Running head: CONTROVERSY OF GREEK LIFE

The Controversy of Greek Life:

Leadership and Drug Use
Bridget Macaluso
SUNY at Buffalo

ELP 516
Dr. Sallee
Fall 2015

CONTROVERSY OF GREEK LIFE

The Controversy of Greek Life: Leadership and Drug Use

Fraternities and sororities have been a part of college campuses since the early nineteenth
century. These organizations have provided students with opportunities for socialization and
development, but they have also been involved in many conduct incidents that have gained
national attention and given Greek organizations a negative stigma (Whipple & Murphy, 2004).
In an attempt to reconcile my own personal bias against Greek organizations, I have conducted a
literature review on fraternity and sorority life. I also interviewed John DiSarro, the Director of
Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at the University of Rochester, about his experience working with
students affiliated with Greek organizations. There are two main themes in the research on
fraternity and sorority life. Many researchers have set out to determine whether or not being
involved in a Greek organization helps students to develop leadership skills (Martin, Parker,
Pascarella, & Blechschmidt, 2015; Martin, Hevel, & Pascarella, 2012; Hevel, Martin, &
Pascarella, 2014). On the other hand, there are researchers asking if fraternity and sorority
members are more likely to use non-medical stimulants than their peers who are not affiliated
with Greek organizations (Ridgway, Tang, & Lester, 2014; Dussault & Weyandt, 2011). I will
begin this paper by discussing the literature about the leadership skills of students who are
involved in fraternities and sororities. I will then review the research about mental health and
stimulant usage of fraternity and sorority students. Finally, I will compare this literature with the
interview that I conducted with John DiSarro.
Leadership Development
One of the most popular arguments for keeping Greek organizations on college campuses
is that they are said to have a positive impact on affiliated students understanding of civic
responsibility and leadership (Martin et al., 2015). Research suggests, however, that fraternity
and sorority members are not more advanced in their leadership skills than their nonaffiliated

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peers by the time they graduate (Hevel et al., 2014). In addition, students who are involved in
Greek organizations are sometimes found to have more intercultural competence than their peers,
but this seems to be a coincidental, rather than a causal, relationship (Martin et al., 2015).
Leadership is a main value and goal of many Greek organizations. Students who are
affiliated with fraternities and sororities are often required to participate in leadership
development activities, and students who display excellent leadership skills are recruited by
Greek organizations (Martin et al., 2012). In a study that compared the leadership skills of first
year students across 24 institutions, fraternity and sorority members were found to have a greater
understanding of leadership than their peers who did not participate in Greek organizations.
Affiliated students were more likely to value working with others toward a common goal, believe
that individuals have a responsibility to their communities, and have the ability to adapt to
change than nonaffiliated students (Martin et al., 2012). However, fraternity and sorority
members do not maintain this advantage in leadership skills throughout their time on a college
campus. When fourth year students were examined using the same scales of leadership
development, no significant differences were found between fraternity and sorority members and
nonaffiliated students (Hevel at al., 2014).
Research has shown that fraternity and sorority members benefit from intercultural
training as well (Martin et al., 2015). However, this advantage does not hold by the time the
students graduate either. In a study that consisted of a pre-college survey and a follow-up
assessment four years later, students who had participated in Greek organizations did not appear
to have an advantage or a disadvantage in terms of intercultural competency (Martin et al.,
2015).
Drug Use

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Much of the reason for the controversy around Greek organizations is that fraternity and
sorority members tend to use more alcohol and drugs than other college students (Martin et al.
2015, Dussault & Weyandt, 2011). In fact, in a self-reported survey, members of Greek
organizations reported not only more stimulant use than their peers, but they were also found to
believe that stimulant use was more common than nonaffiliated students believed it to be. In
addition, fraternity and sorority members had a higher rate of perception of safety in regards to
stimulant use than other college students (Dussault & Weyandt, 2011). In the same study, the
participants who were more anxious and stressed used stimulants at a higher rate. Although this
was not found to be a causal relationship, these findings suggest that students who have mental
health concerns might be more likely to use stimulants than their peers without mental health
concerns (Dussault & Weyandt, 2011). Does this mean that fraternity and sorority members are
more likely to have issues of mental health than nonaffiliated students?
In 2014, Ridgway et al. examined the mental health of students at one institution.
According to their findings, students with low self-esteem and little social support are more
likely to be depressed or have suicidal ideations. Membership in Greek organizations did not
have a positive or negative association with depression or suicidal ideations (Ridgway et al.,
2014). It would seem as though fraternity and sorority members would feel a stronger sense of
social support than their peers who are not in these organizations, but this did not alter their
likelihood of mental illness. Ridgway et al. (2014) suggest that perhaps this advantage of social
support is balanced by the stress and anxiety that is caused by being a member of a Greek
organization.
According to the literature, students who participate in Greek organizations finish college
with leadership and intercultural skills similar to those of their peers (Martin et al., 2015, Hevel

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et al., 2014). Fraternity and sorority members are more likely to use stimulants than nonaffiliated
students, but this does not seem to be related to mental health concerns (Dussault & Weyandt,
2011, Ridgway et al., 2014). One limitation to these research studies is that there could be a
selection bias issue with students who choose to participate in fraternities and sororities. Students
with leadership skills are more likely to be recruited to Greek organizations (Martin et al., 2012),
which could explain why first year students who are involved in fraternity and sorority life are
more developed leaders. On the other hand, many students who used drugs and alcohol before
attending college may join fraternities and sororities because these organizations have a
reputation for using stimulants (Dussault & Weyandt, 2011). This could perpetuate the risky
behavior within Greek organizations.
Interview with a Professional
When I spoke with John DiSarro about his experience working with fraternities and
sororities at the University of Rochester (U of R), he continually said that the results of the
research studies that I reviewed did not surprise him. John is the primary advisor and advocate
for the 33 Greek organizations at the U of R, and among his daily roles he listed providing
leadership development and education to members of the organizations. John also specified
conduct issues such as the use of drugs and alcohol as one of the biggest challenges to working
with Greek life. In order to combat some of these issues, Johns office has implemented a
mandatory orientation program for all new members of Greek organizations at the U of R. This
program educates students about hazing and sexual violence prevention as well as intercultural
competencies. Many of the leadership activities that members of fraternities and sororities at the
U of R take part in are provided by the national chapters of their organizations. However, John
works to provide all of the members of Greek organizations at the university with information

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about leadership and intercultural trainings that are happening on campus. He explained that by
doing so he hopes to encourage students to have conversations between organizations.
John was able to verify that the research that has been conducted about fraternities and
sororities seemed accurate based on his experiences. Members of Greek organizations are able to
develop leadership skills early on through attending chapter meetings and organizing events.
However, John verified that fraternity and sorority members do not gain enough new experiences
in their final years in college to keep their leadership skills more advanced than those of their
peers. John often finds himself asking what the organizations on his campus are doing for
upperclassmen. Many of his organizations focus most of their energy on the development of the
younger students, so the older students do not continue to develop their leadership skills beyond
what they learned in the first few years.
When I asked John about the use of stimulants in the fraternities and sororities at the U of
R, he again verified the accuracy of the research. John does believe that there is more stimulant
use by members of fraternities and sororities, but he attributes that to the fact that most of the
social events on campus are held by these organizations. John said that the students who are
affiliated with Greek life are not any more or less likely to be reported for mental health concerns
than nonaffiliated students.
Johns final message to me about Greek life was that professionals who work with
fraternities and sororities find the good with the bad. John and his peers are frustrated with the
conduct issues that come out of Greek life, but they are also able to see the positive impacts that
the community can have. The controversy surrounding Greek life is parallel to Johns
assessment. Greek organizations offer leadership opportunities for students, but they are also
often the source of stimulant use on college campuses. However, there is not significant evidence

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that the leadership opportunities that are offered provide fraternity and sorority students with
skills that their peers do not have. There is also not a clear causal relationship between
membership in a Greek organization and drug use or mental health issues.

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8
References

Dussault, C. L., & Weyandt, L. L. (2011). An examination of prescription stimulant misuse and
psychological variables among sorority and fraternity college populations. Journal of
Attention Disorders, 1(2), 1-11. doi: 10.1177/1087054711428740
Hevel, M. S., Martin, G. L., Pascarella, E. T. (2014). Do fraternities and sororities still enhance
socially responsible leadership? Evidence from the fourth year of college. Journal of
Student Affairs Research and Practice, 51 (3), 233-245. doi: 10.1515jsarp-2014-0025
Martin, G. L., Hevel, M. S., & Pascarella, E. T. (2012). Do fraternities and sororities enhance
socially responsible leadership? Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 49 (3),
267-284. doi: 10.1515/jsarp-2012-6245
Martin, G. L., Parker, G., Pascarella, E. T., & Blechschmidt, S. (2015). Do fraternities and
sororities inhibit intercultural competence? Journal of College Student Development,
56(1), 66-72.
Ridgway, R., Tang, C., Lester, D. (2014). Membership in fraternities and sororities, depression,
and suicidal ideation. Psychological Reports, 14(3), 966-970. doi:
10.2466/17.12.PR0.114k28w4
Whipple, E. G. & Murphy, R. K. (2004). Student activities. In F. J. D. Mackinnon & Associates
(Eds.), Rentzs student affairs practice in higher education. (3rd ed., pp. 298-335).
Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

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Appendix-Interview Protocol

What are your main roles working with fraternity/sorority life?

What does your daily work-life look like?
Why did you choose a job working with fraternities and sororities?
What are some of the biggest successes with fraternities and sororities? Some of the

biggest challenges?
Are your fraternity/ sorority members or leaders required to take any training in regards

to leadership or multicultural competence?

Do you believe that membership in fraternities and sororities helps your students to

develop multicultural competence? If so, how?

Do you believe that membership in fraternities and sororities helps your students to

develop leadership skills? If so, how?

Do you think your students continue to develop leadership skills throughout the time that
they are a part of their fraternity/sorority, or do they eventually check out and pass the

leadership roles on to other students?

How do you think membership in a fraternity/sorority affects the self-esteem of your

students?
Do you find that your fraternity/sorority students are more or less often on your student

of concern list than other groups of students?

Do you often have students who are involved in fraternity/sorority life use non-medical

stimulants?
Do you have any other thoughts that might be helpful to me?