UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
FRATERNITY AND SORORITY LIFE TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE
Working Groups Integrated Report
May 2025
The University of Maryland’s Fraternity and Sorority Transformation Initiative marks a pivotal step toward building a stronger, more inclusive fraternity and sorority community. By centering accountability, collaboration, and student well-being, we are laying the foundation for a future where fraternity and sorority life reflects the highest values of leadership, service, and belonging.
Devin Walker Director, Fraternity and Sorority Life
INTRODUCTION
The University of Maryland is deeply committed to the fraternity and sorority community. President Pines, Vice President Perillo, other senior campus leaders, and leaders in the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) recognize the meaningful contributions that our fraternity and sorority chapters make to students, the campus community, and beyond.
A healthy, vibrant fraternity and sorority community can represent the best of the Maryland experience. Our commitment is to ensure that it remains a source of belonging, leadership, service, and personal growth for future generations.
We support the councils and chapters in fostering a culture that is safe, inclusive, and aligned with the values of the Division of Student Affairs: Community, Equity and Social Justice, Learning and Growth, Inclusive Excellence, Innovation, and Integrity.
Since 1913, the University of Maryland (UMD) has hosted a vibrant and dynamic Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) community. Today, our program reflects the University’s commitment to the success, growth, and development of its affiliated students. Our fraternity and sorority community is rooted in the principles of brotherhood, sisterhood, service, scholarship, philanthropy, leadership, individual responsibility, interconnectedness, and peer accountability, playing a vital role in shaping the student experience at UMD.
The Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life (DFSL) had its last external review in 2017. With new senior leadership and a soon-to-be new director of DFSL following a 10+ year incumbent, Vice President Patty Perillo and Assistant Vice President James McShay were prepared to launch a strategic review of the department and each of the chapter councils in early 2024. We started conversations in earnest about launching our first working group for the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) in October 2023. Then, unanticipated critical issues within FSL required us to add additional layers to the review process that had already been planned.
In March 2024, following multiple troubling reports of possible hazing and other dangerous behaviors within the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and, to a lesser extent, the Panhellenic Association (PHA), University leadership decided to temporarily pause fraternity and sorority new member activities to prioritize student safety. Leadership also required a temporary moratorium on alcohol use for social events. This two-week pause allowed for a thorough investigation to ensure that student safety and well-being remained at the forefront of our efforts. The University engaged an independent firm to interview members from both IFC and PHA organizations. As a result of the investigation, five IFC fraternities (24% of IFC chapters) faced student conduct charges based on credible evidence of hazing.
58 Chapters
4
Governing Councils
Interfraternity Council (IFC)
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
Panhellenic Association (PHA)
Lastly, the FSL community comprises various groups, each with its own history, purpose, membership, and operational style. Any effort to cultivate community must start with recognizing and respecting these differences rather than attempting to flatten them. Policies and procedures should be applied equitably, not uniformly, as a one-size-fits-all strategy does not support the success of all students or organizations. An inclusive framework must consider differences in chapter size, access to resources, advising needs, and organizational structure to avoid placing a disproportionate burden on specific groups, notably the culturally distinct and often smaller councils represented by NPHC and MGC.
Attending to these four overarching themes will provide clarity and strategic direction, with actions organized around them.
THEMES ACROSS ALL GROUP REPORTS
The nine calls to action described below were found in some measure in each working group report.
1. A DEFINED, INCLUSIVE, AND RESPONSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE: A robust FSL infrastructure is essential to ensure transparency, accountability, and consistent support for all fraternity and sorority chapters. This includes policies and procedures that both uphold shared standards of quality while honoring the unique histories, structures, operations, and support needs of IFC, NPHC, MGC, and PHA organizations.
Examples include:
• Clearly communicated organizational structures outlining support and accountability across councils and chapters
• Defined protocols for communication among staff, students, advisors, and inter/national partners
• Organizational charts with role descriptions, reporting relationships, and levels/areas of authority
• Transparent scheduling tools, including published office hours and online appointment scheduling
• Streamlined email/listserv systems for accurate and inclusive communication
• Established regular touchpoints between DFSL staff and Council leadership to ensure open, transparent communication, foster ongoing collaboration, and provide structured opportunities for feedback, alignment, and review of shared goals, initiatives, and policies
2. AN INFORMED, AWARE, AND COMMITTED DFSL STAFF: Hiring, training, and developing professionals dedicated to the development and success of fraternity and sorority members, the FSL community, and their organizations. Some examples:
• Comprehensive review process to identify strengths and deficits
• Adequate staffing model that allows greater student access
• Dedicated staff members for each council with working knowledge of council-specific operations and expectations
• Sensitivity to the unique historical and cultural underpinnings of NPHC groups
• Awareness of national trends, models, and applicable legislation
3. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: DFSL, DSA, and chapter leadership sharing ownership and stewardship of key relationships with other University professionals/offices and stakeholders who have a significant impact on the well-being and development of students who participate in fraternity and sorority life, such as volunteers, graduate students, advisors, inter/ national organizations, and alums.
Examples include:
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
• Improved communication channels
• Structured meetings and training
• Transparent information sharing
• Enhanced access to staff and graduate students
• Deliberate, collaborative efforts to enhance FSL
THEMES ACROSS ALL GROUP REPORTS
4. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: Consistent, accessible, inclusive, timely, and engaging mutual communication between DFSL and all stakeholders on policies and procedures, goals and expectations, events and activities, educational programs and training, and incident management and outcomes.
Examples include:
• Newsletters
• Website
• Events calendars
• Organizational charts with areas of responsibility
• Regularly scheduled meetings with advisors, alums, house corporation officers, and volunteers
5. DATA/METRICS INFORMED OPERATIONS, DECISION-MAKING, AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION: Enhance robust data collection, analysis, and transparent reporting capacity.
Examples include:
• Student success measures such as graduation and retention rates, participation in internships and study abroad, and campus leadership roles
• Evidence of service, such as hours of service performed, engagement in volunteerism and community-based activities, and town-gown activities
• Organizational excellence metrics such as recruitment, retention, membership trends, accreditation, milestone accomplishments, honors, and awards
• Disaggregate fraternity and sorority life data to better understand the experiences of each council
6. CONDUCT, ACCOUNTABILITY, RISK MANAGEMENT, AND SAFETY: Joining stakeholders that include individuals, organizations, DFSL professionals, advisors, and inter/national leaders together to inform and educate members and to develop accountability structures.
Examples include:
• Transparent, equitable, and educational accountability structures that thwart concerns about inconsistent application of rules, unclear expectations, and reputational impact
• Create a clear understanding of student organization conduct expectations
• Emphasize peer accountability
• Define accessible reporting structures
• Explain the University’s response to critical incidents
7. HOUSING AND OTHER FACILITIES: Address the sustainability and functionality of the university-owned housing models.
Examples include:
• Assess the viability and practicality of The Agora for the populations it is designed to serve
• Cross-functional coordination across Student Affairs, Facilities, Finance, and DFSL to ensure that space-related decisions are made holistically
• Evaluate guidelines that prohibit groups from reserving meeting/activity space
• Enhance University-owned facilities policies, procedures, and management, particularly those that create restrictions
• Ensure effective governance, improve accountability, and address gaps in facilities management
• Capital improvement planning
• Enhance the lease review and revision process
• Explore a certification process for chapter housing (private and university-owned)
8. ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES: Innovative best practices that assist DFSL, councils, and chapters in recruiting and retaining members and encouraging them to live the values of the chapter and the community.
Examples include:
• Onboarding new members
• Member education and training
• Officer/leadership training
• Incentive-based funding structures that promote chapter performance
9. STRATEGIC MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: Create a robust outreach strategy that fully embraces the FSL experience as a significant lever for belonging and culture change.
Examples include:
• A comprehensive marketing strategy
• An enhanced website that welcomes and informs students curious about FSL
• Accessible basic information, such as what each council stands for and how to join
• Highlight achievements, programming, lived values, and community contributions
• Use university channels as well as social media outlets
• Ensure that all publications are inclusive of MGC and NPHC groups
• Highlight the lived experiences of fraternity and sorority students
KEY STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS BY WORKING GROUP
4. REFORM RECRUITMENT AND NEW MEMBER PROCESSES
• Analyze the first-semester student membership affiliation policy
• Provide recruitment education to potential members and families prior to participation to increase transparency
• Ensure that recruitment practices for councils and chapters align with industry standards, best practices, and North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC)/National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) guidelines
• Provide an orientation to codes of conduct and institutional expectations for all students, chapters, and councils
• Support council efforts to align chapter new member education efforts with national organization guidelines in both planning and execution
5. CULTURE CHANGE AROUND RISK MANAGEMENT
• Establish regular meetings between DFSL, Student Conduct, council leaders, chapter volunteers, and national headquarters staff
• Establish a Code of Conduct for student organizations
• Regularly review and revise risk management policies and procedures at UMD and within chapters
• Revise the Social Event Monitoring Policy in partnership with national organizations, NIC, and NPC
6. HAZING PREVENTION
• Review and update University policies and procedures related to hazing
• Participate in data-informed, university-wide hazing prevention initiative
• Require a hazing prevention education plan with consequences for noncompliance, developed in alignment with national organization programming and requirements
• Improve transparency in reporting organizational conduct violations
• Ensure council and chapter bylaws support University policy, state and federal laws
7. COMMUNICATION
• Build a comprehensive FSL communication strategy
• Enhance the content and functionality of the DFSL website
• Strengthen internal communication through regular, inclusive, multimodal, and consistent practices – meetings, calendars, email, and messaging
8. DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES
• Diversify and expand funding streams through strategic partnerships
• Explore the implementation of a student activity fee
• Introduce incentives for performance-based funding
• Increase scholarship availability and access
KEY STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS BY WORKING GROUP
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)
1. EQUITY IN POLICY AND PRACTICE
• Update policies to be equitable, not just equal, recognizing smaller chapter sizes and cultural contexts
• Remove or adjust thresholds that disproportionately affect MGC organizations (e.g., minimum member requirements)
2. SUPPORT FOR CULTURALLY BASED ORGANIZATIONS
• Increase DFSL cultural competency and understanding of MGC needs
• Provide training and mentorship tailored to MGC’s community values
3. ACCESS TO SPACE AND RESOURCES
• Improve accessibility and fairness in reserving space (especially in The Agora)
• Ensure MGC organizations participate in decisions impacting shared spaces
4. RECOGNITION AND VISIBILITY
• Develop a communications strategy that celebrates MGC’s accomplishments and raises awareness of its impact
• Create a fairer recognition process that accounts for MGC’s unique traditions
• Consider opportunities for visible reminders of culturally-based organizations on campus, such as plaques or other forms of public recognition
5. COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP
• Foster more intentional partnerships within MGC, across councils, and with headquarters staff because these partnerships center identity
• Support leadership development opportunities that are inclusive and culturally affirming
The ultimate charge for the DFSL team in this implementation process is to answer the following questions:
• What interventions can be implemented immediately?
• What are the most critical recommendations in the report, and how would you prioritize them?
• Given these priorities and current staffing and resources, what goals can be set for completion in six months? One year? Two years?
II. An Implementation Advisory Team will be formed, comprising representatives from the following:
• DFSL Leadership Team
• Stamp Student Organization Resource Center (SORC)
• Department of Resident Life
• Department of Residential Facilities
• Office of Student Conduct
• Student Affairs Communications Leader
• Student Affairs Data & Analytics Leader
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
The Director of DFSL will share monthly updates on progress with the Implementation Team to ensure that DFSL is meeting timelines, properly tracking recommendations on a dashboard, and obtaining approval of proposed resolutions to the recommendations. The Implementation Team will work with the director to develop a comprehensive strategic and operational plan for fraternity and sorority life that includes a:
• Detailed timeline encompassing 6-month, one-year, and two-year milestones;
• Progress-tracking dashboard;
• Accountability systems, including champions for each goal; and,
• Communication plan to inform internal and external stakeholders about progress.
The Implementation Team members will be available to the DFSL to provide necessary information and answer questions.
Finally, it is important to note that given the significant need to reexamine the long-standing financial model of fraternity and sorority housing, Vice President Perillo commissioned a separate working group to explore this matter. This group, composed of staff, alumni, house corporation leaders, and advisors, is taking a deeper look at fraternity and sorority housing.
Led by Colleen Wright-Riva, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, this working group will make its recommendations directly to Vice President Perillo for review and consideration. This housing review is part of the university’s deep and broad commitment to fraternity and sorority life at the University of Maryland.
