Over 1,000 students have participated in Fraternal Futures Deliberations at 10 different colleges/universities across the country!!!

Fraternal Futures in ABOUT CAMPUS: Learning Citizenship: Campus-Based Initiatives for Developing Student Change Agents in the Sept/Oct issue. Click here for a PDF Copy

Fraternal Futures
Starting a Movement at Miami University

Project Basics
Sponsored by the Kettering Foundation, this program offers students, staff, faculty, and general community members a new way to think about change in fraternal life. As the recent interest in fraternal life has declined around the country, the importance of understanding the contributing issues behind the drop have increased. The project models the National Issues Forum (NIF) deliberations, a process where participants are encouraged to engage in a different way of framing complex issues. Deliberations offer participants a chance to discuss options from various lenses, recognizing that a typical debate style of conversation often leaves many participants unhappy and does not address all the intricacies that go along with tough decisions. Deliberations encourage people to discover what underlying values they hold and what the underlying values of opposing viewpoints are. From this more deeply informed perspective, participants work together to discern a common ground for action. These deliberative forums typically present three or four choices as ways to approach topics, with benefits and tradeoffs of each approach clearly laid out. This allows people to realize that, like any complex issue, the future of fraternal life should consider a variety of options.

See what students are saying:

Current Deliberation Results: (n=1,087 participants)

*updated April 11, 2006

Overview of the Approaches
Approach One: Open Up
Fraternities and sororities need to increase access to their organizations with different recruitment procedures, a commitment to increasing the diversity of their organizations, and by allowing the public to know more about what Greeks offer. Changing student demographics have made current recruitment tactics unsuccessful. A public lack of understanding about Greek life promotes a one dimensional stereotype.

Approach 2: Consistency is Key
The future of all Greek systems is at risk because of members' inconsistent actions. Members talk about their values, but do not live those out on a daily basis. Furthermore, there is no accountability when a chapter or member fails to uphold the values of the system or organization. The groups have become purely a social or party outlet for students and do not promote personal development or their founding values.

Approach 3: Partners in Education
The reason there are current problems in the Greek system is because Greeks magnify campus health and safety issues. The prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse, violence, sexual assault, and eating disorders put members in danger and decrease support for and interest in fraternities and sororities. By addressing campus health and safety initiatives through educational efforts and owning up to their internal problems, fraternities and sororities will increase their members' awareness and return to a safe and healthy atmosphere.

If you would like more information on the Fraternal Futures project, please contact:

Dr. Dennis C. Roberts
Associate VP for Student Affairs
robertd2@muohio.edu

For more information on National Issues Forums and the Kettering Foundation:

www.nifi.org
National Issues Forums- Fraternal Futures
www.kettering.org

Here is some useful information:

Fraternal Futures Issue Booklet - Completed by students, administrators, and the Kettering Foundation in the Fall of 2003, this document serves as the discussion guide for Fraternal Futures deliberations.

Moderator Guide - This is the moderator guide, which means this is a guide for the moderator/convener to use to direct the conversation and ensure a great deliberation.

Kettering Connections Article - This article appeared in the Kettering Connections in August 2004. This is a good background piece that provides an excellent overview of the project.

NASPA '05 Presentation Outline - Dr. Denny Robers, Erin Huffman, and Matt Johnson presented Fraternal Futures at the annual National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in Tampa, FL in 2005. This document is the outline from the presentation.

NASPA '05 Proposal - This is simply the proposal that Dr. Denny Roberts, Erin Huffman, and Matt Johnson submitted for our presentation.

Sustaining Fraternal Futures Deliberations - This flow chart provides insight into how deliberations unfold. In essence, it addresses the "now what?" question that we face in exploring public deliberation.

Fraternal Futures Brochure - This colorful brochure is used as another medium to convey what the Fraternal Futures initiative is all about.

Read About Fraternal Futures At Jacksonville State!