Abstract
Fraternities and sororities have been a part of WCU since the
late 1950s. The students in these organization strive for
academic excellence and community involvement. Everything
about being in these organizations is designed to keep
students invested and engaged in the universities that house
them. This study sought to explore the relationship between
Greek Life and student retention as perceived WCU Greek
affiliated alumni.
Background
Previous research has been conducted that examine graduate rates and
GPAS of students in social fraternities and sororities compared to their
independent counterparts (Nelson 2006). The research has shows that
student who join these organizations not only perform better in class,
but they have higher graduation rates than those of their non-Greek
peers. Greek organizations At their core, social Greek organization are
designed to foster brotherhood/sisterhood, offers personal and
leadership development opportunities, and help students feel more
connected and engaged at their host institutions. However, little
research can be found about these organizations affect retention at
universities and if so, why thy can be a factor.
Participants
Respondent to the survey were Greek affiliated alumni of WCU ranging
in graduation years from 1961 to 2017. 72 alumni completed the survey.
IFC: 63 CPC:7 NPHC:2
Implications for practice
Methodology
Research question: How do Greek alumni perceive the effect of Greek Life on their retention?
Research design: a mixed-method research design was implemented to answer the above question.
Data collection: Using the software Qualtrics, I designed a electronic survey that was made public through fraternity's and
sorority’s alumni Facebook group pages. Social media was the primary outlet for distribution and acknowledgments of
completion for my survey.
Data analysis: The data was analyzed through SPSS
Validity: The sample is internally valid as it pertains to the 72 responders who are Fraternity/sorority alumni of Western
Carolina University
Limitations: The survey was limited to who I could reach. It is also not comparable to students at other universities.
Findings
“Made all the difference, helped me graduate, made me a Catamount for life!”
-Survey Respondent
Majority of respondents credit the brotherhood/sisterhood aspects of their organization and
the opportunity for community involvement as positive experiences which kept them invest in
the institution and motivated them to do better in class and graduate from WCU.
This research has implication in the realm of Greek Student
Engagement at Western Carolina University and for both student affairs
and academic affairs professionals at WCU as well. This survey has
shown that fraternities and sororities at WCU enrich the experience of
its members through community engagement which allows the
students to feel more invested and connected to the university. A
feeling that motivates the students to make good grades, stay involved
and graduate from Western Carolina University.
Suggestions for future research
There is a lot more research that can be done in the future to expand
on this topic. It would be beneficial to conduct an exit survey on
student who left Western Carolina University to find out if joining a
social Greek organization would have motivated the student to stay at
WCU or not. This research would also benefit from having a larger
target audience for the survey. One of my biggest limitations was the
social media outlets I was forced to use to distribute my survey as I did
not have a comprehensive list of all WCU alumni who were affiliated
with a Greek organization during their time at WCU.
References
Robert, D. Tony, L. Ron S. B. (2006) Greeks and Grades: The First-Year
Experience, NASPA Journal, 43:1, 56-68
Hartley, M. J. Eberly, C. G. perceptions of new member academic
engagement: A mixed method case study. Oracle: The Research
Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. Fall2016,
Vol. 11 Issue 2, p48-61. 14p.
McCreary, G. Schutts, J. Toward a broader understanding of fraternity-
developing and validating a measure of fraternal brotherhood.
Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority
Advisors. Summer2015, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p31-50. 20p.
Nelson, Suzy M. Halperin, S. Wasserman, T. H. Smith, C. Graham, P.
Effects of fraternity/sorority membership and recruitment semester
on GPA and retention. Oracle: The Research Journal of the
Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. Feb2006, Vol. 2 Issue 1,
p61-73. 13p.