Report for Affinity Connection Greek Life Survey

Transcription

1 Report for Affinity Connection Greek Life Survey Counts Complet ion Rat e: 10 0 % Complete 38 T ot als: What is your opinion on the current state of Greek life, both on a national level and on your campus?

2 ID 1 At a new low with all the incidents coming out from Penn State and other universities. 2 Overall very good. T oo much focus in media on the negative. 3 Strong when alumni provide strong interaction. 4 Overall, I think Greek Life is "improving", but the bad apples garner the attention. 5 Very poor 6 the level of partying is ever increasing out of desire to show the funnest, biggest, best experience on social media. We are mot meeting the needs of students to have fun experiences outside of alcohol, drugs. 7 Under attack, but for good reason. I feel my university's stance is one of trying to protect our chapters and insure their survival. T hey have imposed some pretty tough, but reasonable rules. Hope our system can survive. 8 T he few have made the future of Greek life questionable. T he use of alcohol and illegal drugs needs to stop. 9 Can't speak on natl level; campus level is out of control - no respect for fraternity values - no brotherhood. 10 It faces serious problems at many schools, and it's future is uncertain. 11 On the National level, the publicity about the deaths and hazing activities have overshadowed the good aspects of Greek Life. I do not condone the hazing and feel it needs to stop but that is what the average person associates with Greek Life. On our local campus, we feel it is a little Greek unfriendly from top administration but it is still going good. Numbers of members are down but we think it is related to less students on campus and financial issues. 12 T here is a lot of scrutiny over greek life in general which is often exacerbated by the poor judgement of a few members and amplified through the internet and media. 13 T he hazing must stop. T he national organizations need to make this number 1 and forget some of the other eyewash things they say they stand for.

3 ID 14 I believe that most fraternity chapters are responsible, supportive and contributing members of the campus community, engaged in service on campus and in their local communities, supporting the education of their members, and working to be in sync with the values and mission of their host institutions and general fraternity organizations. I enjoy working with a chapter of my own fraternity on one of our nearby campuses and find the young men to be excellent leaders. T hey understand and support efforts to educate pledges for membership in responsible and respectful ways, they do not haze and do not enable inappropriate behavior. T hey hold high academic and social standards. I am proud of them. 15 Greek organizations on both the local and national levels are better organized than ever. We all are hurt by the actions of a few that reflect badly on the Greek system. We need to keep working to improve adherence to the highest standards of behavior by all Greek members. 16 T he current state of Greek Life is a travesty. Especially at land grant institutions, over-funded chapters drink in excess and haze 18 and 19 year old boys to dangerous levels. All this talk about community service, philanthropic endeavors, and scholastic reward is a front--a sham. It's a narrative we tell ourselves and observers to justify how a drinking club can cost an 18 year old thousands of dollars per year. 17 Great life, bad press. 18 Seen as a risk by universities and seldom seen as a strong asset. Particularly the case at Lehigh, where there is a lot of party culture to overcome. 19 Phi Delta T heta has the right idea. Must enforce the "no alcohol" rule. 20 Greek life is failing due to the culture of the individuals being recruited who allow bullying, underage drinking, and a complete misunderstanding of the principles that a fraternity stands for. Also the sororities are leaders in pushing fraternities into serving under age young persons. T hey are a big part of the problem. 2. How does recent poor press on Greek life affect your views of your fraternity/sorority and fraternities/sororities in g eneral?

4 ID 1 I do not have enough information to comment, but it has to be negative. 2 Doesn't affect me. I know the truth. 3 T he media never reports the good Greek life provides to the university and community. 4 Does not affect my views. 5 T he Greek System is under attack and we do not do not have the courage to do anything but react instead of acting. 6 I am embarrassed to tell other adults, colleagues, professionals that I am in a fraternity. 7 Makes it very difficult. T hese do however send a strong message to chapters that it only takes one guy or gal to mess up. 8 My views have not changed for the overall system but it has for the organizations that have been involved. 9 Poor press is hurting my viewpoint and just about everyone else. 10 T he drinking culture had impacted most people's views because so many students join these groups to have a social life w/ partying and drinking.

5 ID 11 It doesn't change it. I just wish the hazing could stop. Greek life has a lot to offer students with leadership opportunities and community service hours in giving back to the local community. 12 I think many of the issue that have resulted in the negative press are not exclusive to the Greek system. Having continued to be involved with my college fraternity I see a lot of potential in the house and membership. 13 Never understood the hazing culture at some schools. Never had this problem at Duke. 14 I am indeed disgusted and disappointed that excessive drinking and hazing still happens in isolated locations and hope we continue to work together as partners, host institutions, local communities and Greeks, to stamp this out! I also believe that the media focuses attention on these incidents and they appear to be larger and broader problems than they really are. T aken out of context and in isolation, they are horrifying no doubt, but since I work more closely with the undergraduate experience and with Greeks in particular, I have a more balanced understanding of the issues than most people who hear these reports. No student should suffer as a result of their participation in Greek life, and we must continue to find ways to engage the undergraduates and to work with them to eradicate this legacy now and for all time. 15 We need to do a better job of publicizing the good we do, and in countering the bad press reports by demonstrating how we compare favorable to the statistics of all members of the generation of which the Greeks are only a small part. 16 I'm glad there is more attention being drawn to the danger they pose to young men and women. 17 Points out some problems that need to be addressed. 18 Doesn't affect mine as I have always believed it to be a great leadership laboratory. I can say my wife, never a strong believer in Greek life, has become completely hostile to the notion after Penn State, LSU, Lafayette, Florida State, etc It doesn't change my perception. T he national media never reports or compares how events in fraternities compare to events in the general college population. 20 I have very negative feelings due to university instituted policies that are determined to reduce fraternities to zero on our campus.

6 3. As alumni/alumnae, you are the big g est advocate for preserving fraternities/sororities both on your campus and at the international level. What can alumni/alumnae do to position your chapter and Greek life as a whole for a better future? ID 1 Support the active chapter, although I am getting frustrated with lack of communication, meetings and action by the current alumni chair. 2 Ongoing, consistent financial support. 3 Provide financial and leadership skill which merge with active values. 4 Continue to participate in philanthropy and community service. Get the word out. Clean up our acts; don't tolerate misdeeds. 5 Start with drug screening members. Have alumni at all social functions as responsible risk management mentors. Lobby for RESPONSIBLE alcohol policies with a 19 drinking age so the alumni can be present without being accused of promoting illegal instead of responsible use of alcohol.

7 ID 6 serve as mentor examples. teach, coach, elevate the undergraduates drive to increase their standards for behavior while still having good amounts of fun. balance. 7 Keep setting the moral bar high for expected behavioral outcomes. We must be accountable, much like our student athletes are held accountable. Students living off campus in apartments are seemingly not held to these higher behavioral standards. 8 T he major problems as I see it are the ethical and moral standards that this generation bring with them to the college campus. One of the major things that the fraternity alumni can does is stop telling stories of the 'good old days' when it comes to alcohol. 9 I have been a volunteer for 20 years; need more central office programs and personnel 10 T ry to help reset the reasons why people join: friendships, leadership skills, and working together. 11 Continue to press for better press about Greek Life. T he good aspects need to be highlighted. T he money raised for charities and the hours upon hours of community service done need to be talked about more. 12 Continue supporting the organization by being a positive role model and assisting where needed. 13 Stop hazing at their school. T ell their national organization to stop it, or else. 14 Fundamentally, alumni need to remain engaged. Greek life can benefit from intergenerational involvement in ways that no other campus organization can. Alumni who help to guide group think, challenge and support chapter officers and members, appropriately place expectations for higher behavior, and model responsible decision making and behavior are essential to a successful Greek experience. 15 Donate to fund scholarships that reward good behavior and academic excellence, and fund study abroad experiences by every Greek student during his undergraduate experience.

8 ID 16 Yell like hell. Get elected onto your organization's board of directors and implement sweeping overhauls to the health and safety protocols of your organization. Call your national office every day until they implement new initiatives. Cut off all financial support to your alma mater until the institution cracks down harder onto to safety initiatives for its students. 17 More alumni advisors for the chapters. 18 T hat is difficult to say as our chapter just lost recognition. In retrospect I would say the most important elements to long-term success are very selective recruitment, very strong P.I.T. to inculcate the ritual to fraternity life, and constant interaction between alumni and actives. 19 Support the national organization and insist that the local chapter adhere to the policies. 20 Pressure the University leadership who wants to eliminate fraternities when the Greek system contributes 75 to 85% of alumni giving. 4. What is your advice to the volunteer leaders of your fraternity/sorority g roup, as they strive to ensure the long evity of your fraternity/sorority?

9 ID 1 Good question. Relationships must be built with the university fraternity contacts. Emphasis must be made on all the financial support that alumni give the university. 2 Find younger volunteers for succession planning purposes. 3 Meetings to review and implement strong life examples for undergraduates to follow. 4 See above. 5 Get a team of a few alumni that can help. Do not put it all on one alumnus to make sure everything works in the chapter. 6 More rules will not solve the issue. T eaching how things can be even more fun amd rewarding when done right. 7 Be patient...listen to these young men...help shape their futures...be part of their success.. and be part of solving their issues, in an advisorial role. 8 Don't give up. Keep working with the younger members and telling others of the good that Greek are doing. 9 Hunker down / strive for greater university relations/ strive for more academic focused pledges/ need more chapter bonding experiences / while philanthropy events are worthwhile they are not the answer 10 T ake it one day at a time, but at the same time help students set goals for their groups and stick w/ them. Work hard to make student leaders aware of risk and empower them to make realistic decisions that will still result in fun and worthwhile activities. 11 Keep the message of no hazing in front of the membership. Keep advocating the good aspects of Greek Life to anyone who will listen. 12 Be patient and persistent with mentoring. 13 Same as above!!!!!!!

10 ID 14 It is never "us against them"! We must find productive ways to work together, campus and fraternity to make a difference. Many college administrators have not had a Greek experience and do not fully understand the purposes, teachings, processes and dynamics of the chapter experience, and all too many alumni recall feelings about the administration from the point of view of the student and do not work to understand or appreciate their perspective. We can and must do better, and we must engage families in the Greek experience in order to gain support from parents as well. 15 Stay in touch with your peers in other Greek chapters to compare notes and work together to raise the standards of behavior for all Gteeks. 16 Our old model doesn't work. We need to take a long, sobering look in the mirror and at what we're doing. We're killing people. Let's return to our roots, cut out the fat from our organizations priorities, and strip it down to the basics. 17 Be active with chapters and give good guidance. 18 Know that the rules change annually and you will not be smarter than the rest. 19 T ake advantage of the training available to you through your national fraternity/sorority. 20 Come up with some positive selling points on why a young man should join a fraternity. As it now stands, many experienced advisors are asking why would a young man want to join a fraternity in todays climate!