can participate in problematic behavior such as alcohol abuse. Members participate in hazing to develop a sense of belong- ing. Through hazing, members are pushed to become a better person/member. Hazing starts high but usually declines over time. Time is an indicator of ac- countability. The study revealed that accountability and belonging remains high for high-performing chapters. With most chapters, accountability and belonging is only high during the first year of membership. Therefore, re-en- gagement of members is needed during members final years in order to maintain a high-level ac- countability and belonging. • The Cycle of Violence: Hazing, Domestic Violence, & Title IX. Session presenters challenged participants to reconsider how their campuses approach haz- ing investigations, education, and threat assessment response. Embracing Talent, Knowledge, & Skills to Lead a Team & Yourself. Session presenters lead partici- pants to evaluate their current competencies as they relate to their preparation to articulate a strategic vision and manage chap- ter operations. Presenters helped participants to identify resources to assist in the development/ enhancement of their competen- cies in preparation to take on advanced professional roles with their career. The AFA Annual Meeting Closing keynote speaker was Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D. (Delta Xi 1988). Dr. Harper is a provost and professor in the Rosier School of Education and Marshall School of Business at the University of Presenters led participants to understand how hazing and sexual violence are the same and contribute to an overall cycle of violence. • Finding Your Professional Voice:
Southern California (USC), the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leader- ship, and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center. Prior to joining USC, he spent a decade on the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania faculty, where he founded the Center for the Study of Race & Equity in Education. Professor Harper’s research has been cited in more than 8,000 published studies. Profes- sor Harper has been interviewed on CNN, ESPN, and NPR, and featured or quoted in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and over 11,000 news out- lets in the U.S. and abroad. Professor Harper challenged participants with an outstanding presentation en- titled, Blackfaces. Blackface is a form of theatrical make-up used predominantly by non-Black performers to represent a caricature of a Black person. Dr. Harper’s session began with pictures of members of white fraternities and sorori- ties in blackface. Dr. Harper asked the question, “Why does this happen?” His research suggests the following: • Students bring racist attitudes and biases to colleges • Magical thinking–the presump- tion of immunity among educa- tors and administrators • Little cross-racial engagement occurs in most sororities and fraternities • Flimsy nonexistent strategies to deal with the issues • We move on; we fail to make good and sustained educational use of racial sagas • We were not taught how to talk
about and teach about race, or how to solve racial problems
• History of racism
Dr. Harper further indicated that through his research consisting of interviewing African American frater- nity and sorority members, that these students are being underserved. He
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