Prioritized System-Wide Recommendations

Representation

1. Bring culturally-based fraternities and sororities to campus
   1. Create a value proposition of why these culturally-based fraternities and sororities should come to the University of Richmond
   2. Create a plan to invite/welcome culturally-based fraternity/sorority organizations
2. Encourage continued health of existing NPHC organizations and support the establishment of chapters who are not currently on campus through prioritized marketing and promotion
3. Implement a year-round recruitment process and recruitment education that is known, accessible, and inviting to Richmond students from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives
4. Create a Greek Leadership Council that encompasses members from each of the different communities (IFC, NPC, & NPHC) to enhance community-wide programming and education. We encourage using Dartmouth College’s Greek Leadership Council as a model in creating this type of council.
5. Strengthen the staffing and support structure for culturally-based fraternity/sororities in the Center for Student Involvement

Belonging

1. Address campus symbols of "othering." From seating in the Dining Hall, to how group projects are formed in the classroom, to the structure of intramurals. The current social climate at the University of Richmond enhances opportunities for students of color to be made to feel like outsiders. The structure of social dominance in fraternity and sorority life needs to be challenged, and a university-wide committee of students, staff, and faculty should come together to address specific places where students feel excluded. (Dyad Strategies Focus Group Report, March 2021)
2. Reform the Fraternity Lodge System. The current lodge system establishes a social hierarchy between organizations. We encourage the current lodge structure be reimagined and turned into a student organization village.
3. Create immediate opportunities for values-based interactions. When a new student shows up on campus, they should have informal values-based interactions with members of Greek Life.
4. All student organizations must document attendance at events through the Presence student organization management system, adhere to the third-party vendor policy, address security concerns, and adhere to all University of Richmond event policy guidelines.

Capability

1. Hire a Diversity and Inclusion employee within the Center for Student Involvement that will lead efforts to infuse inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) efforts in organizations and the culture of the University
2. Implement a diversity and inclusion training mandated by the Center for Student Involvement centering around Privilege, Oppression, Diversity, Implicit Biases, Sexual Orientation and Preference, and Cultural Appropriation
3. Redefine the role of Diversity and Inclusion Chairs within Greek Organizations. From the Dyad Strategies report: "The DEI chairperson role must be more clearly defined and vested with the proper level of authority to do the work necessary to make fraternity/sorority spaces more diverse and inclusive. The University should partner with a DEI specialist to work with students and stakeholders to better define these roles, to provide training for students in these roles, and to assess the impact of these initiatives on chapter culture and member attitudes around diversity."

Reimagine the recruitment process at the University of Richmond by:

1. Ending Spring deferred recruitment process
2. Initiating recruitment as an extended, year-round process that happens over the course of the year
3. NPHC chapters will follow their national organization membership intake process (MIP) requirements for advertising of their interest/informational meetings or rush events
4. Creating a campus-wide conversation around alcohol and other drugs
5. Eliminating alcohol and other drug use at recruitment events
6. Eliminating the Panhellenic "no-contact" policy and adopt and the National Panhellenic Conference approved Positive Panhellenic Contact Policy
7. Incorporating chapter-level, year-long inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA) progress outcomes and training in the recruitment process
8. Eliminating tiered membership for IFC chapters. In order to shift the unhealthy power dynamic that can lead to hazing, new members should immediately assume the same rights and responsibilities as other members of the fraternity
9. Create council-specific initiation deadlines that are consistent with the average new member education period of the council

Regular trainings for all participants, including all advisors and volunteers, is essential and should be mandated:

1. Incorporate well-being education into the WELL 100 program, a 13-week extended orientation course, so that the culture of binge drinking and drug misuse can be discussed and ultimately changed by new classes of incoming students
2. Conduct a review of the Orientation Advisor Program. Specific attention should be given to the manner in which OA’s are selected and trained, messaging regarding the fraternity/sorority experience on campus, and the presence of "disorientation weeks"
3. Continue to offer a multi-component education-focused program (MCEFP) to all incoming students
4. Maintain at least 1 full-time employee (FTE) to serve as a Health Educator, preferably a Certified Health Education Specialist, to address the intersectionality between substance use and other health, wellness, and safety concerns (i.e., interpersonal violence, risk management, bystander intervention)
5. Hire a Diversity and Inclusion employee within the Center for Student Involvement that will lead efforts to infuse IDEA efforts in organizations and the culture of the University
6. Implement a diversity and inclusion training mandated by the Center for Student Involvement centering around: Privilege, Oppression, Diversity, Implicit Biases, Sexual Orientation and Preference, and Cultural Appropriation
7. Chapters with active alumni and strong advisory boards are a best practice. In accordance with student organization policy, all Chapters at UR must have an advisor. We recommend chapters with membership above 75 create an Advisory Board comprised of at least three advisors.

In confronting a culture of alcohol and other drug use on campus, the following steps should be taken:

1. Strengthen early education for incoming students related to alcohol and other drug use by adding realistic testimonials during new student orientation
2. Notify the student body of unrecognized student organizations which may be operating in the community as they pose a potential risk for student health and safety
3. Mandate that all events with alcohol are required to be hosted by a third-party vendor
4. The University should work with students and other stakeholders to develop new social event guidelines. Priority should be given to the following considerations:
   1. The frequency and timing of social events
   2. The presence and distribution of alcohol
   3. Security and safety

Provide greater transparency regarding what a student can expect to pay to participate in Greek Life over the course of their entire time at the University of Richmond:

1. Require all chapters to divulge breakdown of all fees associated with membership to potential new members, interest members, and/or candidates prior to joining
2. Require councils to create events that will support student learning, student well-being, and student success

Governance and accountability are essential if the University of Richmond is to ensure lasting reform in the Greek Life community:

1. Create a Greek Leadership Council that encompasses members from each of the different communities (IFC, NPC, & NPHC) to enhance community wide programming and education. We encourage using Dartmouth College’s Greek Leadership Council as a model in creating this type of council.
2. Establish a formal Student Organization Score card that is inclusive of Greek Life organizations. We specifically highlight the National Scorecard from Piazza Center at Penn State and the Fraternity & Sorority Life Chapter Scorecards developed at Florida State University
3. Create a Community Conduct Page that highlights chapters in good disciplinary standing as well as those chapters on disciplinary probation if not included in the development of the score card. A good example can be found at the University of Missouri’s Fraternity & Sorority Life’s Community Conduct History website.
4. Implement a new student organization policy and align with ASCA, NASPA, and other national organization guidelines for student organization accountability. Chapters to be found in violation will be adjudicated according to university policies.
5. Better define key performance metrics for Greek Life at the University of Richmond and engage in ongoing assessment and monitoring.
6. Convene a Greek Life implementation board that includes students, staff, faculty, alumni, and resource experts to semi-annually review institutional data and ensure the university is held accountable to implementing the recommendations found in this report