Programs & Events

The Fraternity and Sorority Pre-Membership Experience was established in fall 2020 and supports all potential new members as they navigate the experience of seeking membership in a fraternity or a sorority and shares information about how to develop a safe and healthy environment prior to and during the intake, recruitment, and new member process as students transition into the community.

Recruitment/Intake enhanced eligibility requirement.

Objectives

1. Understand the historical context of the national fraternal movement and how Penn State fits into and has added to that historical timeline.
2. Identify strategies to maximize the student experience prior to joining a fraternity or sorority and successfully navigate the recruitment or intake process.
3. Reflect on personal goals and values that will aid in the selection of a fraternity or sorority.
4. Fully understand the governing structure of the fraternity and sorority community and the expectations of membership.
5. Identify risky situations, if encountered, and understand the reporting mechanisms to address the behavior to create a safe and healthy environment.

The Fraternity and Sorority First Semester of Membership Experience was established in fall 2020 and is a seven-module series that allows new members to explore their goals within their new organization to enhance their journey and highlights important health, safety, and inclusive practices that can create a supportive environment.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 6: Education and Learning (6b)

Objectives

New Member Academy (NMA)

This virtual learning experience is an introduction to the Fraternity and Sorority Life community at Penn State and an exploration of the goals that students have set for themselves and their chapter.

1. Explain why founders of Greek-lettered organizations initially chose Greek letters and how that applies to the modern-day fraternity and sorority experience and the values espoused by the community.
2. Implement strategies to maximize the fraternity and sorority journey and experience.
3. Define and identify hazing practices and distinguish between the different reporting mechanisms.

Sexual Violence Prevention

This virtual learning experience is designed to increase students understanding of consent, dating and relationship violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sexual harassment. It will also provide students with prevention strategies as well as support and advocacy resources.

1. Define and list related behaviors of relationship violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking.
2. Explain the concept of consent.
3. Explain the connection between alcohol and drug use and sexual violence.
4. Identify resources and services for relationship and sexual violence, sexual harassment, and stalking.
5. Articulate the after effects of victimization, increase sensitivity, and describe nonjudgmental or caring responses to victims or survivors of sexual violence.
6. Describe the three D's (Direct, Delegate, Distract) of effective behavior for stepping in during a potentially harmful situation.

Alcohol Skills Training Program (ASTP)

This virtual learning experience acknowledges the reality that college students may choose to consume alcohol and rather than solely focusing on abstinence the experience helps students recognize high-risk situations in order to minimize potential risks through a combination of preventative action, reduced consumption, and abstinence.

1. Explain the Expectancy Effect, including describing how environmental and mental factors explain the effects of alcohol.
2. Articulate the difference between perceived norms and actual norms.
3. Identify a standard drink size based on the type of alcohol.
4. Understand how alcohol generally affects the body and how specific amounts of alcohol consumption affects each individual student.
5. Explain the Biphasic Effect and the point of diminishing returns.

Brave and Bold Dialogues

Delving into the subjects of diversity, equity, and inclusion, this virtual learning experience leads students through self-reflection and awareness exercises designed to increase their cultural competency and lay the foundation for new and different perspectives.

1. Increase the awareness of how students themselves identify and how others identify in different situations.
2. View situations from others' perspectives.
3. Recognize barriers in communication that can inhibit understanding.
4. Identify strategies to approach sensitive topics and proceed with conversations.

The Fraternity and Second Semester of Membership Experience was established in fall 2020 and is a two-course virtual learning experience through PreventZone that teaches students how to identify, prevent, and report hazing.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 6: Education and Learning (6c)

The Fraternity and Sorority Emerging Leaders Retreat is the premiere program for members of the community that aspire to be on their organization's executive board or the council executive board the following calendar year and is an immersive experience that focuses on addressing adaptive challenges, developing community interdependence, and enhancing cross-council collaboration.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 9: Leadership Development (9d)

Objective

• Implement strategies to address and progress through adaptive challenges.
• Understand the role of interdependence in a collective community of organizations.
• Develop personal relationships across different organizations and councils. 

The Fraternity and Sorority Chapter Leadership Transition Experience was established in fall 2020. It is a prerequisite to the Leadership Kickoff and is a virtually guided conversation meant for the new executive board members to review together to develop a shared vision for the organization through the implementation of goals and strategic plans that affect social change. 

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 9: Leadership Development (9a)

Objectives

Planning and Logistics

This virtual experience will guide new executive boards in identifying and utilizing the resources that will take the ideas that they have developed and implement them through the planning process.

1. Identify stakeholders to include in the transition process to facilitate a smooth transition.
2. Understand the expectations of the Chapter Recognition and Standards of Excellence program.
3. Understand the planning process and how to utilize planning documents to maximize leadership effectiveness.

Vision and Goal Setting

This virtual experience will guide the conversation of the new executive board in creating a long-term vision, developing organizational goals, and designing officer specific goals that align with the vision, values, and organizational goals.

1. Evaluate the phase in the Four Phases of a Chapter that organization falls.
2. Focus organization efforts during the leadership term to create social change within the organization.
3. Recognize the different types of planning to develop long and short-term goals for the organization.

Teambuilding and Expectations

This virtual experience will guide the conversation of the new executive board through discussion of individual leadership traits and how to work effectively to maximize the effectiveness of the board over their leadership term.

1. Articulate personal strengths and skills for growth.
2. Balance strengths and areas of growth as a team to maximize effectiveness of the board during their leadership term.
3. Establish expectations and accountability measures for relationships and responsibilities of leaders on the executive board.

Planning and Logistics

This virtual experience will guide new executive boards in identifying and utilizing the resources that will take the ideas that they have developed and implement them through the planning process.

1. Identify stakeholders to include in the transition process to facilitate a smooth transition.
2. Understand the expectations of the Chapter Recognition and Standards of Excellence program.
3. Understand the planning process and how to utilize planning documents to maximize leadership effectiveness.

Vision and Goal Setting

This virtual experience will guide the conversation of the new executive board in creating a long-term vision, developing organizational goals, and designing officer specific goals that align with the vision, values, and organizational goals.

1. Evaluate the phase in the Four Phases of a Chapter that organization falls.
2. Focus organization efforts during the leadership term to create social change within the organization.
3. Recognize the different types of planning to develop long and short-term goals for the organization.

Teambuilding and Expectations

This virtual experience will guide the conversation of the new executive board through discussion of individual leadership traits and how to work effectively to maximize the effectiveness of the board over their leadership term.

1. Articulate personal strengths and skills for growth.
2. Balance strengths and areas of growth as a team to maximize effectiveness of the board during their leadership term.
3. Establish expectations and accountability measures for relationships and responsibilities of leaders on the executive board.

The Fraternity and Sorority Spring Leadership Kickoff provides specialized new officer training for a designated set of organization officers while creating opportunities for new officers to cross-collaborate on challenges facing organizations through team meetings.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 9: Leadership Development (9c)

Objectives

1. Develop specific skills within designated officers to increase individual leadership readiness and effectiveness within roles.
2. Develop support networks and collaborative relationships across councils and organizations.

The Fraternity and Sorority Spring Leadership Kickoff provides specialized new officer training for a designate set of organization officers while creating opportunities for new officers to cross-collaborate on challenges facing organizations through team meetings.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 9: Leadership Development (9c)

Objectives

• Develop specific skills within designated officers to increase leadership readiness and effectiveness within roles.
• Develop support networks and collaborative relationships across councils and organizations.

The Fraternity and Sorority Introduction to Risk Mitigation was established in spring 2021 and is a virtual learning experience that helps members identify, assess, and mitigate risk at any event hosted by the organization in order to create a safe and healthy environment.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 8: Health and Safety

Objectives

1. Understand each component of the PREFF Risk Mitigation Approach to reduce or eliminate risk factors at events.
2. Enhance the safety of the organization and fraternity and sorority community through the establishment of risk prevention, risk mitigation, and risk management strategies.
3. Develop systems and processes to identify common risks and assess their probability to occur.

The Fraternity and Sorority Event Monitor Training was established in spring 2021 and is a virtual learning experience that establishes the role and responsibilities of an event monitor, specifically at organizational events with alcohol, along with developing skills that will help students navigate the role successfully and facilitate a safe and inclusive environment.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 8: Health and Safety

Objectives

1. Define what Penn State considers an event and articulate the policies associated with hosting an event with alcohol.
2. Understand the general responsibilities of an event monitor and their specific roles at each station of different locations.
3. Effectively be able to focus at events with alcohol, observe surroundings, effectively communicate to attendees or leadership, and intervene by being assertive.
4. Develop event preparation strategies and professional connections to successfully facilitate a safe and inclusive environment.

The Fraternity and Sorority De-Escalation Training was established in fall 2020 and is a virtual learning experience that helps students identify when a situation is escalating and strategies and skills to de-escalate those situations.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 8: Health and Safety

Objective

1. Identify situations that cause stress within the organization and strategize how to react in those high-stress situations.
2. Identify signs that a situation is escalating.
3. Identify where both the person and situation are at the Escalation Cycle.
4. Learn tactics to hold peers accountable and respond to a variety of stressful situations.

The Fraternity and Sorority Recruitment and Intake Strategy Training helps organizations establish and manage the recruitment or intake process, establish a chapter identity in alignment with values of the organization, and develop growth strategies to grow the organizations and community with engaged members.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 10: Membership Development (10a)

Objectives

1. Identify the organization's identity and effectively communicate that identity through stories, memories, and experiences in the organization.
2. Develop strategies that create pipelines to increase the pool of students interested in joining a fraternity or sorority.
3. Identify systematic challenges to address in recruitment or intake planning and management.
4. Implement growth strategies for organizations to flourish by increasing the quality of members and the quality of the experience.

The Fraternity and Sorority Caring, Compassion, and Mindfulness Training is an introductory learning experience for presidents and new member educators to learn about mindfulness practices, identify their stress shape, and work with individuals that experience stress differently.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 9: Leadership Development (9c)

Objectives

1. Implement mindfulness practices in their individual experiences and introduce as part of the chapter experience.
2. Recognize their stress shape and how they navigate stress.
3. Recognize others' stress shape, how they navigate stress, and identify strategies to support members experiencing different stress shapes.

Greeks CARE is a 6-week sexual assault prevention peer education program that examines the role students play in preventing sexual assault and creates a culture of support for survivors.

• Standards of Excellence-Focus Area 8: Healthy and Safety (8c)

Objectives

1. Identify strategies to support survivors of sexual assault.
2. Understand the relationship between alcohol and consent.
3. Recognize intervention barriers and develop strategies for bystander intervention.
4. Identify root causes of gender stereotyping and sexual violation.
5. Understanding sexual violence as a tool of oppression and how various oppressions and identities influence the experiences of individuals with violence