Talking Stick - November/December 2011 - 19

the hOusIng cOrpOratIOn Is InteresteD In cOllabOratIOn, but the natIOnal OrganIzatIOn Is alsO InteresteD In generatIng reVenue. thIs balance Is ImpOrtant because It helps the greek OrganIzatIOn leVerage current assets tO expanD tO new campuses.

the Greek organizations. When Greek organizations and residence life are linked, both parties must work together to make decisions about staff and training. Many institutions are moving to full-time, Greek-affiliated staff to operate their facilities. Doug Hallenbeck, executive director of university housing at Clemson University in South Carolina, says that their office has a full-time, affiliated assistant director and grad staff for Clemson’s fraternity and sorority facilities. This approach creates a beneficial relationship because students are often more responsive to those with whom they have a shared experience.

University of West GeorGia

of years. Though staffing structures and facilities have changed, common goals endure: to create a safe and secure living environment that allows students to develop a better understanding of themselves in the context of a supportive community. Generally, institutions today use fulltime, professionally trained (often masters-level) professionals to operate housing facilities. The professional is supported by a number of paraprofessional staff who are excited about, and dedicated to, creating and developing a sense of community for the residential students. The same goals motivate those in charge of fraternity and sorority housing, though the connections with residence life differ from one Greek organization to another. Some reside in campus housing and are closely connected

to residence life professionals, while others are completely separate. Leigh Thiedeman, director of fraternity and sorority life at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, comments on the independent nature of their Greek organizations. “Our fraternity and sorority facilities are all chapter-owned, so there’s not much oversight by my office besides regular communication with house corporation advisors.” Some institutions have no hand at all in operating fraternity and sorority houses and are sometimes stuck without a formal contract outlining resources like staff and programming for these students, and consequently fraternities and sororities are left to their own devices. Many student affairs professionals agree that this approach is detrimental to all parties involved: students, institutions, and

aDvising struCtures
Fraternities and sororities are generally governed by two advising structures: one related to the organization itself and the other related to its housing corporation. A healthy chapter may have a number of advisors at their disposal, in addition to an adequately staffed fraternity and sorority life office. The mix of chapter advisors depends on the organization, but most require a faculty advisor. Additional members of the advising board may include alumni from the organization. A good mix of advisors includes members of chapters from throughout the country. This may not always be possible, but the diversity usually helps avoid creating a stagnant climate of ideas and leads to increased accountability. Another chapter may use a mix
November + December 2011

Talking Stick - November/December 2011

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