Robyn Miner Source 1

Step 1:
A) Hevel, Michael S., and Daniel A. Bureau. "Research-Driven Practice In Fraternity And Sorority Life." New Directions For Student Services 
                2014. 147 (2014): 23-26.  Professional Development Collection. Web. 6 Oct. 2016

B) Does Greek life impact students and institutions of higher education academically/financially, specifically at Mizzou?

C) Before reading: I am a member of a sorority here at Mizzou, so I thought that this would be an interesting topic to research, so that I could learn more about how Greek Life impacts the campus overall. I assumed that being apart of a sorority/ fraternity allowed students to give back to the community as well as work on leadership skills and learn how to work with others. I know that there are some people who have a different perspective of this community and this led me to my question. I thought this source would be useful for the purpose of answering my question because I wanted a source that would not be bias towards this subject and the fact that the title says "Research-Driven" captured my attention.

During reading: I thought it was interesting how studies have been conducted to actually determine how joining/ not joining affects a student's life in college and after graduation. This source offered an unbiased view of Greek Life, which I felt was very important as there are many factors that could contribute to how a person views fraternities and sororities.

After reading: This piece shed light on Greek Life and it's impact through research and tests. It concluded that in most cases, joining a Fraternity/ Sorority does not impact a student in either a positive or negative way. This was very different from what I have heard from other people.

Step 2:
         This piece delves into how joining/ not joining a fraternity or a sorority impacts factors like a student's critical thinking, moral reasoning, leadership and mentality. The piece utilized research from  the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. This study concluded that while Greek Life can improve leadership skills, it otherwise has no correlation. This evidence based on nation wide studies and scales proved to support the overall argument that while being involved with this community, it has no lasting impact. Instead, it should be improved to uphold this "standard".
         This source made me think about Greek Life in an entirely new way. I have always thought that this organization made students more responsible and gave them a chance to give back while at college. Members of my family have been a part of this organization and this is what influenced me to join as well. After reading this piece, I found that my beliefs were not accurate, statistically. Personally, I disagreed with most of the statements mentioned by the piece simply because of my own personal bias. However, I did like the fact that this piece was completely objective and did not try to persuade the reader into thinking a certain way. I thought that this source supported my research question because it shed light on how this organization impacts students/ academics.
        This source led me to ask myself new questions like: "What makes a student want to join a fraternity/ sorority?" and "If this community supposedly creates a a brother/sisterhood, why does it have no lasting affects on a student's learning or moral skills?" With this, I plan to research more pieces that discuss many different points of view of Greek Life as well as what institutions of higher education are doing to make this a more educational experience. The answers that I have so far is that despite what most people think, fraternities and sororities do not impact a student in a positive or negative way. This challenges the ideas that being apart of this community is just for the social aspect or networking.