rethinking Fraternity
and sorority advising
The Role of Coaching and Technology
BY TERRY HOGAN, MARK KOEPSELL, AND CHUCK EBERLY
Fraternities and sororities remain an integral component of student life on college and university campuses across the country. Approximately 200 national organizations sponsor some 9,000 chapters with more than 700,000 undergraduate members. They collaborate with each other through a variety of super-structures, including the National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, National Multicultural Greek Council, National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic
Council, and North-American Interfraternity Conference. Campus-based chapters receive guidance from
alumni leaders and professional staff members of these organizations.
Despite positive outcomes noted throughout the fraternity/
sorority movement’s history, higher education institutions
still grapple with a complex and interrelated set of concerns
about the culture and related student behavior. Three recent
high-profile incidents involving fraternities and sororities
prompted quick action from administrators. At the University
of South Carolina, fraternity recruitment was suspended
following reports of alcohol violations committed by several
chapters; at Cornell University, pledging will end in 2012 to
be replaced with a better recruitment system; and starting this
fall, Princeton University is prohibiting freshmen from joining
sororities and fraternities.
