round; however individuals submitting forms by September 4, 2009, will be given priority consideration for appointments in 2010.

What Opportunities Exist to Volunteer?

AFA values the many and varied contributions of our 200+ volunteers and encourages you to choose an area of interest and contribute in ways that are meaningful to you! There are many ways to participate and a variety of volunteer experiences available to suit every volunteer interest. Simply visit the Getting Involved/Volunteer Opportunities section of the AFA website. Each of our volunteer roles has a position description listed that describes the work of that particular committee/ work group.

Give and Gain…here are a few of the benefits current AFA volunteers have stated!

• Giving back to a community that has given me so much • Building connections with colleagues • Becoming more informed professionally • Receiving support and encouragement from other professionals • Commitment to the success of our profession and Association • A responsibility to be involved in our volunteer-driven Association

• Trying new role and responsibilities that I wouldn’t normally do in my job – it builds and strengthens my professional skill set • My talents are utilized to make a difference • Seeing tangible results come from my work “I believe in what we do within AFA. Like many other members, I have a passion for fraternity/sorority affairs. I am committed to the future success of our fraternal organizations and AFA gives alumni, campus professionals, and inter/national organization staff a platform from which we can partner and work. In addition, becoming an AFA volunteer provides us with the means to continue learning, receive access to resources and knowledge of best practices.” – AFA Volunteer “In volunteering, I relish the triumphs and challenges that occur.

The knowledge I have gained and the relationships with other people are invaluable to me. Another satisfaction is seeing actual results of the work that is being done and working on an idea as it comes to fruition.” – AFA Volunteer Expectations of Volunteers Appointments for standing positions occur in late September.

Volunteer leaders spend approximately two months prior to the Annual Meeting transitioning, training, and planning for their new positions, with new responsibilities beginning immediately following the Annual Meeting. Ad hoc workgroups are appointed throughout the year as needed to address specific needs or issues and may work for a few months or an entire year. Information about specific committees or positions, training opportunities, basic expectations, and the 2010 Involvement Form can be found in the Getting Involved/Volunteer Opportunities section of the AFA website.

Gain and Give – consider sharing your talents today!

Summer 2009 / Perspectives

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Gamma SiGma alpha announceS Beth Saul Gamma SiGma alpha endowment

G

amma Sigma Alpha is the premier academic Greek honorary, initiating over 2000 students annually, much because of Beth’s commitment to the organization, profession and students.

Professionals in the fraternity and sorority community recently gathered at the Association of Fraternity Advisor’s Annual Meeting in Denver. It was here that Gamma Sigma Alpha announced the Beth Saul/Gamma Sigma Alpha Endowment.

This $10,000 fund will grant professionals who previously would not be able to attend the Annual Meeting the ability to do so. The award was created to allow a lasting legacy for a woman who has dedicated so much during her years of service to higher education.

According to Aimee Ash, Executive Director of Gamma Sigma Alpha, “Beth Saul has served selflessly for Gamma Sigma Alpha for almost 20 years. She has led the growth of the organization from a single chapter chartered at USC to an organization that now spans over 200 chapters nationwide.”

Beth had this to say regarding this great honor, “The Gamma Sigma Alpha Endowment is a shining example of what the vision of dedicated volunteer leaders can accomplish. I was so surprised when the Beth Saul/Gamma Sigma Alpha Endowment was announced and am delighted that my passion for outstanding Greek academic achievement could be a catalyst for the benefits that this endowment will bring to the profession of sorority and fraternity advising for decades to come. Thank you again and again to the Gamma Sigma Alpha Board of Directors.”

The Foundation’s Mission To secure, invest, and distribute the necessary resources to support the educational objectives of the Association of Fraternity Advisors.

As a registered 501(c)(3) organization, the Foundation raises money through individual, organizational and corporate donations to provide the highest quality professional development opportunities for AFA members. Gifts are taxdeductible to the extent the law permits.

Beth, a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, served as the Executive Director of Gamma Sigma Alpha for 19 years.

When Beth received her John Mohr Society brick from Tom Jelke, AFA Foundation Chairman, she said, “I am extremely pleased to be a donor to the AFA Foundation. It is wonderful to be able to support professional development and advance the Association in this way. The AFA Foundation is a perfect example of how interfraternal cooperation can enrich the Greek community at large and all of us individually to be better professionals.”

How Can I Help?

There are several ways you can make a gift to the AFA Foundation: 1. Annual cash gift (check or credit card).

To make an annual gift online, please visit: www.fraternityadvisors.org/foundation.aspx 2. Set-up automatic monthly or quarterly credit card installments.

3. List the AFA Foundation as a beneficiary in your will, individual retirement plan, or life insurance policy.

4. Endow a gift to the AFA Foundation.

For recurring credit card charges or information on estate or life insurance gifts, please call the AFA Foundation at 678-654-6207.

Please consider making a gift of $25, $50, $100, or more and mail to: AFA Foundation, 9640 Augusta Drive, Suite 433, Carmel, IN 46032

Workshop Details At the completion of Advance Panhellenic!, participants will: • Understand how to use the similarities and differences of all organizations of the College Panhellenic in order to advance the community • Identify how to move the College Panhellenic from maintaining to advancing • Develop an action plan to establish the roles and goals of the College Panhellenic • Leave with a plan for the College Panhellenic Council to implement necessary change on the organizational and/or community level • Have a better understanding of the mission and goals of the National Panhellenic Conference • Be able to articulate the College Panhellenic values • Examine the current College Panhellenic recruitment structure and create an action plan to enhance the process

Introducing

ADVANCE

Panhellenic!

CAMPUSPEAK is proud to announce Advance Panhellenic!, a new Interactive Workshop designed to bring the College Panhellenic constituents together to build a community that works to advance all organizations.

In partnership with the National Panhellenic Conference, this new workshop aims to bring NPC’s missions and goals to student leaders in a standardized and interactive way. In partnership with universities, local alumnae and student leaders, CAMPUSPEAK consultants will help College Panhellenics strengthen their organizations in order to tackle challenges they face on a local level.

The goals of the workshop are: (1) to provide the College Panhellenic with the tools they need from the National Panhellenic Conference to be a successful student organization; (2) to initiate a starting point for College Panhellenic members to work together within the Conference and the larger community to advance the National Panhellenic Conference organizations; (3) to help develop guidelines and tips for the College Panhellenic for leadership, transitions, meetings, community building and recruitment; and (4) to build confidence and enthusiasm needed to create a plan of action that will be utilized to move the College Panhellenic forward. 

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wwww.npcwomen.org

For more information, contact Tiffanee Hopf, Director of Interactive Workshops at (303) 745-5545 or hopf@campuspeak.com

Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors www.fraternityadvisors.org 9640 N. Augusta Drive, Suite 433 Carmel, IN 46032

Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage PAID Ames, Iowa Permit No. 307

2009 National Hazing Prevention Week 5th Anniversary Resource Package Sponsored by AFA & HPO Join the Association and HazingPrevention.Org in celebrating the 5th Anniversary of National Hazing Prevention Week!

Your resource package will include: Participation in 1 HPO-coordinated live virtual seminar Participation in 1 AFA-coordinated live virtual seminar Receipt of 1 HPO virtual seminar recording Receipt of 1 AFA virtual seminar recording Receipt of 1 HPO resource Receipt of 1 AFA resource A virtual chat will be scheduled with the presenters of both organizations’ previously recorded virtual seminars, to allow purchasers of the package the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight on any relevant changes to the research since the time of recording. The complete package will be available for $175.

For more information and to register, visit www.fraternityadvisors.org/VSS.aspx.