Know Your Fraternity Rights

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The North-American Interfraternity Conference recently released a handful of points to show what rights you have as a member of a Fraternity. The research conducted by the University Learning Outcomes Assessment points out several useful points that all Fraters and universities should be aware of as they work together.  You can get involved, learn more about the research, and contact the NIC for more information.

1. Fraternity Members See More Advanced Personal Growth More Rapidly
   
   Participation in a fraternity provides students with an essential supplement to the academic pursuits of the collegiate experience. The quest of true education is not merely to enrich the mind with lesson plans, but to foster the development of well-rounded citizens who will make lasting contributions to society.
   
   UniLOA Data shows that those students who choose to participate in the fraternity ex­perience gain a significant advantage to non-participants in many formative measurements that apply greatly to civic engagement, relationship building, and professional leadership skills.
    
2. Recruitment Timeframe Matters
   
   The growth patterns seen in students are cumulative, showing that each semester builds significantly from the time at which they are first engaged in the experience. The earlier an individual engages with the fraternity, the greater its impact will be upon their development.
   
   Some of the greatest differentiation between members and non-affiliated students is seen in the first semester of their collegiate experience. Those committed to a fraternity show marked growth and improvement in many social and leadership categories as compared to their non-affiliated classmates. Meanwhile, academic performance is widely undifferentiated between the two sets of students. With students pursuing more and more opportunities beyond traditional on-campus offerings (internships, externships, study abroad programs, etc.), it is crucial to create these positive traits as quickly as possible, better preparing students for a wide variety of life and career experiences.
    
3. Going Beyond Social Experience: Fraternities Build Better Leaders and More Active Citizens
   
   Those students who choose to join a fraternity leave college better prepared for immediate impact in the workplace and involvement within the community than those who do not. It is not the early adoption of an organization or activity, it is the commitment to our organizations and activities that creates the difference in leadership development, citizenship, diversity, and self awareness.
   
   Of particular distinction are the differences in areas of citizenship and community involvement, an area that resonates strongly with both the Millennials considering participation, as well as their parents. This differentiation emerges as a result of the empowerment provided by active participation within the organization, a growing familiarity with the process of enacting change, the community involvement/responsibility ethic instilled as a part of the group, and by taking advantage of the leadership opportunities available to members.