Will Anything Change? Examining Historically White Fraternity Members’ Development of Openness to Diversity in Contemporary Times

Abstract

Scholars have identified that openness to diversity is a vital student outcome for higher education. Interest in this outcome has only intensified in recent years because of increased attention to, and unrest related to, social injustices. Using longitudinal data from 3420 undergraduate members of historically white college men's social fraternities located at 134 higher education institutions in the United States, this study examined factors that influenced the development of openness to diversity and change (ODC) amongst fraternity members from the 2019-2020 to 2020-2021 academic years. Our findings revealed that individual and institutional-level political and social involvement, and individual and institutional-level conceptualizations of fraternal brotherhood (e.g., brotherhood based on belonging) were associated with ODC during the 2020-2021 academic year. Though historically white college men's fraternities have often perpetuated exclusionary environments both in historical and contemporary times, the study results suggest that political and social involvement and participation in fraternities that emphasize belonging and accountability may contribute to college men's ODC. We urge scholars and practitioners to have more nuanced understandings of fraternities, while simultaneously challenging fraternities to put their values into actions and to deconstruct the legacies of exclusion that exist within these organizations.

A quantitative examination of social justice orientation among members of a historically white sorority.

“…In a similar fashion to the ways that whiteness is upheld in these organizations, so too is heteronormativity (Stone & Gorga, 2014), which could explain why heterosexual women are not challenged to adopt a socially just orientation, another one of our significant results. Finally, much like McCready et al's (2023) research on ODC in historically white fraternities, one's conservative leanings predicted a lower likelihood to profess a social justice orientation whereas those that were more liberal were significantly more likely to do so. SFL as a cocurricular experience is supportive of liberal students' aspirations to make change but may not be serving the same positive effect for conservative students.…”

“…Christian identities were recoded as "majority worldview," other major religious identities were recoded as "minority worldview" (e.g., Muslim), "Atheistic or Agnostic," "Spiritual," and "Other" were recoded as "other worldview," and "nothing in particular" was recoded as "nonreligious worldview." As acknowledged by other critical-leaning scholars (e.g., McCready et al, 2023), we recognize the limitations of our decisions to aggregate some identity-related variables, as this prevents us from discussing specific implications related to fraternity men who hold these identities.…”

“…Especially relevant to the present investigation, quantitative studies on how participation in SFL organizations shapes members’ ODC have proliferated (Asel et al, 2015; Bowman, 2014; Martin et al, 2011, 2015; McCready et al, 2023). What scholars have written about this topic is mixed—with some studies naming that participating in an SFL organization has negative associations with ODC (e.g., Asel et al, 2015; Bowman, 2014) whereas others have shown no significant relationships (Martin et al, 2011, 2015).…”

“…Though comparisons between non-SFL members and affiliated students have produced these mixed results, explorations on samples exclusively of SFL members have explained the contexts associated with ODC. Specific to fraternities, McCready et al (2023) sought to identify how experiences associated with fraternities positively predicted members’ ODC, including the degree to which they felt brotherhood with their fellow members. Their study illustrated how conservative students were less likely to demonstrate ODC, but that political/social involvement and fraternal belongingness positively predicted ODC.…”

“…Specifically, researchers have examined how organizations perform a replicative process through their recruitment practices (Joyce, 2018), as well as how members exhibit racist attitudes in both fraternities (Morgan et al, 2015) and sororities (Zimmerman et al, 2018). Hoping to develop effective interventions into these patterns, inquiries into sorority and fraternity life (SFL) members' openness to diversity and challenge (ODC) have emerged over the years (Asel et al, 2015;Bowman, 2014;Martin et al, 2011Martin et al, , 2015McCready et al, 2023), showcasing the characteristics that lend themselves to stronger dispositions toward inclusion (e.g., precollege characteristics, inclusive chapter climates). The hope is that researchers identify the factors that shape openness toward diversity for those affiliated with SFL organizations and that practitioners will in turn be able to develop programs and initiatives that act upon these insights.…”