IFC FRATERNITY EXPANSION RESEARCH SUMMARY BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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1 IFC FRATERNITY EXPANSION RESEARCH SUMMARY BROUGHT TO YOU BY

2 Copyright 2016, Phired Up Productions & Innova Marketing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PHIRED UP PRODUCTIONS, LLC & INNOVA MARKETING, INC 695 PRO-MED LN SUITE 205 CARMEL, IN PH: (217) Please cite as follows: Chatten, E. (2017) IFC Fraternity Expansion Research Summary. Phired Up Productions & Innova Marketing Carmel, Indiana.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS table of CONTENTS RESEARCH SUMMARY AMBIGUITY EXPANSION PRACTICES DECISIONS CRITERIA PURPOSEFUL SELECTIONS EXPANSIONS & RELATIONSHIPS WHAT INFLUENCES EXPANSION DECISIONS? PROPOSALS PRESENTATIONS ALUMNI ORGANIZATION REPUTIONS ORGANIZATION SIZE EXISTING PROPOSALS PROVIDED INFORMATION PRODUCTION QUALITY THE FOUR TRAITS 3

4 SUMMARY IFC Fraternity Expansion RESEARCH SUMMARY In July of 2016, a qualitative research project was conducted by Phired Up Productions and Innova Marketing, Inc. to interview fraternity/sorority professionals regarding recent fraternity expansion experiences. Through social media outreach, personal recommendations, and existing relationships; twelve participants who experienced Interfraternity Council (IFC) expansion in the past two years were identified to partake in a forty-five-minute individual phone interview. The participants varied in Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisor (AFA) designated regions with four individuals located in Region 1, four individuals in Region 2, one individual in Region 3, one individual in Region 4, and two individuals in Region 5. The participants in this research also represent both public and private institutions; three working at private colleges or universities and nine working at public colleges or universities. During the forty-five-minute phone interviews, participants were asked to answer a variety of openended questions regarding IFC expansion on their campus. Questions utilized in the interviews included topics such as expansion processes, criteria and factors used to make expansion selections, experiences and outcomes of recent expansions, and professional opinions on the overall expansion process. As a result of the interviews, three major themes about IFC expansion were evident: 1. A general feeling of ambiguity 2. Desire for purposeful selection 3. Expansion being a relationship decision 4

5 AMBIGUITY AMBIGUITY Ambiguity regarding IFC expansion was apparent throughout the interviews with campus professionals and appeared in numerous different ways. Three main areas of ambiguity in the expansion process emerged: Expansion policies and practices, selection criteria, and decision-making. 5

6 EXPANSION PRACTICES EXPANSION PRACTICES Summary Campus professionals interviewed expressed a complication of wanting to support the North-American Interfraternity Conference s (NIC) stance on open expansion while also supporting the individual needs of their own university. There is an outcry for a balance between open expansion and creating a meaningful selection process. A majority of the fraternity/sorority professionals interviewed expressed a need to be able to control the growth and rate of expansion on their campus by utilizing a semi-formalized expansion. In a majority of the interviews, the campus professionals expressed wanting to put full support in expanding organizations on their campus yet struggle with aspects of time and support from the NIC. A few individuals expressed their difficulty in supporting open expansion: Open expansion creates a vacuum. There was a revolving door and no expansion policy, there was no structure, just come whenever. Which was hard. With one full time professional who oversees the whole community, you can t find support for new groups to come on when you don t know when they are coming. The ability to support new groups is extremely time intensive on the staff on the campus level and that is a piece that gets missed often when we talk about expansion I think the reason we want a controlled process is because, yes, we do know our campus better than anyone coming in from the outside, whether that is NIC or headquarters staff, the staff on that campus and the students on the campus know when it is appropriate to have a new group and we want to be able to make sure we are not getting oversaturated or are given too short of a period of time to allow for success Open expansion is not very realistic here on our campus. There has to be some structure from someone who knows what they are doing on the campus side. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE... 6

7 EXPANSION PRACTICES EXPANSION PRACTICES SUMMARY CONTINUED... Due to the lack of a process provided or taught to campus professionals, they have created their own processes that are specialized and unique to their campus. There are three major influences on how professionals are creating their own expansion processes to best serve their university: 1. Hand Me Down 2. Adapting Expansion 3. Headquarters Experience A majority of fraternity/sorority professionals obtained their process through a hand me down manner that was learned from other colleagues, graduate, or undergraduate experiences. Other individuals adapted the expansion process of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) to remove the red tape and simplify the process to meet the campus needs. Remaining individuals expressed learning their expansion process through past headquarters experiences where knowledge on the other side of expansion helped shape their practices. These varying procedures and practices are a reflection of a lack of education provided on how to support an expansion. One participant continues on the topic by saying, There is zero to little training specific to Greek backgrounds so everything is based around past experiences as an undergrad, a graduate student, or I happen to meet with the right people and they gave me some advice. But for the most part, what training are we doing in specific to offset from that? The confusion in the IFC expansion process as a whole was one of the most common areas of frustration for fraternity/sorority professionals. They shared stories of understanding of the NIC s changes and new policies but also shared frustration where the lack of response and guidance from the NIC often put their university behind in setting timelines and hurt their expansion process. Professionals shared dreams of a time where the principles of open expansion are coupled with a process that benefits the NIC, individual universities, and national fraternal organizations. Across the board, the individuals interviewed shared details of processes they learned or created that have been supported by national organizations but are lacking the support of the NIC. One campus professional explains further, A majority of national organizations have been very respectful with the process and they understand and work with it, they may not prefer it, but they work with it. I understand that the NIC wants to make a position statement on it [open expansion] but if a majority of the organizations they represent are okay with those processes I do not understand why they would stand in the way of helping facilitate that. 7

8 DECISIONS DECISIONS The theme of ambiguity also can be seen in the decision process for expansion. When deciding who to invite to present to campus or who to ultimately invite to expand on to their campus, there is uncertainty and increasing variety in who makes the final decision. Out of the twelve universities interviewed, ten expressed that final decisions are made by a collection of undergraduate students. Although the fraternity/sorority professionals recognize that the partnership is between the university and fraternity headquarters, most professionals who oversee the expansion process have no official vote. Some universities utilize faculty to vet or add opinions and in few cases, a faculty member such as the dean of students gives the stamp of approval on the decision after the students make their recommendation. The struggle in decision-making dances a fine line of being a professional who wants to challenge and support their developing students and being the professional staff member who knows what criteria creates success. Fraternity/sorority professionals express that the students understand the culture of the community best, but recognize in many cases the students making the selections will not be present for when the fraternity starts on campus. While understanding that undergraduate students making the expansion decision creates a better atmosphere for the community, one participant also adds, They [Headquarters] are not making a partnership with the IFC, they are making it with the university. To ask 19-year-old men who don t have a longer-term invested stake in the long-term success is ridiculous. I don t know anybody in my IFC who cares what this community looks like ten years from now. 8

9 CRITERIA CRITERIA On paper, the criteria being used to select the best fit organization to expand onto campus would appear as many originally expect, where campus professionals and students want to see strong educational programs, a thought-out new member process, and support offered to the new chapter. However, these are not always the criteria that make the final decision. Because so many national organizations offer the same framework for expansion, decisions are being made on factors that usually cannot be judged or graded in a proposal or presentation. When asked what separated the final decision from the rest of the applicants, a majority of fraternity/sorority professionals interviewed gave the ambiguous answer that they picked a fraternity who was unique, different, or innovative. Yet when asked to expand on these traits and how they are shown in the expansion process, many could not give a specific answer. All they know is that they want an organization that will stand out from what is already present on campus. Less than 10% of the individuals interviewed expressed that the final decision was made based on the flashiness and appearance of an organization s expansion efforts. What constitutes as different varies from campus to campus, but it is on the top of the list of what is desired in an expanding fraternity. Two professionals explained their definition of different in expansion as, Offering what the community does not have such as new philanthropic activities, or areas of importance such as social justice. There is an overall character of organizations that want to stagnate and organizations who want to innovate. We want the innovative chapters. We want those organizations who want to be on the cutting edge of the fraternity industry on our campus 9

10 PURPOSEFUL SELECTIONS PURPOSEFUL SELECTIONS Another theme that emerged during the IFC expansion research was an expectation and desire for purposeful selection. Fraternity/sorority professionals and the students making the decisions come into the expansion process wanting headquarters to deliver a specific and tailored plan to their university. They want to know that they are intentionally being sought out and that headquarters expansion teams are not simply casting a wide net. Where campuses receive letters of interest for expansion from fraternities on a regular basis, once the university reaches out to express a mutual expansion interest, they expect the headquarters to do their research and come back with a proposal packet that has information specific to the university that they are hoping to expand to. They do not just want to see a pretty photo of the university logo with the fraternity crest but details on why their university fits in with their expansion plan and how the fraternity fits with the university culture and needs. Campus professionals often described this aspect as filling the gap ; they want expansion teams to know enough about their community to know what gaps the university has and how they plan to fill them. Each fraternity/sorority professional was asked to offer a piece of advice that they would give to headquarters expansion teams. The most common response given by a majority of interviewees was, do your research. They described the most successful expansions being the fraternities that called to ask questions about the community, came to visit the campus, or reached out to existing members and alumni to best understand the community. Participants shared their experiences and advice, Don t let your desire to be a larger organization overshadow the attention you give each choice and campus you apply to I want an organization that is able to show that they are not just throwing out a wide net, that they are not just copy and pasting to every campus to see who will respond. We want an organization that has done their research and in their initial proposal includes the alumni in the area and why they are committed to growth in our area We re not looking for the chapter that is trying to reopen every closed chapter or be at every campus, we want you to be deliberate about your actions 10

11 EXPANSION & RELATIONSHIPS EXPANSION & RELATIONSHIPS The final most common theme was viewing expansion as building relationships. Many of the decisions were based on feelings of relationship being established between the headquarters and university administration. Fraternity/sorority professionals were more likely to push for an organization in which they had built up a repertoire over time. They spoke about a feeling of familiarity with the expansion team for months or years that often led to their final selection. These individuals took time to get to know the campus professional as well as the community to keep open lines of connection before joining their campus. The relationship comes before the business aspect. In the effort of building toward these relationships, fraternity/sorority professionals expect full transparency and honesty from the headquarters in the expansion selection process. This includes being up front about what chapters had recently closed and why, the success and failure rate of expansions, and being up front if the university would make a good fit for their organization. If relationships had not been formed leading up to the expansion process, there is an expectation for them to be formed during the presentation portion if it is utilized. Campus professionals and their students often look for the representatives to be authentic, show dedication, and to be relatable to the students and faculty they meet with. Headquarters should keep in mind that the partnership is with the university but the selection is often made by the undergraduate students. Sharing their feelings on the formation of relationships, participants added: I left conversations feeling most excited and most confident in an organization s ability to do well on our campus when they spent a lot of time asking me about my community and less selling me on their organization. I m not making the decision, the students are, but the long term relationship will be with me and my office [Expansion] is not just about what your organization is; it is also a relationship game and we need to learn to trust each other. This all starts with relationships. If you plan on being on the campus long term, start the relationship early because you will be a partner not just in the development of that chapter but the development of that entire community. 11

12 WHAT INFLUENCES EXPANSION DECISIONS? What Influences EXPANSION DECISIONS? The information obtained above paints the picture of the variety of uncertainties, aspirations, and opinions regarding the expansion process. However, as we all know, expansion is still occurring. So how are decisions being made? Outside of looking for the different or innovative organization, fraternity/sorority professionals were asked to share their experiences with a variety of topics to share what did or did not make a difference in their decision-making. 12

13 PROPOSALS PROPOSALS If packets or proposals are utilized in the expansion process, they often are the most important factor in the decision. A majority of universities will utilize the packet to decide who put forward effort and is a good fit for the university before inviting them to present on campus. For a majority, the packet helps make the selection, and the presentation is for deciding when they would come to campus (if they are looking to invite multiple organizations). Other universities utilize the packets and proposals as a step in narrowing down their selections. From conversations with participants, the following describes the ideal proposal. Proposals and packets should be short. Considering the amount of proposals that are received, there is no time for any professional or student to read all the information. The average consensus on the ideal length would be pages of information that could not be found online, is unique to the campus, and answers in entirety any questions/requirements requested by the campus. It should be easy to navigate, is preferred in electronic submission, and any non-necessary supplemental information can be found with a link that prevents the proposal from being unnecessarily long. 13

14 PRESENTATIONS PRESENTATIONS When a university chooses to include a presentation aspect of the expansion process, it typically is utilized more as an opportunity for relationship building instead of decision-making. In few cases, universities will use the presentation to assist in final decisions. Whichever purpose the presentations are utilized for, there is a focus on relationships and connection. This is the opportunity for an organization to show their authenticity as an organization, to create trust, and to create a shared vision between themselves and the university. Fraternity/sorority professionals spoke most positively about presentations where alumni were brought to share stories or intent of involvement. Professionals and students aim to hear less of a sales pitch and more information of the lifelong impact the organization will have, and the plan to stand out and be successful on the specific campus. 14

15 ALUMNI ALUMNI The number of nearby alumni is not a selling point of fraternity expansion. Of the interviewed participants, almost every fraternity/sorority professional stated that they were not interested in how many alumni were located in a given radius but instead wanted to hear how many nearby alumni were ready to be involved in a potential new chapter. One individual explains, We are looking for models that include heavy support from nationals and not just alumni on the ground because we have seen that alumni on the ground does not produce success unless you are reestablishing a group that recently left It is also notable that an overwhelming amount of fraternity/sorority professionals expressed concern regarding alumni of a chapter that left or was asked to leave campus. It is an expectation that expansion teams be cautious and exclude any trouble alumni. 15

16 ORGANIZATION REPUTATION ORGANIZATION REPUTATION When asked if the reputation of a given fraternity impacts the decision on expansion, 80% of participants interviewed said that reputation does impact the decision. The reputation of a national organization is viewed to be a reflection on a university. It is taken in consideration the overall reputation that is viewed by the public but also the professional reputation, as professionals will seek out the advice and experiences of other universities who have worked with a given organization. Fraternity/sorority professionals seek an organization that, if faced with disciplinary issues, is willing to hold groups accountable. As explained by one participant, Reputation definitely impacts the decision. We try to take away some of the bias if they had a single incident versus having a track record. We also want to see that national organizations are willing to close bad chapters the likelihood that an organization has 100% of chapters living up to their values is pretty low unfortunately but everyone has that bad chapter Are they willing to hold their chapters accountable? 16

17 ORGANIZATION SIZE ORGANIZATION SIZE It is a common misconception that smaller national organizations have an automatic disadvantage when it comes to expansion. According to 80% of participants interviewed, the size of the organization has no impact on their decision. Instead, campus professionals say that the support offered is what matters most. Some universities understand that not every organization can put boots on the ground for a long period of time, but can make up for the lack of staff by involving alumni volunteers and by creating partnerships across campus that make up for what can not be offered. The innovation involved in making up for lacking resources is often viewed as impressive. However, it is advised that organizations keep in mind purposeful selection and realize that a small organization may not be the right fit for some universities. Sharing their experience with a small organization, one individual adds, An organization may not have the same level of organizational clout as some larger organizations but with demonstrated care and interest in their words, we can tell they are truly interested in our community in specific. It wasn t just an annual they demonstrated care and interest. That carries the same level of openness to join our community 17

18 EXISTING PROPOSALS EXISTING PROPOSALS Phired Up Productions and Innova Marketing Inc. were provided with a sampling of twenty-two unique fraternity expansion proposal materials in effort to compare existing expansion packets with the results of this survey. Expansion packets submitted by headquarters staff varied in length, detail, and visual appeal. Fraternity and sorority campus professionals along with their selection committees preferred shorter proposals (20-35 pages long). The average proposal in our collection of samples was 73 pages, over double in size of the ideal proposal. Proposal packets varied not only in length, but also in provided information and production quality; two areas that made an impact on a campus professional s impression of the received packets. 18

19 PROVIDED INFORMATION PROVIDED INFORMATION Campus professionals respond best to packets that balance giving a digestible amount of information with forming a relationship in the information provided. Of the documents in our possession, few packets offered the necessary balance of information and personalization. Notable packets that provided what fraternity and sorority professionals desired included; personal opening letters that spoke about the university and campus community rather than the individual fraternity and their history, names and contact information for notable nearby alumni who are willing to be involved, references of recent campuses the fraternity has expanded to and contact information for the professional on that campus, brief overviews of fraternity history, mission, and values with a heavy focus on how the organization fits the campus, personal quotes from recent founding members, and an inclusion of plans and goals for the expansion project that is unique to the campus. A majority of the information that was impressive to campus professionals came as a result of conversations before the packet was created and submitted. The fraternity and sorority campus professionals noted being turned away by what was noted as copy and paste letters and materials where university names could easily be swapped out. The key to the balance in information was to not provide too much information that could be found in a simple Google search, to provide lengthy supporting documents (such as bylaws, insurance, new member plans etc.) separate from the proposal, and to make the proposal short and personal. 19

20 PRODUCTION QUALITY PRODUCTION QUALITY It is often said that first impressions are key, and that doesn t change in a fraternity expansion packet. Campus professionals responded well to proposal packets that not only were short and filled with personal information, but also looked professional and were easy to navigate. Of the proposal packets in our possession, packets with notable production quality included; professionally designed, visually appealing layouts that make the packet easy to navigate and understand, a theme or story about the organization and campus that could be felt throughout, and info graphics or graphs that make wordy portions understandable. Especially when students and campus professionals have handfuls of packets to sort through, those with a professional appearance were best received. The production quality of a packet is viewed less as part of the horse and pony show and more as an assurance of the professional level of the organization. 20

21 THE FOUR TRAITS THE FOUR TRAITS After much review on the information shared by the twelve fraternity and sorority campus professionals, four traits stood out for the reason why organizations get selected for expansion: IMPACT. The organization provides a positive and tailored impact to the community, university, and members. This impact can be seen on an organizational and individual level and has programs in place to ensure it stretches beyond the undergraduate experience. PUSH. The organization offers innovative plans to challenge and support its new community in positive growth. They aim to push the boundaries of what has been done in the industry and their community. SUPPORT. The organization receives strong, purposeful support from its headquarters staff that will continue into chapter development. The organization supports the culture of the university and aims to fill the gaps of what the community needs most. TRUST. The organization has established trust, transparency, and authenticity with the community. They are upfront with their processes and aim to create a partnership with the university. 21

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