Ashland University Greek LifeNichelle Shuck, Emily Yoder, and Eric Young

FACING GENDER STEREOTYPES IN THE

GREEK COMMUNITY

Nichelle Shuck – Alpha Phi (Ashland University)

Emily Yoder – Alpha Delta Pi (University of Mount Union)

Eric Young - Alpha Tau Omega (Bowling Green)

INTRODUCTIONS

To help AU Greek students have a better understanding of:

Gender roles, stereotypes, and expectations played out in society

How the media helps support these stereotypes

How Greek Life (fraternities and sororities) can create “hyper masculine” and “hyper feminine” environments that can perpetuate gender stereotypes.

Why Greek member should care and take action (individually, chapter-wide, and campus wide) to break down these gender stereotypes

PRESENTATION GOALS

WARNING! IT’S JUST A SKIT

• Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students

• Males account for 5 to 10 percent of bulimia and anorexia cases.

• 40% of college students admit to knowing about hazing activities

• 29% of Greek leaders are concerned with the overuse of alcohol during pledge activities

• About 3% of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

a set of two or more grammatical categories into which the nouns of certain languages are divided, sometimes but not necessarily corresponding to the sex of the referent when animate.

any of the categories, such as masculine, feminine, neuter, or common, within such a set

informal: the state of being male, female, or neuter

informal: all the member of one sex – the female gender. 

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and unabridged 10th edition. (2012, March 11). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Gender.

DEFINING GENDER

The sex of an individual, male or female, based on reproductive anatomy.

Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture.

 

The American Heritage – Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. (2012, March 11). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Gender. 

DEFINING GENDER - MEDICALLY

A grammatical category indicating the sex, or lack of sex, of nouns and pronouns.

The three genders are masculine, feminine, and neuter. He is a masculine pronoun; She is a feminine pronoun; it is a neuter pronoun.

Nouns are classified by gender according to the gender of the pronoun that can substitute for them.

In English, gender is directly indicated only by pronouns.

The American Heritage – New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 3rd Edition. (2012, March 11). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Gender.

DEFINING GENDER - CULTURALLY

LEV’S CONCEPTUALIZATION OF BINARY SYSTEMS OF SEX, GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLE, AND SEXUAL

ORIENTATION

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: theory, research, and practice. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint.

LEV’S RELATIONSHIP AMONG SEC, GENDER, GENDER ROLE, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION

WHENALL ARE FLUID AND ON A CONTINUUM

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: theory, research, and practice. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint.

GENDER STEREOTYPES - FEMALE

GENDER STEREOTYPES - MALE

MTV PSA – SLUT

BRIEFLY TOUCH ON GENDER ROLE IN THE MEDIA

MTV PSA – GAY

MissRepresentation

GENDER IN THE MEDIA

Male focus – Beta House

Female focus – Sorority Row

GREEK GENDER IN THE MEDIA

Each group will get “What People Think I Do” Stereotype

Your Group has and have 5-8 minutes to fill-out the each square

Discuss the following questions: How does what society think about Greek Life support gender

stereotypes? How does what society think about Greek Life and gender roles

affect you, your chapter, and the AU Greek community?

GREEK GENDER ROLES

Stereotypes – What People Think I Do Activity

Drout and Corsoro - Greek organization members were more likely to put the blame of hazing incidents on the system rather than to look at it as individual choices (2003).

“Research shows that members of college fraternities and sororities drink more heavily and typically suffer more alcohol related consequences than other students…” (Fairlie, DeJong, Stevenson, Lavigne, & Wood, 2010, p. 87)

Students who joined Greek organizations their first semester of college had a lower grade point average than those who did not (Debard, Lake, & Binder, 2006).

RESEARCH BASED RESULTS OF STEREOTYPES PLAYED OUT IN GREEK LIFE

COMMUNITIES

A brother of an AU fraternity recently chose to deactivate due to the harsh words that brothers would use to describe other brothers and women, specifically sorority women. His brothers could not understand why this mattered so much to him but that’s because they didn’t know his past. When he would bring this up to his brothers, the bullying would only intensify and he would be harassed even more. The brothers didn’t understand what the big deal was and figured he knew they were only joking. However, If only the bothers would of understood how close the ex-member was to taking his own life because he couldn’t take the words they used to address him and the way they treated him.

TAKE ACTION – OPENING SKIT

How would you address YOUR SPECIFIC AUDIENCE

TAKE ACTION - GROUP SCENARIO

How would you respond to the situation when addressing the specific audience ?

What resources (campus and community) do you know of ?

How would this affect your chapter ?

How would this affect the AU Greek community?

Delta Zeta - To the world, I promise temperance and insight and courage, To crusade for justice, To seek the truth and defend it always; To those whom my life may touch in slight measure…

Phi Mu - To keep our lives gentle, merciful and just, Thus being true to the womanhood of love. To walk in the way of honor, guarding the purity of our thoughts and deeds. Being steadfast in every duty small or large…

Alpha Phi - I believe in it as a shrine of international sisterhood wherein I may find love and loyalty, sympathy and understanding, inspiration and opportunity. I believe in it as a creator of good citizenship, helping me to do my work well, to live in harmony with others…

Alpha Delta Pi - I BELIEVE that our motto, “We Live For Each Other,” expresses the true spirit of fraternity… I BELIEVE that the privilege of membership in Alpha Delta Pi brings the responsibility to do my best in whatever I undertake, always remembering that leadership requires confidence tempered with humility and courage blended with tolerance. ..

LET’S GO BACK TO OUR SHARED VALUES

Tau Kappa Epsilon- To Believe in the life based upon integrity, justice, sincerity, patience, moderation, culture, and challenge in order to serve as a responsible, mature member of society…

Phi Delta Theta – Phi Delta Theta was organized with three principle objectives: The cultivation of friendship among its members, the acquirement individually of a high degree of mental culture, and the attainment personally of a high standard of morality.

Phi Kappa Psi - I believe that I am honor bound to strengthen my character and deepen my integrity; to counsel and guide my Brothers who stray from their obligations; to respect and emulate my Brothers who practice moderation in their manners and morals

LET’S GO BACK TO OUR SHARED VALUES

ACTION STARTS WITH YOU

DeBard, R., Lake, T., & Binder, R. S. (2006). Greeks and grades: The First-Year Experience.

NASPA Journal, 43(1), 56-68. Retrieved from: http://www.naspa.org

Drout, C. E., & Corsoro, C. L. (2003). Attitudes toward fraternity hazing among fraternity members, sorority members, and

non-Greek students. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 31, 535- 543. Retrieved from:

http://www.sbp-journal.com/

Fairlie, A. M., DeJohng, W., Stevenson, J, F., Lavigne, A. M., & Wood, M. D.  (2010). Fraternity and sorority leaders and

members: A comparison of alcohol use, attitudes, and policy awareness. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol

Abuse, 36, 187-193. doi: 10.3109/00952990.2010.491878

REFERENCES

Nichelle Shuck, CWRU Greek Life Assistant for Leadership nshuck@kent.edu

Emily Yoder, CWRU Greek Life Assistant for Ritualeyoder9@kent.edu

Eric Young, Resident Director; Graduate Assistant in the Office of Alcohol, Drug, and Wellness Education

younger@mountunion.edu@EricRYoung

CONTACT INFORMATION