BLOOMINGTON, November 19, 2015 -‐ The Center for the Study of the College Fraternity (CSCF) is proud to announce significant advancements towards fraternity and sorority assessment and research. This includes a new survey, a new relationship with the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (CPR) and the 2015 Association of Fraternity | Sorority Advisors/CSCF research grants and research award winners.
The New Fraternity and Sorority Experience Survey
The Fraternity and Sorority Experience Survey (FSES) survey has been completely rebuilt. The survey assesses student perceptions of member learning, values, and attitudes toward alcohol, social behavior, bystander invention, and sexual misconduct. The survey also asks questions regarding practical matters such as chapter operations, academic performance, and sense of community. The survey supports three levels of analysis: the chapter and community/membership assessment as well as aggregate level research about the fraternity and sorority experience. The FSES aggregate data will inform us about trends within the fraternal movement, offering new insights into the effectiveness of the fraternity/sorority advising profession and the state of fraternities and sororities today. Over the last two years, twenty doctoral students under Dr. Vasti Torres conducted focus groups, expert reviews, a contemporary literature review and student testing to revise the survey.
Ari Stillman, FSES project director says, “The new survey is more robust than ever. We are confident that universities and headquarters alike will derive significant meaning from the survey’s capacity for assessing the frequency and impact of salient behaviors.” New FSES clients include 12 of 14 Big Ten institutions. Additionally, this is the second year of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority partnership with CSCF to distribute the FSES to all of their collegiate members.
FSES joins Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research (CPR)
The FSES is now an official survey of CPR under the stewardship of Dr. Lori D. Patton, Associate Professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program in the Indiana University School of Education. Dr. Patton will be the survey’s primary investigator. Dr.
Thomas Nelson Laird, CPR Director, indicated, “CPR is thrilled to incorporate FSES into our current suite of assessment tools and look forward to working closely with Dr. Patton as she leads the project at a critical moment for fraternities and sororities.” Currently CPR is host to a number of national surveys including the National Survey on Student Engagement. “This relationship will ensure the quality and integrity of the survey,” said Steve Veldkamp, CSCF executive director.
Association of Fraternity | Sorority Advisors (AFA)/CSCF Research Grant Recipients The 2015 AFA and CSCF research grant recipients are: Joseph Simmons-‐Rudolph and Ryan Bronkema. Simmons-‐Rudolph was awarded two grants. One at $1,972 for “Secondary Analysis of Greek Experience Survey and Fraternity and Sorority Experience Survey” and the other at $657 for “Understanding Fraternity Membership.” Bronkema was awarded a $1,000 grant for his research topic of “Pathways from Fraternities into the Field of Student Affairs.”
AFA/CSCF Award Winner
AFA and CSCF are pleased to announce an annual awards program for an outstanding Masters Thesis and an outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. The Adele Williamson Outstanding Masters Research Award is made possible by a grant from the Phi Mu Foundation. The Adele Williamson Outstanding Masters Research Award will be presented to Kevin M. Carey for his subject “Black Greek Letter Fraternity Men: Constructions of Masculinities and Racial Identity.”
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Dr. Lori D. Patton is an Associate Professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at the Indiana University School of Education. Prior to assuming a faculty role, Dr. Patton was a student affairs professional in several functional areas including fraternity/sorority life and multicultural admissions. Her research agenda focuses on social justice efforts in higher education, college student development and issues related to intersectionality, and the influence of campus environments on student experiences. Dr.
Patton is the most well-‐known researcher and scholar in the area of campus culture centers and editor of the book Campus Culture Centers in Higher Education. She also is co-‐author of the 2nd and 3rd edition of Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice.
Her forthcoming book is Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success.
The Center for Postsecondary Research (CPR) promotes student success and institutional excellence by conducting and disseminating research on student access, assessment, engagement and persistence and by assisting postsecondary institutions and related agencies in gathering and using data for educational decision making and institutional improvement. CPR is a research center of the Indiana University School of Education.
The Center for the Study of the College Fraternity (CSCF) is an Indiana University Research Center and 501(c)(3) non-‐profit organization. Founded in 1979, CSCF encourages and supports assessment and research of the highest quality and educational significance on the role of the American college fraternity in higher education. CSCF is uniquely positioned to serve as an advocate for the inspiration, funding, vetting and recognition of assessment and research related to the fraternity and sorority movement. Contact CSCF by email at cscf@indiana.eduor by phone at 812-‐855-‐1235.
The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) provides exceptional experiences, community opportunities and essential resources for the success of fraternity/sorority advisors. AFA holds a deep appreciation of both academic and applied research that examines the entire spectrum of the fraternity/sorority experience and the advising profession, and holds a commitment to collaborations within and between the higher education and interfraternal communities. Since 1976, AFA has been the leading voice in aligning fraternity/sorority and higher education experiences.
Contact Stevan Veldkamp, Executive Director
812-‐855-‐1235
Ari Stillman, Project Director
970-‐797-‐4361