Women in Sororities: Characteristics and Challenges

1. Women in Sororities:Characteristics and Challenges Sarah Schanck Lisa Shepard Kaitlin Stannard

2. Overview • Positive associations of sorority affiliation • Negative associations of sorority affiliation • Trends affecting the subpopulation • Leadership development • Service and scholarship • National organizations: National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and Multicultural • Student perspective

3. Positive Associations of Sorority Affiliation • 9 million college students are members of a Greek organization • Can help improve interpersonal skills and leadership capabilities • Learn to respect diverse perspectives • Common rituals and alumni network • Positive community interaction and philanthropy

4. Negative Associations of Sorority Affiliation • Hazing • Binge drinking and alcohol abuse • Body image and eating disorders • Sexual abuse • Perceived lack of diversity “Unfortunately we all know people that wear letters and aren’t interested in the right kind of membership” -David Stollman, co-founder of CAMPUSSPEAK (Glass, 2012)

5. Trends Affecting Subpopulation • Research tends to focus on negative issues instead of positive influences of affiliation • Values based marketing needs to be incorporated • Increased media pressure over hazing and diversity issues “There is an ever-increasing gap between the founding principles of fraternities and sororities and the reality of their current state.” (Perkins, Zimmerman, Janosik, 2011)

6. Leadership Development • Values based skill building • Citizenship through community engagement • Opportunities to lead peers and fail in a nurturing environment • Gains in social development • Indirect impact on cognitive ability • Increased engagement with university administrators, faculty, and staff

7. Service and Scholarship • Higher retention rates for sorority women vs. non-sorority women • Increased exposure to diverse perspectives • More likely to donate time or money to civic or religious organizations • Positive correlation between this type of engagement and lifelong learning • All organizations have a service connection and a scholarship requirement

8. National Panhellenic Conference 26 member organizations Vision Statement: Advancing the Sorority Experience Together Mission Statement: The National Panhellenic Conference is the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience. Pi Beta Phi Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Kappa Gamma Alpha Gamma Delta Delta Gamma Gamma Phi Beta Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Xi Delta Delta Delta Delta Chi Omega Sigma Kappa Alpha Omicron Pi Zeta Tau Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Delta Pi Delta Zeta Phi Mu Kappa Delta Sigma Sigma Sigma Alpha Sigma Tau Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Epsilon Phi Theta Phi Alpha Phi Sigma Sigma Delta Phi Epsilon Sigma Delta Tau

9. Values of the NPC THE PANHELLENIC CREED We, as Undergraduate members of women’s fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community. Cooperation for furthering fraternity life, in harmony with its best possibilities, is the ideal that shall guide our fraternity activities. We, as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual fraternity and Panhellenic life. The opportunity for wide and wise human service, through mutual respect and helpfulness, is the tenet by which we strive to live.

10. NPC Student PerspectiveSydney Jessup- ADPi at Georgia College “Alpha Delta Pi has greatly improved my college experience as well as my life! I have gained so much from this organization from the friendships to experiences. It has opened my eyes to the meaning of being a part of something more. This organization has allowed me to volunteer from serving others to fundraising. It has also allowed for many networking opportunities with alumni and those attending our events. Although it is time consuming, the experience of being part of this sisterhood has truly enhanced my life. I would not trade this experience for the world. “

11. National Pan-Hellenic Council(NPHC) On May 10, 1930, on the campus of Howard University, the National Pan-Hellenic Council was formed. It is composed of 9 Greek letter organizations known collectively as the "Divine Nine." Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity make up what is known as the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Alpha Kappa Alpha was the nation’s first African-American sorority. It was founded at Howard University in 1908. National membership is estimated at 260,000. The nation's second-oldest African-American sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, was also founded on the campus of Howard University in 1913. It has a national membership of over 250,000. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority was founded in 1920 at Howard University, as well. It’s membership is estimated at 125,000. Founded in 1922 at Butler University in Indiana, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority is the only African-American sorority which was founded on a predominately white university campus.

12. NPHC Purpose and Mission The stated purpose and mission of the NPHC in 1930 was, “Unanimity of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct of Greek letter collegiate fraternities and sororities, and to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organi- zations. Today, the NPHC National Initiatives Pro- gram details the service projects of the NPHC nine member organizations in the areas of education, economics, health, politics, and the environment. Politics: AKA Day at the Capitol Education: Delta GEMS (Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully) Economics: Sigma Gamma Rho and Re/Max Home Ownership Partnership Environment: Project ZETA - (Zeta Environmentalist Teaching Activism)

13. As evidenced by the universities on which the four African-American sororities in the NPHC were founded, college women can experience Greek life on the campuses of either historically Black college and universities (HBCUs) or predominantly White institutions (PWIs). TABLE 2 Regression Summaries for the Effects of Greek Affiliation on Student Engagement Student Engagement Metric Regression Coefficient  Effect Size R2 Part A: All African American Students Academic challenge                     .309             .055                .062 Active and collaborative learning .           .586*         .163                .122 Student-faculty interaction              .711*           .205                .085 Supportive campus climate                 .437             .089               .041 Part B: HBCU Students Academic challenge                      .759             .134                 .073 Active and collaborative learning                 .693*           .189                 .121 Student-faculty interaction                .834*           .230                 .104 Supportive campus climate                .411             .082                 .037 Part C: PWI Students Academic challenge                    .053             .009                .065 Active and collaborative learning                 .535*           .151                .106 Student-faculty interaction                .581*           .171                .075 Supportive campus climate                 .436            .089                .046

14. NPHC Challenges… continued Research on student engagement is abundant. However, student engagement research that focuses on Black student Greek affiliation is limited. The information that is available shows that HBCU attendance results in positive effects on many educational outcomes for students. The results of the research by Patton, Bridges, and Flowers reflected in the regression summaries shown in Table 2 reflect that African-American students in fraternities and sororities at HBCUs are more engaged in effective educational practices than African-American students in sororities and fraternities at PWIs. Therefore, the NPHC will continue to be challenged with increasing the engagement of African- American women in sororities at PWIs and maintaining the viability of those sorority chapters.

15. National Multicultural Greek Council 12 member organization 9 Sororities 3 Fraternities Formed in 1998 to unite Greek-letter Fraternities and Sororities under one national entity, the NMGC provides in an advisory capacity to its autonomous Greek-letter organizations. Mission and Purpose Provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, programs, and services between multicultural Greek societies. Promote the awareness of multicultural diversity within collegiate institutions, local community, and nation-wide. Support and promote its member organizations. Member Sororities Delta Xi Phi Delta Sigma Chi Gamma Eta Theta Nu Xi Lambda Psi Delta Lambda Tau Omega Mu Sigma Upsilon Omega Phi Chi Lambda Sigma Gamma

16. references Alpha Delta Pi. (2008). Retrieved from: ttp://www.alphadeltapi.org/contentmanager/page.asp?webpageid=1 Barker, C. (2010, February 18). Who are the Black Greeks and why?. New York Amsterdam News. p. 17. Delta Xi Phi National Sorority. (2013). About. Retrieved fromhttp://deltaxiphi.com/about/. Glass, N. (2012). Examining the benefits of greek life. USA Today College.  Retrieved from: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/examining-the-benefits-of-greek-life National Multicultural Greek Council. (2013). The constitution of the national multicultural greek council. Retrieved from http://nationalmgc.org/about/constitution/. National Panhellenic Conference. (2012). 2011-2012 Annual report. Retrieved from: https://www.npcwomen.org/resources/pdf/2012%20Annual%20Report.pdf National Panhellenic Conference. (2013). Unanimous Agreements. Retrieved from: https://www.npcwomen.org/resources/pdf/Unanimous%20Agreements.pdf National Pan-hellenic Council, Incorporated. (2010). Mission. Retrieved from: http://www.nphchq.org/mission.htm National Pan-hellenic Council, Incorporated. (2010). National program initiatives. Retrieved from: http://www.nphchq.org/docs/NPHC_Program_Initiatives_2010.pdf National Pan-hellenic Council, Incorporated. (2010). Leadership. Retrieved from: http://www.nphchq.org/leadership.htm Patton, L. D., Bridges, B. K.,  & Flowers, L. A. (2011). Effects of Greek affiliation on African American students' engagement: Differences by college racial composition. College Student Affairs Journal, 29, 113 - 123. Perkins, A.B., Zimmerman, J.D., & Janosik, S.M. (2011). Changing trends in the undergraduate fraternity/sorority experience: An evaluative and analytical literature review. Oracle: The Research Journal of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, 6(1), 57-73.