As a dad to a son and daughter that both went Greek and had two different college experiences, as a professor of psychology and creative colloquiums for almost 20 years, and as 30 plus year volunteer and Past International President of the largest fraternity in the world, Marchman can offer valuable insights for college student and parents.

Marchman’s 7 Rules

During lectures to students (approximately 480 campuses), students ask for guidelines to help them as a student and prepare them for life. After much reflection and observation of behaviors and routines of successful students, I developed the following:

1. Establish a schedule every week
2. Go to class every day prepared
3. Go to every chapter/club meeting prepared
4. Devour Robert’s Rules of Order
5. Join 2 organizations your Freshman Year and 1 new organization each subsequent year
6. Take a leadership role in a philanthropy event every year
7. Make one new each semester and introduce them to your organizations

Finding Your Potential

Going off to college is more than moving into a less supervised environment (oh yeah, they are still dependents), partying, making lifelong friends and memories, and even getting a degree. But it is a safe environment to find yourself, your voice, your passions, your leadership abilities, make some mistakes, or discover the realities associated with some initial dreams and desires. Remember, even when you graduate, your behaviors will continue to evolve. But we will provide resources to students to discover and enhance their strengths.

Alcohol

The one constant in deviant behaviors exhibited by students or cause for poor grades is the influence of alcohol. It is a driver of hazing activities, criminal incidents, property damage, acts of violence, and poor or failing grades.

Research indicates that alcohol directly results in 1,825 deaths, 690,000 assaults, and 97,000 sexual assaults annually to college students. Additional observations of student behavior include:

• 4 of 5 college students drink alcohol
• 60% drank in the last month
• 50% binge drank (4+ drinks in 2 hours)
• 25% will have academic problems
• 20% can be clinically diagnosed as “abuser”

Sadly, this behavior is enabled by alumni when they are tailgating at football games, attending alumni weekend, parent weekend, or any other function that brings them back on campus.

The school administrations cannot solve this epidemic alone. It will require a collaboration of the school, local public safety, the community, local retailers and restaurants, student organizations, administration, and the student themselves.

Additional program information demonstrating our methods to reduce the negative impact alcohol have on a student, organization, and campus will be offered.

Greek Life

Due to negative publicity, we are frequently asked “what are reasons to join a Greek organization?”. Yes, there is a spotlight on fraternities and hazing incidents. As a former national board member, hazing in any form is viewed a constant reminder of the need for vigilance. However, everyone must do their due diligence to discover the positive attributes of going “Greek” and determine that the level of hazing associated with Greek organizations is small compared to other student organizations.

While many students join to follow their parents as a “legacy”, most students seek to join an organization offering opportunities for lifelong friendships and to network with alumni. It allows members chances to practice soft and practical skills utilized in the workforce, an incentive to maintain a higher GPA, and experience holding others and themselves accountable.

To maximize their Greek experience, suggestions for parents and students on the process of joining and issues to consider, maximizing the experience during each academic year till graduation and acquiring a job.

However, membership in a Greek organization should enhance their student experience, but not consume it. Students must remember they are in school to obtain a degree, not to “major” in Fraternity.

Hazing

Hazing continues to cause tremendous, long-lasting emotional wounds, physical injuries, and death to students nationwide. And sadly, it is not getting any better because of the escalation of alcohol and the “YouTube effect” where the shock factor must be greater and captured on video.

Hazing across the range of student organizations involves excessive alcohol consumption, acts of humiliation, isolation, sleep deprivation, criminal activity, extreme servitude behavior, and sexual acts.

While the focus on fraternities and sororities may be due to the approximately 30 college students, 29 males and one female, dying because of hazing by (16 involved excessive consumption of alcohol). It is becoming apparent that college athletes commit the highest percentage of hazing. Of 460,000 athletes, there have been 255,000 incidents reported which is a 55% rate. Even more concerning is the notion that 40% of the hazed athletes stated their coaches knew about it. Lastly, the largest population of hazing victims is in high schools. It is estimated that 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year. Which means it is high schools, not colleges, producing students experienced with hazing.

While I am proud to be a part of the recent hazing legislation in Georgia for the Max Gruver Act that focused on alcohol and reporting, but not the systemic nature of hazing. We are working with campuses and state governments to develop programs to help students identify hazing and not be bystanders, reduce the influence of alcohol, and implement prevention programs. Training must go beyond organization members to include faculty, public safety, and the courts on investigative techniques that can be used in a criminal court to make an impact.

These programs focus on the systemic toxic culture passing traditions down from year to year that subsequently creates a population of aggressors who are last year’s victims seeking retribution.