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University of Louisiana System First Higher Ed System to Assess
Greek Communities |
The University of Louisiana System will be the first higher education system to participate in an extensive national assessment program designed to enhance campus Greek communities. Assessment will start this spring when Grambling State University and Nicholls State University will be two of 12 national pilot institutions.
In 2001, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) President Deno Curris invited University of Louisiana System President Sally Clausen along with other higher education leaders to Washington, DC to discuss a need for better university-Greek community partnerships. The result of that meeting was a “Call for Values Congruence,” which outlined bold stances universities could take to combat alcohol abuse and other social problems.
While the battle continues today – a recent study by the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse reported that fraternity and sorority members are more likely than non-members to drink (88 vs. 67 percent), binge drink (64 vs. 37 percent) and drink and drive (33 vs. 21 percent) – significant work has taken place to develop and implement a national assessment program that is not purely focused on negative activities of this nature. The purpose of this groundbreaking initiative will be to appraise all essential aspects of a university’s Greek life program.
Led by a Coalition Assessment Team that includes representatives from the Association of Fraternity Advisors, Fraternity Executives Association, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, National Panhellenic Conference, National Pan-Hellenic Council, the North-American Interfraternity Conference, and members of the higher education community, assessment will encompass a wide variety of areas including:
- Leadership Development
- Developing Positive Interpersonal Relationships
- Building/Strengthening Citizenship and Service-Learning
- Graduating Members and Advancing Academic Interest
- Interfacing/Supporting the Greek Community
Data will be collected and evaluated by trained assessors who will engage in two-day on-campus visits with key university personnel and students. A follow-up report, identifying and outlining actions to build stronger communities, will be generated following the visit.
Grambling and Nicholls evaluations will begin this month, with the remaining six ULS campuses – Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and University of Louisiana at Monroe - scheduled for the fall.
To access a short informational video on this initiative, and the list of data to be analyzed. |
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A call for Presidential leadership to combat excessive student drinking on college and university
campuses (2005) |
Three presidential-based higher education associations have released
a new publication, A Call for Values Congruence, which outlines strategies that campuses can use to eliminate fraternity and sorority behaviors
that are the result of high-risk alcohol use.
The booklet was sent to approximately 1,500 college and university presidents whose leadership is seen as crucial to changing dysfunctional student behavior
that includes a culture of excessive alcohol consumption among campus fraternities and sororities.
The six recommendations and accompanying strategies were developed over a two-year period by a group of college and university presidents representing both
public and private institutions in partnership with the North-American Interfraternity Council (NIC), the National Panhellenic Conference (PHC) and the
Distilled Spirits Council. The presidents are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the National Association
of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and the National Association of State Universities
and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).
The booklet also includes the NIC and PHC standards for member fraternities and sororities, respectively. |
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A Call for Values Congruence says college and university presidents must: |
- Reaffirm the primacy of an academic culture for the campus community. Some simple first steps include reestablishing a five-day academic week, and requiring
an acceptable level of academic performance.
- Articulate collegiate expectations for student groups by enforcing clear policies addressing underage drinking, and establishing periodic dialogues
between university officials and advisers to Greek chapters.
- Encourage the development of programs and policies addressing alcohol abuse based on research findings and oversee their implementation.
- Establish a periodic certification process for all recognized social fraternities and sororities. Preferably, the certification would be conducted by
or include representation external to the campus. The focus would be on individual chapters’ records of abiding by policies, and should result in
commendation, certification, probationary status or, when justified, closing of a chapter.
- Dedicate necessary resources to promote healthy lifestyles for all students.
- Consider the adoption of a policy whereby official campus recognition is given only to those Greek organizations that have adopted and implemented membership
and behavioral standards congruous with those adopted by the NIC.
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| > A Call for Values Congruence (2005) PDF (124 kb) |
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