St. Cloud State University

Greek 101 Program	Character & Values Development	Academic & Scholarship New Members & Members	Strategies for College Success Series 2007 -2008 academic year NASPA Journal, 2006, Vol. 43, no. 1 Greeks and Grades: The First-Year Experience Robert DeBard Tony Lake Ron S. Binder		Leadership Identity Development
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"What is the best kind of relationship between the older and younger members?"

Responsibilities With New Members

a study which was conducted at the University of Kansas. The purpose of this study was to find differences in fraternities that excelled scholastically, socially and athletically as compared to those who were not successful in these areas.
The differences as described:

• The chapter atmosphere in which new members were respected, accepted, and encouraged was definitely related to high scholastic achievement. In opposition, an atmosphere in which new members were belittled, embarrassed, and made to feel inferior was co ncomitant with low scholastic achievement.
  
• The new member programs of the high achieving fraternities were based upon a system of management and guidance rather than law enforcement. Considerable opportunities were allowed for new members to become self-directing. On the other hand, an atmosphere i which new members were given little opportunity to take self-initiated action and be responsible for those actions, usually contributed to poor scholarship.

• New members tended to copy the behavior of the older members in both the high and low groups. The older members of the high fraternities were constantly aware of themselves in the new members' presence and made every effort to present themselves to the new members in the best light. In the low groups, the activities generally deviated greatly from the behavior they expected of their new members.
  
• Seeing and understanding the new member as an individual who had definite physical and emotional needs was an important factor in the high ranking groups. The low groups had few provisions in their new member programs for satisfying the new members' personal and academic problems. They believed that physical and mental discipline would produce academically successful members. Results showed that attempts to control new members by using a maximum amount of punishment yieldeda minimum amount of production.
  
• The high achieving fraternities used methods of controlling new member behavior which were based upon the use of reward alone, or a combination of reward and punishment. They stressed positive inter-personal relationships between new members/canidates and actives. The low group primarily used punishment and reproof and developed negative inter-personal relationships.

*author of the Kansas study, William R. Butler