A qualitative study to explore college presidents' perceptions of Greek social organizations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore how college and university presidents perceive the Greek social organizations that exist on their campus. Fraternities and sororities, in recent years, have increasingly been placed underneath a microscope. While a variety of research exists in regards to perceptions of Greek social organizations there is a dearth of research analyzing college and university presidents. A phenomenological approach was used in order to allow the participants to share stories, experiences, and perceptions freely and unfiltered. The study focused on the Ohio Valley region of the United States. Sixteen presidents volunteered to participate in the interview which represented 5 states and various institution types. The semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed for rich conversation, storytelling, and detail descriptions of the phenomenon. Data explication allowed for the finding of three themes across the sixteen participants. These themes were Financial Impact, Campus Impact, and Desired Evolution. The participants expressed their approval and excitement for the research as it gave them an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and freely share their thoughts. This study is one of the first to investigate the lived experiences of college and university presidents as it related to Greek social organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)