North America Inter-Fraternity Conference

My university is considering deferred recruitment, how do I ensure they’ve explored the issue fully?

nicindy — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:30:51 +0000

Often, decisions surrounding the adoption of deferred recruitment happen as a reaction to a negative instance on campus or even on a different campus. The UniLOA data used to create The Case for Fraternity Rights is the first true independent research that has become available surrounding the comparative impact on student development for both fraternity and non-fraternity men.

Please contact NIC to learn more about how to help the decision makers on your campus aware of the research and its meaning.

Did NIC contract UniLOA to conduct this research?

nicindy — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:42:35 +0000

The research completed by The Center for Learning Outcomes Assessment is 100% independent. NIC had no part in funding the research and had no involvement in its execution or the report that followed.

What is The Case for Fraternity Rights?

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:46:23 +0000

Fraternities often cause debate. While in most instances and on most campuses, fraternities are seen for the positive impacts that they make upon those who join them and the communities of which they are a part. However, on other campuses, fraternities face great challenges to exist and operate. Often, the arguments both for and against the fraternity experience have been solely focused upon personal and anecdotal experiences. Now, thanks to the independent UniLOA research conducted by The Center for Learning Outcomes Assessment, Inc. there is finally “hard data” available to bring to the conversation.

The research focused on the seven main areas of behaviors that are regarded as “most critical” by employers, academics, managers, researchers, and others. Those areas are: critical thinking, self-awareness, communication, diversity, citizenship, membership and leadership, and relationships.

The data clearly shows that fraternity men scored higher, and experienced higher net gains in growth over their academic lifespan, than the national mean of all students in each of the seven areas measured.

Fraternity Members See Advanced Personal Growth More Rapidly.

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:45:27 +0000

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.

Civic Engagement
UniLOA Data Point: Fraternity Members are more likely to work to help others and to actively engage in community projects (+6.5)

In 2008-2009, NIC Fraternities reported more than 1.2 million service hours completed by their undergraduate members.

Speak Up for Issues
UniLOA Data Point: Fraternity members are more likely to engage in the political process and speak up for issues that are important to them (+11.5)

Leadership Development
UniLOA Data Point: Fraternity members rank significantly higher in actively pursuing leadership roles and focusing on corresponding responsibilities (+8.9)

Life Balance
UniLOA Data Point: Fraternity members develop more engagements beyond the fraternity itself and learn to balance personal interests and time management (+9.6)

Recruitment Timeframe Matters

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:43:13 +0000

Deferred recruitment on certain campuses keep students from being able to join fraternities as first (and sometimes second) semester students. The UniLOA data, however, shows that this “safety” mechanism is actually a significant hindrance to student growth and development.

During the first two semesters, the research shows significant growth for fraternity men compared to non-fraternity affiliated men in each of the main domains tracked by UniLOA (Critical Thinking, Self-Awareness, Communication, Diversity, Citizenship, Membership and Leadership, Relationships). For fraternity men, growth is strikingly positive; suggesting that growth during the “pledge” semester is superior to growth of first semester non-affiliated men.

In addition to greater positive growth in the first semester, fraternity men appear to experience a greater magnitude of growth throughout their collegiate careers, culminating in higher scores in their final semester, as well.

Fraternities Build Better Leaders and More Active Citizens

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:41:27 +0000

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 that makes the difference, but the commitment specifically to a fraternity 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 fraternity and its leadership structure, 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 of these specific organizations.

How do we know that the research is valid?

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:53:01 +0000

The Center for Learning Outcomes Assessment, housed at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, engaged in active data collection over a 4-year period in cooperation with five national fraternities and several institutions of higher education. The University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA) was chosen as the project’s assessment instrument. The UniLOA is a 70-item, self-report instrument that collects data regarding student behaviors.

The UniLOA collected valid responses to nearly 5,000 college men, representing over 300 unique institutions of higher education across the country through two protocols, including paper and pencil and electronic versions. Reliability of results remains consistent between either of the two administration protocols.

How do we know when a difference is large enough to be deemed “statistically significant”?

nicindy — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 18:58:49 +0000

The vast majority of score differences for both domains and items included in this research are statistically significant. Though Standard Deviation is the preferred statistic when interpreting differences in scores, it is only appropriate when the distribution of scores is normal. UniLOA domain and item score distributions are all negatively skewed, rendering Standard Deviation an unreliable indicator of variance. As such, we have to rely on overall patterns and observations over time, which tell us that:

Score differences of 0-2 are considered “normal” and don’t draw attention from researchers. Those areas of difference are probably more based in normal statistical error than of something “real”

Score differences of 2-3 are considered worthy of additional investigation. They trigger enough curiosity to beg the question “what might be going on here?”

Score differences greater than 3 is always a “red flag” for researchers, and that “flag” gets more red and larger as the score increases beyond 3. These areas are markedly significant and show a clear differentiation either to the positive or the negative. Differences of +6.5, +8.2, and +11.0, as found in this report, are staggering.