Does the number of members in a chapter affect its effectiveness

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Does the number of members in a chapter affect
its effectiveness?

• SUSTAINABILITY
• A look at African-American Fraternities and
  Sororities
• Erica James
• Associate Director of Greek Life
• Greek Advisors Conference

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SUSTAINABILITY

• To keep in existence maintain.
• To supply with necessities or nourishment
  provide for.
• To support from below keep from falling or
  sinking prop.
• To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution
  of encourage.
• To bear up under withstand can't sustain the
  blistering heat.
• To experience or suffer sustained a fatal
  injury.
• To affirm the validity of The judge has
  sustained the prosecutor's objection.
• To prove or corroborate confirm.
• To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example)
  competently.
• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
  Language

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How do we help sustain our groups?

• Effective groups Sustainability

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What is an effective group?

• Group effectiveness is viewed as the major
• output of a small-group behavior.
• Components
• Group Performance
• Satisfaction of group member needs
• Ability of the group to exist over time
• JSTOR Administrative Science Quarterly Vol.29,
  No. 4, p. 500

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Group Performance

• Are we living up to purpose of our organizations?
• Cornerstones of Greek Life
• Scholarship, Service, Leadership Friendship
• Consistent with NPHC groups goals

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Purpose

• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• "Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages
  high scholastic and ethical standards promotes
  unity and friendship among college women
• Delta Sigma Theta
• The major programs of the sorority are based
  upon the organization's Five Point Thrust of
  Economic Development, Educational Development,
  International Awareness and Involvement, Physical
  and Mental Health, Political Awareness and
  Involvement "
• Sigma Gamma Rho
• "Soaring to greater heights of attainment around
  the world,
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., as a leading
  national service organization, has
• met the challenges of the day and continues to
  grow through Sisterhood, Scholarship and
  Service."
• Zeta Phi Beta
• members pride ourselves on our Sorority's
  diversity, for
• it is not educational or career goals, physical
  characteristics, social
• background or other such traits that define Zeta
  women. It is the belief and
• desire, forever emblazoned upon the hearts and
  minds of the Sorority's members,
• that Zeta Phi Beta's legacy of service, its
  dedication to humankind

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Purpose

• Alpha Phi Alpha
• Stimulate the ambition of its members to
  prepare them for the greatest
• usefulness in the cause of humanity, freedom,
  and dignity of the individual to
• encourage the highest and noblest form of
  manhood and to aid downtrodden
• humanity in its efforts to achieve higher
  social, economic, and intellectual
• status."
• Iota Phi Theta
• " We then stand firmly on the principles of
  Scholarship,
• Citizenship, Leadership, Fidelity and
  Brotherhood better known as Our Stars."
• Kappa Alpha Psi
• To unite Kollege men of Kulture, patriotism, and
  honor, in a Kommon bond of
• fraternity. EnKourage honorable Achievement in
  every field of human endeavor.
• To promote spiritual, social, intellectual, and
  moral welfare of its members.
• Omega Psi Phi
• "Manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift
  were adopted as
• cardinal principles."
• Phi Beta Sigma
• "Phi Beta Sigma continues to faithfully
  perpetuate composite growth and progress as the
• "people's fraternity" dedicated to providing
  services to all humanity."

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Scholarship

• Greeks as a whole usually maintain an average
  above the Average All-Men
• All-Women Averages
• What are some of our scholarship initiatives?

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NPHC Grades Outlook

• Spring 2005
• 3 NPHC sororities fell below
• all-womens average of 3.12 GPA
• 4 NPHC fraternities fell below
• all-mens average of 2.92 GPA

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NPHC Grades Outlook

• Fall 2004
• 1 NPHC sorority exceeded the
• all-womens average of 3.05 GPA
• 2 NPHC sororities fell below
• all-womens average of 3.05 GPA
• 4 NPHC fraternities fell below
• all-mens average of 2.87 GPA

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NPHC Grades Outlook

• Spring 2004
• 3 NPHC sororities fell below
• all-womens average of 3.10 GPA
• 1 NPHC fraternity exceeded the all-mens average
  of 2.91 GPA
• 3 NPHC fraternities fell below
• all-mens average of 2.91 GPA

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NPHC Grades Outlook

• Fall 2003
• 1 NPHC sorority exceeded the all-womens average
  of 3.00 GPA
• 2 NPHC sororities fell below
• all-womens average of 3.00 GPA
• 4 NPHC fraternities fell below
• all-mens average of 2.86 GPA

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NPHC Grade summary

• In 3 out of 7 semester ALL NPHC sororities fell
  below the all-womens average which ranged from
  3.12 2.93
• In 5 out of 7 semesters ALL NPHC fraternities
  fell below the all-mens average which ranged
  from 2.92 - 2.79
• Over 7 semesters NPHC organization fall last in
  our grade ranking in the Greek community
• We want our students to be benefiting from this
  Greek experience and matriculating toward
  graduations

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Service

• Philanthropy and Service activities on off
  campus
• What consistent service projects are our chapters
  doing?
• Safe Sex Week, Omega Viking football team,
  Clothing Drives

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Leadership

• What are some of the campus leadership positions
  that our chapter members hold?
• Leading minority students and students in general
  on campus

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Friendship

• Strength within individual organizations
• Relationships with other Greeks on campus
• Dr. Kimbroughs article on abolishment of
  undergraduate chaptershazing, bad relations

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Satisfaction of Group Member Needs

• Why do people join?
• Develop and grow as leaders, students, civic
  responsibility
• Sisterhood and brotherhood
• Want to be a part of something bigger than
  themselves
• Scholarship benefits(GOAL) graduation

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Relevance

• What do students/community see us doing, i.e.
  activities, flyers?
• Are we about what we say we are about?
• Do we meet the needs of are members?

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Ability to exist over time

• Average size over four years
• Are we one or two intake classes away from being
  inactive?
• Dr. Kimbroughs information on the abolishment of
  undergraduate chapters
• University of Minnesotas Kappa Alpha Psi chapter
  house

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Does size matter?

• Strengths of large groups
• Consequences of large groups
• Strength of small groups
• Consequences of small groups
• What is large? What is small?

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Class size myth

• Relationship to student achievement and class
  size
• Teacher quality
• Student succeed when the have a good teacher to
  show them the way
• How can we work together to be the best teachers
  (advisors) possible?
• The Center for Education Reform Debunking the
  Class Size Myth How to really improve teacher
  effectiveness

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Case Study

• Jana is member of XXX sorority where she serves
  as president. The NPHC needs a present and no
  one has run for the position. Even though Jana
  knows it would be a huge responsibility, she
  accepts the position. After accepting the
  position Jana realizes that she can not be
  present for the entire NPHC meeting because she
  has class. So she leaves early each week. Jana
  complains about responsibilities with NPHC
  interfering with her chapter responsibility.

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Questions

• What are the issues?
• How can we help a student like this?
• How can we find leaders in our chapter to become
  leaders for the entire community?
• What resources are available to her?

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Suggestions to help chapters become more effective

• Focus on the purpose of the organization in all
  of the programming Scholarship, Service,
  Leadership, Friendship
• Be sure that most of the money is being spent in
  these areas
• Take advantage of all leadership development
  opportunities offered through Greek Life
• Invest in leadership opportunities
• Be involvedstudents are looking for someone to
  teach them how and what to do

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References

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English
  Language, Fourth Edition (2000). Houghton
  Mifflin Company
• Debunking the class myth How to really improve
  teacher effectiveness. (n.d.). 2000 Retrieved
  Center for Education Reform January 24, 2006,
  from http//edreform.com/index.cfm?fuse
  Actiondocument documentID710
• Greek Life Scholarship Reports, Fall 2002
  Spring 2005
• Kimbrough, W. (2005, October). Should Black
  Fraternities and Sororities abolish undergraduate
  chapters? About Campus, 4. Article
  10.1002/abc.140 Retrieved January 23, 2006, from
  http//www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jissue/
  112099908

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• Thanks for your time!