Fraternity and Sorority Life Educational Programming

Membership Development Education:

Orientation

Orientation is the first step in joining any of our four councils. Each council hosts their own orientation session, which occurs within the first weeks of each academic semester. These orientation sessions provide a broad overview of what to expect and what should be understood when preparing for membership in fraternity and sorority life. *Attendance at orientation is mandatory for anyone seeking to join a fraternity or sorority.

Topics covered include but are not limited to: 

  • Welcome and introduction by staff
  • Expectations of membership (i.e. social responsibilities, joining something bigger than yourself, financial commitments, etc.)
  • Understanding risk management (i.e. hazing, healthy behaviors)
  • Diversity of experience (i.e. understanding the history of the University's four governing councils)
  • Understanding of recruitment or membership intake processes, who to contact regarding questions, etc.

New Member Academy (NMA)

After accepting an invitation to membership, each new member has one month to complete NMA. This virtual course, housed on ICON, is a broad overview of what it means to be a member of a fraternity or sorority at Iowa. NMA consists of four modules that introduce new members to concepts that are frequently discussed and used as topics of education across all chapters and councils.

The modules are: 

  • Overview of the Fraternity and Sorority Life Community
  • Academic Achievement
  • Health and Safety
  • Involvement Opportunities

Violence Prevention Education (VPE)

Violence Prevention Education is a tier-based educational system covering topics such as enthusiastic consent, bystander intervention, and healthy relationships. Every member of Fraternity and Sorority Life is required to attend one facilitated, interactive workshop each year of their membership, and the workshops are designed to scale and build upon previous education. 

Tier topics are outlined below:

  • Tier 1: Enthusiastic Consent (First-Year Members)
    • Participants learn what consent is, how to set and communicate boundaries, and how to respond respectfully to rejection.
  • Tier 2: Bystander Intervention for Preventing Sexual Violence (Second-Year Members)
    • Participants learn to recognize warning signs for sexual violence, bystander intervention skills, and how to apply those skills to real-world scenarios.
  • Tiers 3: Healthy Relationships (Third-Year Members)
    • Participants learn how culture influences perceptions of relationships, recognize unhealthy warning signs, and actively build skills to engage in healthy relationships
  • Tier 4: Addressing Harm, Normalizing Care (Fourth-Year+ Members)
    • Participants learn what rape culture is, how to recognize it in our everyday interactions, and how to actively dismantle it.

Alcohol and U

Alcohol and U is our yearly alcohol education requirement for chapters. This program is put on in collaboration with Student Wellness.

Year 1: Creating a Community of Care

Year 2: Exploring Stress Management and Coping Mechanisms

Year 3: Building Authentic Relationships

 

Leadership Development Education:

Welcome Back Leadership Summit

The Welcome Back Leadership Summit is our annual fall kickoff leadership training for chapter presidents and council officers. This program is led by an external speaker to discuss topics impacting current fraternity and sorority leaders and is designed for small group discussions that allow student leaders to collectively address the challenges.

ADVANCE Leadership Summit

The ADVANCE Leadership Summit is our annual spring kickoff leadership training for new chapter presidents and council officers. This day-long summit is designed to build community with new officers, identify challenges in the community, develop community goals, and connect with campus partners for students to achieve their goals for their leadership term.

Cooperative Meetings

Cooperative meetings occur monthly (February, March, April, October, November) during the academic year and provides the opportunity for chapter and council leaders to come together and collectively discuss relevant issues in the fraternity and sorority community at Iowa.

ASCEND Rising Leaders Retreat

The Fraternity and Sorority Life Rising Leaders Retreat is the premiere program for members of the community that aspire to be on their organization's executive board or the council executive board the following calendar year and is an immersive experience that focuses on addressing adaptive challenges, developing community interdependence, and enhancing cross-council collaboration.

 

Additional Educational Opportunities 

LS: 1021 Current Issues and Leadership in Fraternity and Sorority Life

This course provides students who are members of a social Greek-lettered organization with the skills, knowledge, and information to reach their potential as leaders and council/chapter officers. This course focuses on the practical side of being an organizational leader and is balanced with understanding how to create a stronger fraternity and sorority community. Students will engage in self-reflection and authentic conversations with their peers to gain a greater awareness of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Iowa and on the national level. 

This class is encouraged for all chapter leadership, it is not required. It occurs every spring semester.