Conversation Fodder - First Graduate, Then Initiate

Fraternal Thoughts: First Graduate, Then Initiate:

'via Blog this'

An intriguing idea. The entire undergraduate experience as a prelude to full initiation. No more "Pledge vs. Active" issues. 4-year GPA considered. Headquarters has a vested interest in every undergrad getting the full benefit of programming. It would give much more meaning to being an alumnus, certainly. 

There are of course some nagging questions. Like how to keep people interested in a program with a 4-year apprenticeship. what would the dropout rate be? You would need to use a different set of metrics to measure effectiveness. 

It's definitely a topic worth some late night discussion, though. Read the full article and let us know what you think.

Walk-ons are role players for Husker men

How do you get to be on the team? Sometimes you need little push.

Then, there’s Cole Salomon. The Omaha native, who played a season at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney, transferred to Nebraska so he could join a fraternity and hang with his buddies. Have fun. Be a college student.

The catch? Part of his initiation for Sigma Phi Epsilon was this dare: Participate in walk-on tryouts for the basketball team.

“It was very intense,” Salomon said. “It was one of the toughest workouts I’ve ever gone through.”

Later that October night of 2006, Salomon heard back from Nebraska coaches. They wanted him.

Dare? Or moving beyond the "comfort zone"? It would be ironic if his new team obligations caused him to drop the fraternity. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

HuskerExtra.com - Lincoln, Nebraska - Huskerextra - Mens Basketball

Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline Available

COLLEGE HAZING HAS A NEW ENEMY

As part of the ongoing attempt to end hazing on college campuses and particularly within Greek organizations, 20 international fraternities and sororities have joined together to establish a Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline. The toll-free number is 1-888-NOT-HAZE (1-888-668-4293). The line is available to those who think they, or students they know, have been or may become victims of hazing. Callers may remain anonymous or they can provide personal information so that their concerns can be responded to directly.

The Hotline connects to a dedicated Voice Mailbox at the Cincinnati law firm of Manley Burke, the publisher of Fraternal Law. Manley Burke will monitor the Hotline daily basis and will forward all messages to the appropriate fraternal organization, along with the hazing laws from the relevant jurisdictions. In states in which the law requires notification of other authorities, this will be done. A hazing alert for an organization not a sponsor will be handled as though that organization were a sponsor. A voluntary invoice will be sent to cover costs.

“Fraternities and sororities take hazing very seriously and have worked hard to see that hazing is eliminated,” said Tim Burke, the President of Manley Burke. “They recognize that too many people have been hurt or died as a result of hazing incidents and that today more than 45 states make hazing a crime. Officers of Greek organizations are consistently teaching their members that hazing is antithetical to the high ideals of brotherhood and sisterhood embodied in the fraternity movement,” he continued.

Norval Stephens, Chairman of the Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation and former International President of the fraternity, led efforts in establishing the Hotline. Stephens worked to grow the Hotline from the time it was first mentioned as an idea in January 2007, through recruitment of sponsors and participating organizations and finally to its implementation. Stephens explained the goal: “Our experience in the Greek world on hazing and alcohol abuse is that behavior is not changed by research. Only educational programming and action change behavior. Research illuminates the problem but does not solve it. We hope the Hotline helps to eliminate hazing.”

The Hotline is a crucial new tool for Greek organizations to use to fight hazing. The 20 founding sponsors, which represent in excess of 35% of all fraternity and sorority members, invite other fraternities and sororities to join as official sponsors of the Greek Anti-Hazing Hotline. For more information, please contact Dan McCarthy at Manley Burke at (513) 721-5525.

The sponsors are:

Fraternities
Alpha Sigma Phi
Delta Chi
Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Upsilon
Kappa Alpha Order
Lambda Chi Alpha
Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Kappa Psi
Sigma Pi

Sororities
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Sigma Tau
Chi Omega
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Zeta Tau Alpha

Fraternity eliminates pledging

Yes, it is SigEp they are referring to. This article could have been written at HQ, it is so positive on the BMP.

COLUMBIA-It has been three years since it was punished for hazing, and MU’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon has made a number of changes to become a better fraternity. Now, it has taken the fight one step further by eliminating pledging.

The fraternity commonly known as Sig Ep, which was disciplined by MU’s Greek Judicial Board for hazing in fall 2004, has adopted the national chapter’s Balanced Man program, an initiative that focuses on the growth and development of members from the moment they step into the house through graduation.

The program also throws out pledging, an intense period of initiation ranging from a few months to a full semester when potential members undergo rigorous education about the fraternity. In some cases, the rite includes hazing, verbal abuse and other rituals, such as cleaning older members’ rooms.
[...]
Unlike other fraternities, which have new members go through a pledge phase, new Sig Eps are automatically conferred member status, meaning they can vote on chapter issues and run for office. New members are mentored by older members and faculty who help them meet different objectives such as leading service projects and meeting the chapter’s 3.0 grade-point requirement.
[...]
To raise the fraternity’s standards, the directors began to recruit and evaluate new members based on ACT scores, grade-point average, campus involvement and overall character. John Hartman, the chapter’s alumni advisor, said Sig Ep is looking at the bigger picture.

“We’re trying to change the image of the fraternity system,” he said. “We don’t want that frat boy, ‘Animal House’ image. We want our fraternity to produce leaders.”
[...]
Adam Berkowitz, president of Alpha Kappa Lambda, said he understands the desire to eliminate pledging because the rite does have a bad reputation. But, he said, that reputation is not necessarily deserved.

“We absolutely do not haze our pledges,” Berkowitz said. “For us, it’s a growth stage. We educate about our house. It’s very positive.”

Berkowitz said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Balanced Man program gives Sig Ep a recruiting advantage, but he would advise potential members that other fraternities, such as Alpha Kappa Lambda, also value good grades and mentorship of younger members. Berkowitz agrees with Sig Ep’s mission to change the fraternity stereotype, but he wishes the chapter would share its ideas with other fraternities.

“You can’t change the fraternity stereotype alone,” he said. “We all want to change it. Few people know what we do for the community, the campus, what we stand for.”

Columbia Missourian - Fraternity eliminates pledging

New Member Education Ideas from Greek Advisers

Ideas for New Members ...

What is the learning outcome that the new member educator would like to accomplish? Is it for all new members to know all actives or for all members to know each other? Know each other how well?

An outcome might be: "At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to recall the first and last name, hometown and major of every participant."

The following ideas have been taken from several e-mails that have come from AFA members regarding new members and how they get to know the brothers in a chapter:

If the initiative is to try and avoid hazing, and the chapter desires its members to know basic information about one another, then that expectation shouldn't rest solely on new members. It should be an expectation for all members and all members should participate annually.

There are several rather traditional icebreakers that could be utilized to address the desired outcome. Name games like "Uncle Fred's Suitcase" have been very effective for me in having students remember names. Other activities such as "Wanted Posters" or "Coat of Arms" would allow the sharing of more in-depth information. Heck, why not consider creating "trading cards" for each member of the chapter featuring desired information? A quick run-through of Dale Carnegie "Memory-Stacking" techniques could also help members to not only retain this information, but class-related information as well. What a great way to link NME and academics!

I would caution that if the type of information expected to be memorized has no real value or purpose (shoe size, favorite beverage, first name of their significant other), then perhaps the activity isn't truly relevant to making members better members.

One thing we did at my undergraduate chapter was create a sort of gameshow activity, kind of like the newlywed game/jeopardy style and we paired up new members with inititaited members and tried to answer questions about one another. You could also set it up to have the pairs answer jeopardy style questions about any member of the chapter. While they may not know the asnwers at the beginning of the game, the initiated members can help them and the game will teach them more about each other.

Another idea is the break the chapter and new members up into 'teams' based on something they have in common and have them complete teambuilding tasks or a ropes course or do an ice breaker in which the group has to find out what they all have in common.

Possibly depending on the size of the chapter/new member class, you could have a few brothers come to each NM meeting and talk about themselves, why they joined the fraternity etc. And then at each general meeting, new members could tell the chapter about themselves.

A final idea is possibly having some sort of member/NM bio made for each member that he could include any info about him he wants peopl to knw, pics, etc. In the residence halls, we would print up 11x14 papers with a place for a pic and fill in the blank questions for each resident to fill out about him/herself. They included things like: my favorite food is....., in 10 years I see myself....., the person I most look up to is......, my favorite memory....., etc You could tailor it to the fraternity with questions about Big/Little brothers, reason they joined the chapter, positions they held (for initiated members), activities they do on campus, etc. You could also include values questions or questions that are a little more deep than their favorite color to have the guys all open up. The members could post them on their room doors and the NMs and any brothers who dont live in the house (or all members) could post them in a common area, such as the dining room.

I think it is most important to stress that the initiated members have just as much of a responsibility to learn about the new members as the new members need to learn about them....

What about an event that would be similar to speed dating! Each candidate could have a station and the brothers would rotate through. Perhaps 5 minutes at each station. If the chapter to candidate ratio is too large, the event could take place over several nights. The idea should to make the event fun. Maybe even have a host in a 70's style tux. Anyone remember "The Dating Game"?

As a second event what about an activity competing little/big pairs against the other pairs similar to "The Newly Wed Game"? The questions being asked could be very funny and entertaining for the entire chapter, who would make-up the studio audience. Possibly could be done in conjunction with a sorority involving their new members for a fun, non-alcoholic social event! ....

We did bio booklets of both members and new members. In addition, our students sometimes will have dinners or designated get togethers between various classes - one night would be for sophomores and new members, then juniors and new members, then seniors. Its more of a relaxed way for them to spend time together getting to know one another in a smaller group....

1. Have all new members meet with current members in their major. The purpose would be to discuss faculty members and provide insights to the challenges facing them. begins to build a knowledge community.

2. Have new members meet the chapter families. By working in Big Brother/LittleBrother combinations you can build cross class identity as well as build familiarity within the chapter leadership structure.

3. Have the new members come over to the house on the weekends and join in a house clean-up. Everybody working together is a great wayto get to know someone. If not a house clean-up than a community service project. Either way it is quality time spent where there is no distinction between new member and current member

The key to all these exercises is to have a new member debrief of what they learned and what they see as opportunities to serve. By creating a knowledge community you can begin to dismantle the emphasis on class structure and really begin to energize the chapter based on performance and not seniority.