Abstract
This case study focuses on a sexual misconduct incident within Fraternity and Sorority Life. The issue involves student leaders as well as the university’s Title IX office. Student conduct, well-being and safety are also discussed.
Keywords: Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Leadership, Conduct, Safety and Well-Being
Characters
- Emery (she/her): Chapter President, Delta Nu sorority.
Emery is a second-semester junior at State University and a third-year member of Delta Nu sorority. This is her second term on the sorority’s Executive Board and her first semester as Chapter President. Previously, she served as the Vice President for Standards and Ethics.
- Marley (she/her): Vice President of Standards and Ethics, Delta Nu sorority
Marley is a second-semester sophomore at State University and a second-year member of Delta Nu sorority. This is her first term on the sorority’s executive board, previously serving as the chapter’s Wellness Chair.
- Maddy (she/her): Member, Delta Nu sorority.
Maddy is a second-semester sophomore at State University. This is her first year in Delta Nu sorority, having gone through sorority recruitment as a sophomore earlier in the year. She has been a highly involved member since joining and has always been in good standing with the chapter.
- Quinlan (she/her): Executive Chapter Advisor, Delta Nu sorority.
Quinlan is in her third year of advising the Delta Nu chapter at State University. She spent two years as the Standards and Ethics Advisor and became the Executive Chapter Advisor at the beginning of this school year. Quinlan was an active member of Delta Nu at a different college as an undergrad and worked as a full-time Leadership Consultant for Delta Nu in the year after she graduated, prior to taking the advising position with the chapter at State University. She has been Emery’s advisor for the past two years, and the two have a very honest and trusting relationship.
- Stephanie (she/her): Fraternity and Sorority Life Coordinator, State University.
Stephanie is in her second year as the Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Coordinator at State University. She was hired for the role immediately after graduating from State University’s Student Affairs program, during which she served as the Graduate Assistant for FSL.
- Kristy (she/her): Title IX Coordinator, State University.
Kristy is in her 13th year as the Title IX Coordinator at State University. She frequently deals with issues relating to student organizations and has a strong understanding of the FSL community at State University. She and Stephanie have not worked with each other on any other issues prior to this situation.
Context
State University is a mid-sized, public institution in the Midwest with a total enrollment of 12,000 students (9,000 undergraduate, 3,000 graduate). Fraternity and Sorority Life at State University is relatively small, with the campus having four fraternities, five sororities, and three multicultural Greek organizations. Approximately 10% of the total student population is affiliated with one of these chapters, with the average chapter size being 60 members.
Case Study
Emery, the current Chapter President of Delta Nu sorority, paces back and forth in the hallway of State University’s Student Union. She has just left a meeting with the university’s Title IX Coordinator, Stephanie, about an ongoing issue between members of her chapter and one of the fraternities on campus, Omega Sigma. It’s only February, two months into her presidency, and she can hardly believe the intensity of the issues she’s had to face.
The concerns with Omega Sigma began a month earlier when Delta Nu’s Social Chair announced that the sorority had been paired with Omega Sigma for their upcoming mixer. These mixers help promote a sense of community among chapters on campus. Each fraternity and sorority has to partner with every other chapter on campus at some point during the academic year; these functions are generally opportunities for the paired chapters to socialize. Failure to partner with every other chapter on campus would result in the offending chapter being placed on social probation through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life the following semester, causing the chapter to lose the privilege of hosting any formal or semi-formal events.
In the week following the mixer announcement, Maddy, a sophomore who was in her first year of membership, asked to meet with Marley, Delta Nu’s Vice President of Standards and Ethics. In that meeting, Maddy shared concerns about the reputations of several Omega Sigma members, including screenshots of inappropriate and suggestive messages that were sent to Delta Nu members, including Maddy. Maddy expressed concern for the safety of her sorority sisters and shared that she and other sorority members would be more comfortable if the chapters did not host an event together. Marley assured her that she would express her concerns to the Chapter President, Emery, which she did the following day.
After discussing Maddy’s concerns, Emery and Marley brought Quinlan, their sorority advisor, into the conversation. Not wanting to put chapter members in harm’s way, they called a meeting with Stephanie, the FSL Coordinator. During this meeting, with Maddy’s permission, they shared the screenshots that had been shown to Marley and expressed their concerns about the upcoming mixer. Stephanie explained that it was FSL policy for them to host an event with every chapter and was unwilling to make an exception, citing that it wouldn’t be fair to the other chapters on campus if they were not all held to the same standards.
Fearful of facing social probation, Quinlan assisted Emery in making a formal Title IX complaint through State University’s Office of Compliance and Equity Management. Kristy, the Title IX Coordinator, processed the complaint and was willing to meet with the sorority officers and Stephanie about the situation. Unfortunately, they were unable to reach a resolution during the meeting, as Kristy did not have jurisdiction over the policies of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Stephanie was adamant that the fraternity members had not violated the FSL Code of Conduct, as no inappropriate actions could be proven.
As she mulled over what had happened in the meeting, Emery couldn’t help but feel as though she was caught between protecting her sorority sisters and maintaining the chapter’s good standing on campus. She could never have imagined having to face such intense situations prior to being in this role, and she didn’t know what the best course of action was. All she knew was that acting in the best interest of her sisters and keeping the chapter in good standing at the same time seemed impossible.
Discussion Questions
- How do we protect the well-being of members while fostering a robust FSL community?
- How do we protect the well-being of chapter presidents and standards chairs while still giving members trusted individuals to go to when these types of situations arise?
- What are some ways that the Title IX Coordinator and the FSL Coordinator could work together more effectively in addressing this situation?
- How might the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life work proactively to address or educate about situations of sexual misconduct among members of the FSL community?
Erin Hassenstab (she/her) is an advocate for an accessible, meaningful college experience for all students. A second-year master’s student at Clemson University, she is obtaining her M.Ed. with a focus on Student Affairs. In addition to her degree program, she serves as the Graduate Assistant for Residential Learning. Her involvement across her college campus on numerous executive councils led her to want to help other students have a meaningful college experience that would equip them with skills to help them succeed in their professional lives.