Four Factors that Can Escalate Apathy

Written by: Dan Bureau, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, '95), National President

I heard at Officers Academy that “members are apathetic”, but I strongly believe this to not be entirely true. For the most part people are not apathetic by nature. In my experience in working with organizations, including college fraternities, I have found that four factors escalate the potential for people to demonstrate a lack of interest but environments can be created in which these factors are mitigated. Ultimately this can enhance engagement and lessen any sense of “apathy”.

First, people lose interest when they don’t understand how to achieve the goals requested. For a person in a role, it may be that the task assigned does not have clear outcomes or there is no roadmap or suggested strategies provided. Sometimes the person does not have competence to do the job. Potentially capacity can be an issue. To minimize the potential for this to happen properly train people and help them understand how the work is a priority. Help the person to know the reason the task exists in order to achieve the organization’s mission.

Second, sometimes life gets in the way. I mentioned capacity as part of lack of clear strategy to fulfill responsibilities. The issue with performance or what is displayed to us as apathy may be from the very beginning or life may just get in the way: other family, academic, work or involvement priorities may be in conflict with the limited time they have to perform the role. Capacity is challenged because doing the work expected takes time that they just don’t have. Sometimes those challenges are temporary: “I have a huge test this week that will impact whether I get into my major”, or “I had to pick up extra hours so I can afford (rent, dues, car payment, etc.) this month”. When someone isn’t doing the work, find out if there is a capacity issue and work with them to identify ways to address the delay or inadequate work if it is temporary. Have an honest conversation and potentially the capacity issue may be longer-term: figure out if this role or participating in some of the ways expected is something that is long-term realistic for this person given their other time constraints and discuss a way to gracefully bough out if needed.

Third, sometimes there is an interest issue. The person may not be interested, yet still have motivation to contribute, because it was not the job they originally wanted or when they got into it there may have been a lack of challenge or even too much challenge. It may not appeal to them because of some of the other reasons or issues already stated, but we must know that when people sign up to do something or prepare to engage in community with others, such as when they join a fraternity, it is unlikely they started with that lack of interest. To better achieve active engagement, when someone demonstrates a lack of interest, find out if there’s something else they may wish to do. Find out if someone else may be better suited for their role and see about switching it up.

Finally, if an environment is not one that challenges people,then a problem may exist. Leaders have a responsibility to create a sense of commitment to an organization while understanding that each person will bring different interests, skills, and talents to achieve the organization’s goals. Sometimes that ebbs and flows based on the time of year but providing high expectations along with the support necessary for people to meet those expectations – enhancing skillsets, providing encouragement, leading and managing when needed – can provide an environment in which people stay motivated, engaged, and interested.

In closing, there may be a person here or there who just doesn’t bring the interest in a way that may demonstrate apathy toward the organization, but this is not the norm. A good screening process to ascertain their disposition to engage, providing the trainings necessary to be successful, connecting people to opportunities to contribute that match their interests, and creating an environment in which expectations exist while also supporting members when challenges occur can help prevent challenges with motivation and help a chapter achieve its goals.

Study Hours Are Not Enough

Written by: Dan Bureau, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, '95), National President

Study hours are not enough (and actually may be detrimental) for your scholarship Program.

We have many expectations in the Fraternity, including the need for members to meet and maintain academic standards. This aspect of the organization may matter differently across our chapters and within individual members but on the national level we know that our members should not perform poorly academically as a result of Phi Kappa Theta AND we have a responsibility to facilitate academic success for members.

How we create environments in which members feel like they can succeed academically will impact not only the recruitment and retention of members but also their entire lives. These programs can look different per chapter but one thing for sure is:

Brothers, study hours are not enough, if they are even helpful.

Study hours provide a time during which members are “required” to study or at least be in a space where they and others are studying. Often it is for new members as if those are the only ones for whom we need to provide academic direction and support (and for whom we’d be accountable for academic success). I get that from a time management perspective, the requirement to be in a space in which you are forced to study might make sense, but I strongly believe that study hours as a primary strategy for academic success is not going to make chapters successful.

Why don’t they? Here are a few reasons:

• Different majors require different types of work. Sometimes it’s quiet to study for a test but often it’s writing papers, working on group projects, doing online course assignments, etc. Your science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related majors have different needs than your humanities or social sciences types. Everyone being in the same place prevents some of our members from doing the work they really need to do either by themselves (depending on study preferences) or with groups (likely those who do not involve Phi Kaps).

• In a world where more and more college students have learning disabilities, the need to develop self-directed and managed approaches to studying has never been more important. Many students with learning disabilities come to college with some level of management ability; however, for some where college is a new environment unmonitored by people with a specific ability to support their learning disability, it is important to figure out ways to attend to how they need to best study and conduct academic work. I am willing to bet it rarely comes in the form of the study hours environment which can sometimes be poorly managed with a well-intentioned member who may not be able to hold the people in the space accountable for doing the work they are their to do.

• Additionally, The McGraw Center at Princeton University showcases some of the ways to better manage time and energy. The world is a lot and people have so many different demands outside of Phi Kappa Theta. For many, studying from 6-9 at study hours just isn’t the best time to make it happen.

Sadly, the biggest reason I think to abolish study hours is that while academic success is a nice outcome, it isn’t about that. Chapters use it to exert influence and control over members. While I would not classify study hours as hazing, it’s done more for reasons outside of ensuring individual academic goals are met and it just is not the best way to facilitate your members’ academic achievement.

So what do you do instead? Philosophically, I think that the best approach to academic success of your members is to create communities of shared academic and career goals in which members can come together. The environment must be such that all members recognize their opportunity to contribute.

What does this look like?

First, consider creating teams to foster positive competition and connect members to those with comparable academic demands and goals. This may look two ways: you can set up teams by buckets of majors. Put all of the heavy math or science people into a team or two. Put those who are doing more writing and creative work in another. Business majors? They can have a team or two all by themselves. 

You can create challenges across the teams. For example, teams set an average GPA goal. They hit it, they get something cool. Across all teams, whomever beats their own goal the most, gets something even more awesome. You want more ideas? Reach out to me.

A second idea is to help members develop an individualized plan. What Phi Kappa Theta should do is provide the resources and connections to help members be academically and otherwise successful. What about having each member submit an academic plan in which they (1) document a minimum GPA to which they are aspiring (and is at least the minimum GPA a member needs to be active), (2) develop the plans they are going to use to manage their time to achieve, (3) identify one to two campus or other resources they will use to achieve their GPA and manage their diverse academic demands (such as attending supplemental instruction, tutoring, or other educational supports), and (4) develop a series of checkpoints to ensure progress. For the last idea of checkpoints, this may be where breaking them up by major would be most helpful. 

Finally, having one person in charge of scholarship or academic success as we are used to is not a good model either. In my chapter, the person who often held this role was an engineer with whom I had so little in common (loved the guy, one of my favorite friends eventually, but nothing in common) and he just could not help me address the demands of my social sciences and humanities disposition. 

When you consider the models I have proposed above about using a team and having individualized plans, those models take a village more than a person. You might have at least one member from each class standing or from each bucket of majors serving in a role. This person will be advisory and supportive - connecting members to what they need to be successful. 

In closing, all of our members need academic support. Using a teams model that engages more people in the oversight and attention to academic goals can help a chapter be more successful. Determining a plan for success that aligns with chapter expectations can position both the member and the chapter to achieve their goals. Study hours will not make the difference: providing an environment in which academic goals are supported, individual learning approaches are honored, and the entire chapter is committed to each member doing their best to move the chapter GPA up the rankings while also helping members excel is what matters most. 

Thoughts on Friendships

Written by: Dan Bureau, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, '95), National President

Recently an alum from my chapter reached out to congratulate me on serving as Phi Kappa Theta’s President. It meant a lot because this is a brother with whom I had no previous relationship. He graduated before I even joined the chapter and I had never talked to him before.

Yet, he reached out due to this bond we have as members of this Fraternity, our shared chapter affiliation, and a feeling that our chapter was (sadly, was) something very special in creating conditions that helped members commit to each other, stay connected, and in the name of the Fraternity come together around important life milestones. For example, just a little over a week before he and I spoke for the first time, he had attended the funeral of one of our brothers. For him, Phi Kappa Theta had been a bond that transcended college. 

It got me thinking a lot about the role a fraternity can play in addressing the male friendship recession, a term to describe the declining state of meaningful friendships between men. A statistic that shocked me given my involvement in Phi Kappa Theta: the percentage of men with at least six close friends has fallen by half since 1990 with one in five single men having zero close friends. 

Zero close friends….

It has led some to embark on a quest to fill their lives with male friends. I think about the consequences of this because if men do not have close male friends, it’s like they don’t have close friends period given the challenges with male/female relationships. Of course, how people display gender or their sexual orientation may influence this differently, but by and large, men are not doing well in having friendships with other men. 

 By the way, friends help you live longer, maintain better health norms, and provide a source of support when life just frankly gets really hard. However, “Men in general don’t feel particularly skillful in how to form friendships, how to maintain relationships, how to be honest and connected in a way that feels comfortable,” says Cynthia Post, a psychologist, in the previously referenced Washington Post article. 

Not everyone chooses to join a fraternity or are involved in environments in which male friendships might come easily, which made me think about the heightened responsibility our organizations have to create the relationships men need to realize our goals.

It struck me that while the fraternity is a conduit to friendships - across genders given the socialization patterns of fraternity men engaged in campus life and the way many collegiate members become actively involved in their fraternity and other civic organizations - it does not guarantee these relationships become meaningful for members at the collegiate or alumni level.

Brothers, building meaningful and value-added relationships is our charge!

If a fraternity should do anything well, it should be to teach men how to have meaningful, satisfying, and impactful relationships with each other and others. To be honest, there is little else really distinctive about our experience than the immediate ability to create intergenerational relationships that can have enormous emotional and other benefits in college and beyond. This was my experience:

• One of my best men in my wedding was my best friend from my chapter.

• When I come to convention, I have a connection with people whom I rarely interact with otherwise and it is like we see each other all the time. 

• As I serve the Fraternity, I try to build relationships that sustain my happiness and have done so in every aspect of my involvement.

• I am a better friend to other men, even outside of Phi Kappa Theta, because of the skills I learned as a member. 

(Credit, Hirsch, Vox, August 2022)

Fraternity can be what we hold up as the primary agent of change in this male friendship recession, but we have to be intentional about this and it will not be easy given all we have working against us. The Vox article (Aubrey Hirsch, 2022) referenced above references a disorder called normative male alexithymia: 

I am not going to get into a conversation about masculinity and male gender norms because while they stifle us, there is a lot of identity attached to this and much of how we show up as men has been learned over time: we cannot shame people into change. I feel like on the whole the best is for you to, “do you” as long as it does not hurt people - be the representation of a man that makes sense to you.

That said, our chapters, our organization, and our members can create conditions in which the relationships we seek with other men in college and in life are not just bought as a result of membership, but are what we spend our time improving as a result of our social interactions, service to the community, involvement in campus life, educational experiences and in many cases a shared living environment. 

So, we have work to do but it must be done. If we are intentional and thoughtful about ensuring an environment in which men can build the skills they need to be the right friends to each other while in college and to their fellow brothers and other humans in general after college, then we will be contributing to the improvement of our members in ways that really can be transformative and impactful. 

Why Conferences Are NOT Worth It

Are Conferences Really Worth the Cost?

by Nicholas Reid
University of Iowa, ‘21

From left to right: Nic Reid, Dr. Michael Brown, and Isaac Kracht at the Naperville BBLA.

Usually people see conferences as a waste of a weekend. Time spent away from their normal, fun weekends. In all honesty, who wants to sit in a meeting all weekend?

Many members of a fraternity would rather stay home, spend the weekend with their friends and have a good time. What people don’t understand is actually how enjoyable Phi Kappa Theta conferences are.

By having the opportunity to attend our weekend meetings, whether regional or National, I have learned more about myself and have been able to change my life for the better.

The first time I went to a Phi Kappa Theta conference was last August in Orlando. I had recently finished my freshman year, was working full time, taking summer classes and having to finish writing our petition to charter.

My first thought was, “I am the only one who can go to this meeting and how in the world am I going to find the time and money?” The answer of time was helped by my boss, who allowed me to take two days off (when I really wasn’t suppose to have any days off) to go to Orlando. The money aspect was funded by our alumni, who I am so thankful to this day that they did. It seemed as if there was a reason, an outside force that wanted me to go to Orlando, and I am so grateful I got the opportunity.

Travel became a hassle to arrive at Orlando (I had a total of 7 hours of delay), so I unfortunately missed the opening on Friday. The next day, I entered the room with no idea of who anyone was, as I was the only representative from the University of Iowa there (which is the best school in Iowa, but that’s another article).

The first man I met at breakfast was an alumni named Ross Walters (University of Louisiana, ‘02). As he offered me the top-secret, highly classified, shall not be named handshake of Phi Kappa Theta, he did not realize that I was from Iowa and had not yet been initiated.

As I did not know the handshake, he reached back in shock as if he had just touched a leper and started questioning if I was a Phi Kap. I explained that I was from Iowa and we were currently rechartering, and he laughed and joked with me the rest of the weekend.

Over the weekend, I made connections that have carried on throughout my life since. I met BRUCEEEE, legally known as Bryce Frey (Iowa State University, ‘20), the Iowa State representative. We have gone on to continue communicating and planning Iowa vs. Iowa State events.

Another important person I met, who I recently saw again at the Naperville BBLA, was Dr. Michael Brown. If you have not met Dr. Brown, I recommend that you make every effort to. Not only is he the only man I know that puts peanut butter on cheez-its, but he is extremely intelligent and a great brain to pick.

He is also one of the most caring people you will ever meet and always ready to have a conversation. I also was able to meet all the National Staff and several Alumni who I had never met in person, including Johnny Hohenstein, Robert Riggs, Doug Dilling, Adrian Gonzalez, Sarah Everhart and so many more.

The most impactful part of the trip were the meetings, but the most memorable part were the nights. Brothers from all over the country would gather at the pool or in the lounge, telling stories of their own chapters and talking about solving theirs and others chapters problems.

Of course, at the same time joking with each other and becoming close friends. I can honestly attest to that being one of the best weekends of my life, and I am still in contact with many people who I met at IMPACT18 in Orlando, FL.

The reason that I brought up Orlando was that recently my brother, Isaac Kracht from the University of Iowa, and I attended the Naperville BBLA.

I’m sure when I told him to go with me he thought the same thing as me: “oh great a weekend away from Iowa city, why in the world would I want to leave here for Naperville?” But being the kind guy he is, he accepted to come with.

I knew from talking to Johnny Hohenstein, that Dr. Brown was going to be there, and Isaac was going to love talking to him.

The weekend went very much the same way as Orlando, a great experience with a large impact on my life and good times with other chapters. Talking throughout and after the weekend with Isaac, I could see it had a resounding impact on him too.

We talked about deeper things that we had never talked about before, and he seemed energized and excited to start a new approach to life.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend making a trip to a regional or national conference. If your chapter can, implement it into dues so that everyone can go! Or, you could plan to have Dr. Brown come for a weekend and speak to your chapter.

Regarding my clickbait story title? Phi Kap conferences are indeed worth it. Whether you desiring to become a better version of yourself, or interested in meeting other brothers from around the country, I promise it will have a lasting impact on your life.

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Register for our remaining BBLA:

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Brother Reid is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering with a focus in Business Management. He is the current Vice President of Fraternal, Recharter Head and Social Media Chair for Phi Kappa Theta Iowa Delta. Nicholas grew up in Peoria, Illinois, attending St. Vincent de Paul grade school and Peoria Notre Dame High School. He was involved and active in many things, including scholastic bowl, numerous sports with his primary being soccer, key club and French Club. Nic also received the Presidental Award, National Honors Society, Old Gold Scholarship and an Illinois State Scholar. He is the first person of his family to move out for college, attend a big 10 school and join Greek life. Knowing nothing of what Greek life is about graduating, Nic has since taken a strong passion towards Phi Kappa Theta and bettering himself, along with his brothers. Nic is also involved in Dance Marathon and Intramural Sports, along with numerous service projects through the Fraternity. In his freetime, he loves to workout, play sports, hunt, fish, play video games and hang out with friends.