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Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
In September 2020, the Archons established the Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion with two primary goals: 1) to seek to understand the needs of our brothers of underrepresented identities, our chapters and our campuses; and 2) to make recommendations for actions which the Fraternity should consider for increasing diversity in our membership, and to better support equity, inclusion and respect for others within Phi Gamma Delta. The Committee, comprised of twelve graduate and undergraduate brothers, worked for eight months to analyze the Fraternity’s history, language and imagery; review the educational opportunities available to our brothers; understand similar efforts and opportunities within comparative organizations and at host institutions, and above all, gather deeper insights from our undergraduates and graduate brothers. The Committee’s work culminated with recommendations made to the Archons in May 2021 which seek to create opportunities for brothers to listen, speak, and raise their voices about the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts. The Committee also noted in its recommendations, and the Archons unequivocally agreed, that Phi Gamma Delta’s efforts to advance diversity must go beyond race and ethnicity. These efforts must focus on diversity in all forms, including sexual orientation, religion, class, physical and mental ability, and other differences that can impact one’s ability to thrive in our Fraternity and in professional, civic and other settings after graduation. While the Fraternity’s plan will continue to take shape in the coming months, based on recommendations from the DEI Committee, the Archons have set forth several key actions to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) efforts.
The Archons committed to elevating DEIB efforts into the Fraternity’s strategic objectives and have identified a strategic goal of increasing diversity within the Fraternity to better reflect our host institutions.
Additionally, the Archons created a new Appointed General Officer position and appointed DeVere Kutscher (Davidson 1997) as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (see page 6), and approved the addition of a new staff position to focus on execution of DEIB initiatives. The Archons also committed to including a focus on DEIB into the selection and onboarding of new Archons.
Raise the Level of Accountability & Transparency
A number of the Committee’s recommendations recognized the need for accountability and transparency in promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. Among the actions taken by the Archons, the Fraternity has committed to producing an annual report on DEIB efforts, expected to first be available in summer 2022. The Archons also committed to reviewing the systems and processes used to recruit and fill leadership positions across all graduate levels, including the Archons, Appointed General Officers, Section Chiefs and Purple Legionnaires. The Fraternity will soon conduct an audit of the Ritual, Constitution and Bylaws to identify references, including language and imagery, that are inconsistent with these efforts, and to understand barriers to membership which may necessitate changes to our laws and practices. The Archons
On May 22, 2021, members of the DEI Committee, Archons and staff members met at the Archons Meeting in Atlanta.
also directed the Executive Director to consider how to best incorporate DEIB considerations into human resources practices at the International Headquarters. Consistent with these efforts, the Archons adopted a position statement (available at www.phigam.org/ DEIBposition) reiterating the Fraternity’s stance that Phi Gamma Delta does not and will not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment by its members or chapters.
Resources to Recruit & Retain a Diverse Brotherhood
The Fraternity provides several programs and resources to assist and support our chapters and volunteers. Consistently, and though curriculum and delivery mechanisms are in development, the Archons have committed to the development of DEIB training and resources for all undergraduate members, graduate volunteers and Headquarters staff members. This includes integrating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into existing educational efforts and at International Fraternity events. In addition, recognizing that a number of undergraduate chapters have established DEIB (or similar) committees, the Archons directed the development of resources to support these chapterlevel initiatives in generating and sustaining local community partnerships and in engaging parents. The Fraternity will also work to identify philanthropic opportunities and partnerships to support DEIB efforts and develop resources to assist chapters in making similar philanthropic connections.
Recognize Diversity in Phi Gamma Delta's Members
A pillar of the Committee’s recommendations calls for the Fraternity to recognize the contributions, accomplishments and identities of its diverse brotherhood. As such, the Archons directed the Executive Director and staff to expand existing efforts to highlight and celebrate the diversity within Phi Gamma Delta and leverage the Fraternity’s award system to promote and celebrate chapter and individual efforts and successes in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This is only the beginning of this important work, which is based on the glorious precepts of Phi Gamma Delta, because a more diverse brotherhood which embraces equity, inclusion and belonging will strengthen our Fraternity for years to come. t
