Npower studies Greek Life at MU
Greek Life stakeholders met with Npower consultants.
Published Nov. 13, 2009
Npower concluded its consultation with Greek Life on Wednesday afternoon.
Npower CEO Karyn Nishimura Sneath began the consultation Monday along with her co-facilitator, Bill Nelson, University of Iowa Student Life director.
"We held 21 meetings with about 150 people in 60 to 90 minute sessions," Sneath said.
Sneath said she met with stakeholder groups, as well as with alumni advisory board volunteers, campus staff members and others, to gain perspective on the Greek Life community.
Basler said Greek Life students who participated in the focus groups were chosen randomly from chapter rosters. Dave Roberts provided the names for the non-Greek Life student focus group, which included community advisers, members of the Chancellor's Leadership Class and others.
Panhellenic Association delegate Caitlin Mundschenk and Ryan Morimura, Interfraternity Council Public Relations vice president, both attended separate focus groups.
"I didn't really know how it was going to go," Morimura said. "They asked us about what needs change."
Sneath said in every meeting, participants wanted to be helpful to the process and were cooperative, open and engaged.
"People have also been given the opportunity to follow up and send thoughts and perspectives via e-mail, and a one-page feedback sheet in the event they were not able to share them verbally during the meetings," Sneath said.
Morimura said he thought Npower's approach was beneficial. They sat back and let the participants have the floor about what they felt their strengths and weaknesses are.
"They were taking pretty copious notes," Morimura said.
On the last day of Npower's consultation, Sneath met with Greek Life advisers and toured the MU campus.
"We toured the entire campus to get a sense of history and artifacts and gain a better sense of the campus environment," Sneath said.
Sneath said they visited the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center and fraternity and sorority houses to see the sizes and locations of the chapter houses.
Basler said they showed Sneath two older sorority and fraternity houses and two recently renovated houses so she could see the living structure.
In their meeting, Basler said Sneath provided the names of different institutions to look at to see how they handled implementation.
Sneath said she has worked with Greek Life communities at Washington State University, Miami University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and DePaul University.
"Services have varied depending on what the campus client has needed and wanted in their fraternity and sorority community evaluation," Sneath said.
Mundschenk said hiring Npower was a really great idea.
"Every organization and every person always has room for improvement," Mundschenk said. "By getting an outside perspective, it allows us to be objective."
Morimura said this shows the commitment the administration has toward Greek Life.
"We want to make this community better and strong," Morimura said. "If it takes an outside resource to help us with that, why wouldn't we want to do that?"
Morimura said Npower's feedback would be valuable due to both their experience and having an outsider's perspective on MU Greek Life.
Sneath's has worked as a staff member for the North-American Interfraternity Conference and the National Association for Community Leadership, now known as the Community Leadership Association.
She has been doing consulting and facilitating work since 1995.