Fraternally Speaking

Phi Gamma Delta's vision is to be an active, vital force of men who courageously live our values, and make a positive impact on college and community. There has never been a time when this aim was more important. Brothers reading this can reflect on their fraternity experience and find truth in our vision. As graduates we often say that our membership not only helped us to build lifelong friendships, but pushed us to be more involved, achieve more, and learn how to work with others. We can look to numerous examples of positive impact on today’s undergraduates in the On Campus section of this edition. But the question in today’s world: can you prove it? Until recently, there was little timely research to back our assumptions and claims about the impact of the fraternity experience. But earlier this year Dr. Gary Pike, a prominent higher education researcher, released a study which confirms some of the positive impacts we anecdotally claim. His study, with a dataset of more than 200,000 students, found that fraternity and sorority members were significantly more engaged than non-members, reported greater gains in learning, were more satisfied with their college experiences, and experienced indirect improved learning gains. Why is this important? One significant reason is retention. "The first year of college is a time of transition for students," said Dr. Pike. "Engagement during the first year tends to help students stay in college. It also positively affects their learning." A particularly noteworthy finding related to the diversity experiences of fraternity and sorority members. While the membership of fraternities and sororities does tend to be more homogeneous than the general student population, members reported significantly higher levels of discussions with diverse others than non-affiliated stuRob Caudill, Executive Director dents – including people from different races, ethnicity, economic backgrounds, religious beliefs and political views. The relationship was strongest for fraternity members. Dr. Pike concludes that fraternities and sororities are not antithetical to the values of American higher education, as some have suggested. Fraternities and sororities do appear to "walk their talk," encouraging students to become both academically and socially engaged, to value learning, and to be more satisfied with their college experiences. The largest positive effects were generally found for first-year students, arguing against deferring recruitment until the second semester or second year – a practice found on many campuses today. This study gives us reason to be pleased but not satisfied. Dr. Pike’s research, along with others who have examined the fraternity and sorority experience, points to several areas of improvement for Greek organizations. Primary are issues associated with behavior – including alcohol misuse and abuse, hazing and sexual misconduct. These issues are not exclusively problems of fraternities but have become associated with our organizations and garner significant attention. These findings reinforce the value of fraternity that many members of Greek organizations espouse. They also make clear why Phi Gamma Delta chooses to Lead the Fight against hazing, why we continue to educate and seek innovative ways to eliminate the self-destructive behaviors that directly contradict our values, and why we need courageous leaders now more than ever. Because, as Dr. Pike shares, the academic and social benefits of fraternity membership are too important to be lost. t

Founded at Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1848, by John Templeton McCarty, Samuel Beatty Wilson, James Elliott, Ellis Bailey Gregg, Daniel Webster Crofts & Naaman Fletcher.

The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta

1201 Red Mile Rd, PO Box 4599, Lexington, KY 405444599 | (859) 255-1848 | phigam@phigam.org

Archons

• President: Nic Loiacono (Illinois 1974) • Vice Pres: Bill Hunnicutt (Texas Arlington 1981) • Treasurer: Don Herman (Calgary 1984) • Secretary: Ed Gabe (Hanover 1990) • Councilor: Tom Waldon (Iowa State 1979) • Councilor: Dana Hesse (Virginia Tech 1986) • Councilor: Tim Kilduff (Kent State 1968) • Councilor: Davis Hardell (Georgia 2021) • Councilor: Jack Foley (Ohio Wesleyan 2022)

Headquarters Staff

• Executive Director: Rob Caudill (Akron 2004) • Assistant Executive Director: Todd Rotgers (Minnesota 2011) • CFO: Will Shier (DePauw 1988) • Sr Dir of Chapter Support: Helen Lahrman • Dir of Chapter Services-East: Joe Roth (Akron 2019) • Dir of Chapter Services-West: Bryan Hartzell (Western Kentucky 2014) • Dir of Communications: Erica Carlson • Dir of Education: Lauren Leif • Dir of Expansion: Jake Lueck (Kansas 2017) • Dir of Graduate Engagement: Dionysis Protopapadakis (Appalachian State 2017) • Dir of Membership & Operations: Amy Watson • Asst Dir of Education: Andrew Depew (Kentucky 2010) • Coordinator of Communications: Paige Prylinski • Senior Executive Assistant: Taren Robin • Administrative Assistant: Mahogany Dobbins • Receptionist: Kitty Brown • Field Secretaries: Eli Ussery (Alabama Birmingham 2018); Robbie Guilford (Arizona 2017); Logan McLendon (Alabama Birmingham 2020); Tyler Fisk (Wayne State 2020); Jarrett Keyton (Mississippi State 2020)

Appointed General Officers

• Curator of Archives: Joe Weist (Rose-Hulman 1987) • Educational Dir: Amelious Whyte (Minnesota Faculty) • General Counsel: Jim Boyers (Hanover 1994) • Historian: Towner Blackstock (Davidson 1994) • PR Dir: Mike Sacks (James Madison 2004) • Ritualist: Justin Burns (Ohio State 2007)

Educational Foundations Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation

1201 Red Mile Rd, PO Box 4599, Lexington, KY 405444599

Board Members

• Chairman: Matthew Amend (Iowa 1987) • Vice Chairman: Glenn Moor (Texas Tech 1984) • Finance Comm Chairman: Kevin Haga (Jacksonville 1992) • Board Secretary: Bill Brand (RPI 1987) • Executive Comm: Kevin Hopper (Cincinnati 1973) • Directors: Michael Ainsworth (British Columbia 1987); Carl Gibson (Oklahoma 1981); Mitchell Henn (Case Western 1972); Scott Mowrer (Washington 1971); Michael Stewart (Penn State 1972); Rob Wunderlich (DePauw 1988) • Directors Emeriti: Peter Clark (Kettering 1968); Jack Nicklaus (Ohio State 1961); Peter O’Malley (Penn 1959); Roger Parkhurst (Purdue 1965); William Rodgers (Oklahoma 1959)

Phi Gamma Delta Foundation of Canada

20 Raintree Path, Etobicoke, ON M9C 5A9, Canada

Board Members

• President: Michael Ainsworth (British Columbia 1987) • Treasurer: Norman Dundas (McGill 1963) • Secretary: Murray Coulter (Western Ontario 1972) • Directors: Erez Bahar (British Columbia 2001); John Carswell (Alberta 1976); Donald Herman (Calgary 1985); Ashley O’Kurley (Alberta 1994); Tristan Patterson (Alberta 2010); Frank Smeenk (Western Ontario 1971); Rob Witchel (Toronto 1987) • Trustee Emeritus: Cameron Murray (Alberta 1972)

US & Canadian Foundations Staff

• Executive Director: Ben Robinson (HampdenSydney 1986) • COO/CFO: Will Shier (DePauw 1988) • Director of Development & Stewardship: Duke Murphy (Coastal Carolina 2011)

The Fraternity of PHI GAMMA DELTA 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Bolingbrook, IL Permit No. 1908

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• The Phi Gamma Delta magazine • Graduate chapter support • Expansion to new campuses • House corporation resources • Fiji Academy leadership training • Graduate brother database

Visit phigam.org/ GradDuesto pay your $25 dues online.

Every fall, a group of Ohio Wesleyan brothers from the class of 1977 gather for an annual golf outing. They decided to uphold their annual tradition this year while following social distancing guidelines. This year, the brothers gathered in Northeastern Ohio in September for a week of golfing.