Fraternity and Sorority

Fraternity and Sorority

The NASPA Fraternity and Sorority Knowledge Community (FSKC) provides opportunities for professionals to connect with other professionals, learn from developing research, improve professional practice through research-informed high impact practices, and remain apprised of the state of fraternities and sororities across North America. 

Message from the Co-Chairs

Welcome to the NASPA Fraternity and Sorority Knowledge Community (FSKC). The purpose of our KC is to understand the impact fraternal organizations have on campus and educate NASPA professionals on issues, trends and best practices that help the organizations contribute to the missions of their universities. With more than 1400 members, the FSKC has the opportunity to have a significant impact on our campuses and within NASPA. We welcome your engagement and please reach out for ways to get involved! 

 

If you would like to receive updates and the KC e-newsletter, please make sure you select the FSKC under the NASPA engagement details section in your NASPA profile. 

Leadership Team

Knowledge Community leaders are NASPA volunteers who have generously devoted their time to their Knowledge Community. Chairs are elected by the Knowledge Community members while Regional representatives are selected from within the Region. Additional roles are selected by the Knowledge Community.

Complete Your Profile

Login and update your profile.

Submit Info

Get Involved

Interested in getting involved with the FSKC? We’re always on the lookout from contributions from our members. The FSKC is involved in a number of ongoing and planned projects, including sponsored programs and meetings at the NASPA Annual Conference.

VPSA Series: Leading Fraternities and Sororities Through a Return to Campus and COVID-19

This three-part series will inform vice presidents and senior-level student affairs officers about new and important findings which improve professional practice to restore and transform the fraternity and sorority experience. Each program in the series will draw from timely research focusing on the intersection of fraternity and sorority issues, solutions, and professional practice. Topics will include strategy and staffing for your institutions’ fraternity and sorority community, as well as intervention and prevention strategies for substance misuse and hazing.

 

Register Here

If unable to access above, here is the direct link: https://www.naspa.org/events/vpsa-series-leading-fraternities-and-sororities-through-a-return-to-campus-and-covid-19

Special Interest Fund

The FSKC is excited to share the creation of a Special Interest fund hosted by the NASPA Foundation. The fund will accept support through: one-time gifts and recurring / pledge commitments. The goal of the fund will be to:

  • Provide funding for educational programs that support fraternity and sorority professionals
  • Support access to educational programming through both membership scholarships and scholarships to support costs of attending educational programs
  • Support undergraduate and graduate student pathways to the student affairs profession through programming and scholarships
  • Support fraternity and sorority research

NASPA Working Groups

Description

For a number of years, NASPA has served as a convener of important stakeholder conversations about fraternity and sorority life (FSL) and the challenges and opportunities connected with it on college and university campuses. In October 2019, NASPA hosted the Fraternity and Sorority Life Summit at the University of Houston; the Summit was attended by nearly 280 representatives of colleges and universities, inter/national organizations, and professional associations.

As an outcome of the Summit, NASPA established five “Excellence in Fraternity and Sorority Life” working groups to develop recommendations for action to improve Fraternity and Sorority Life in higher education. Four working groups are coordinated by NASPA, and the fifth is led by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA). The working groups’ foci, which reflect the highest priority topics for Summit participants, include:

  • New Member/Recruitment Process
  • Health, Safety, and Well-being
  • Fraternity and Sorority Life Staffing
  • Designing the Disciplinary Process for Chapters
  • Communications Standards between Organizations and Institutions

The topics of equity, inclusion, and social justice received much attention during the Summit, and participants determined that each of the five working groups must attend to these critical topics in their work rather than establish a separate, potentially “siloed” working group for those topics.

Working groups began their work in January 2020 and, with some fits and starts due to the challenges presented by the pandemic, have continued to meet for the past year. Their work and recommendations were shaped not only by the deep expertise of working group members but also by invited resources submitted for consideration by FSL stakeholders, broadly defined.

Draft Reports

Excellence in Fraternity and Sorority Life Working Groups Draft Reports

A list of members of the Excellence in Fraternity and Sorority Life Working Groups is available here. If you have questions about the Excellence in Fraternity and Sorority Life Initiative or to be added to the list of stakeholders who will be specifically included in the April 2021 process described above, please click here.

 

Resources

Educational Resources
  • Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors (AFA): AFA provides exceptional experiences, a vibrant community, and essential resources for the success of fraternity/sorority advisors. The vision of AFA is to be the catalytic force in aligning the fraternity/sorority experience with the changing dynamics and enduring principles of higher education. AFA is committed to professional development, academic and applied research that examines the entire spectrum of the fraternity/sorority experience and the advising profession, and collaborations within and between the higher education and interfraternal communities.
  • Interfraternity Institute: Many campus fraternity and sorority advising professionals are graduates of IFI, an intensive summer training institute held in Bloomington, IN, and coordinated by Student Affairs staff at Indiana University and the Fraternity Executives Association. For more information, contact Dick McKaig at [email protected].
  • Fraternity Executives Association (FEA): The Fraternity Executives Association is the professional association of men’s and women’s fraternity executives. It is dedicated to the common interests of its members and promotes, supports, and encourages the free discussion and exchange of ideas relating to college fraternal organizations. 
  • Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention (HEC): The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery provides colleges and universities the tools and resources to launch alcohol and drug misuse prevention and recovery programs on their campuses. The website offers resources for college students and their families, as college is an important time of transition for over 21 million young adults every year.
  • Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse Prevention (CoHEASAP): Founded in 1983 as the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues, The Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse Prevention (CoHEASAP) is an umbrella organization dedicated to promoting education, prevention, research, networking, and national initiatives to help eliminate substance abuse and the problems it causes on our college and university campuses.

  • Living the Ritual: National resource for Ritual education for fraternities and sororities. Site contains: Ritual Resources, Products, and Contact Us
  • National Center for Higher Education Risk Management: Organization dedicated to helping colleges and universities reduce liability and create safer learning environments. In particular, the organization offers services and publications related to sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, hazing, alcohol and other drugs, and campus security.
  • Stop the Hate: Campus hate crime prevention for colleges and universities. Site contains: Resources, Partners, Related Links, Volunteer Opps, and About Us.
  • StopHazing.org: Focused on educating to eliminate hazing, this site offers information on many aspects of hazing including fraternity, sorority, athletic, high school and military hazing. Check out the latest hazing books, find anti-hazing speakers, read the latest hazing news or look up some alternatives to hazing or get another viewpoint by reading some pro-hazing email. Site includes general information, hazing types, resources, activism options, and other information.
  • TIPS: The TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) program is designed to teach servers, sellers and consumers of alcohol to prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage drinking. Site contains: TiPS Trainers, Organizations, TiPS Server/Students, Universities, Alcohol Research, etc.
Umbrella Organizations

North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC):

The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is a trade association representing 58 inter/national men’s fraternities. NIC member organizations also represent a diverse range of fraternity men and interfraternal interests, including fraternities founded for leadership and business interests as well as faith-based, multicultural, historically black, and new or emerging fraternities.

National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Inc., (NALFO)

The National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Inc., (NALFO) is an “umbrella” coalition established in 1998 to promote and foster positive interfraternal relations, communication, and development of all Latino fraternal organizations through mutual respect, leadership, honesty, professionalism and education.

Today, NALFO’s 16 fraternities and sororities are bound by a shared commitment to fraternal unity, family values and empowering Latino and under-served communities.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) was founded on May 10, 1930 at Howard University in Washington, DC. The purpose of the NPHC shall be to foster cooperative actions of its members in dealing with matters of mutual concern. To this end, the NPHC promotes the well-being of its affiliate fraternities and sororities, facilitates the establishment and development of local councils of the NPHC and provides leadership training for its constituents.

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) 

Made up of 26 women’s-only inter/national member organizations, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is the world’s largest umbrella organization specifically charged with advancing the sorority experience. Through its advocacy, NPC seeks to enlist nearly 5 million sorority women in its efforts to showcase the transformational power of the sorority experience.

 

Awards

Events

One of the best resources available to you is the wide range of professional development opportunities. This list contains both our “Hosted Events,” workshops and webinars that we plan and manage, and some “Related Events,” hosted by the NASPA Central Office or other NASPA Constituent Groups. To see a full listing of NASPA events, please see the Events page.

 

NASPA Fraternity & Sorority KC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Virtual Conference

DEI Institute Registration Logo

The NASPA Fraternity and Sorority Knowledge Community invites you to save the date for our inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Institute, taking place on Wednesday, May 19 and Thursday, May 20, 2021.

This day-and-a-half virtual institute will provide attendees an opportunity to:

  • identify knowledge and tools to increase inclusion within fraternity and sorority chapters and communities;
  • understand how to connect with campus partners to address intersectionality; and
  • explore how personal identity affects approach as a fraternity/sorority Professional.

Attendees will experience featured keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington (who will focus on identifying and addressing oppression and exclusionary practices within fraternities and sororities) along with educational breakout sessions, guided group dialogue, panel discussions, and reflection that will result in participants creating a strategic plan for incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion in fraternity/sorority work. Registration information will be available in early April - we look forward to having you in attendance!

Register Here

If unable to access above, here is the direct link: https://www.naspa.org/events/2021-naspa-fskc-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-institute