Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative Welcomes Alpha Delta Pi as First Sorority Member

Leading National Sorority Joins Historic Consortium Formed to Address Pressing Issues Facing College Students Through Unique Research-Based Curriculum


AURORA, CO and ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Apr 2, 2015) - The Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative (FHSI), a consortium of international and national fraternity member clients of James R. Favor & Company (JRFCo), today announced Alpha Delta Pi has become the first sorority to join the historic consortium, which was created to address the most pressing social issues facing college campuses today: sexual and relationship misconduct, binge drinking and hazing. The announcement comes as April begins National Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the U.S.

Alpha Delta Pi was founded at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Ga. in 1851 as one of the first societies for college women. The principles of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood and service guide its more than 180,000 living alumnae, and more than 23,000 active collegiate members in 153 chapters and two colonies in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Pi is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. A foremost national sorority and member of the National Panhellenic Conference, Alpha Delta Pi has a long-standing tradition of tackling issues facing women. Alpha Delta Pi will begin training members and facilitators in July 2015. 

"More than 163 years ago, Alpha Delta Pi laid the foundation for the sorority movement, which is why we are excited that they are the first sorority to implement the Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative," said Marc Mores, executive vice president of JRFCo. "Like our fraternity members, Alpha Delta Pi is rooted in the principles of leadership and integrity, and shares our mission to take charge of the health and well-being of its members and their college communities."

The sorority expects to reach more than 17,000 active members with a customized version of the FHSI module "Taking A Stand: Preventing Sexual Misconduct on Campus" during the 2015-16 academic year. As a primer to the module, Alpha Delta Pi will introduce a video encouraging conversation about sexual assault prevention and consent to its active members in April.

"Alpha Delta Pi believes effective prevention of sexual misconduct requires the education and training of both men and women to create a meaningful dialogue with both genders on a very complex topic," said Tammie S. Pinkston, international president of Alpha Delta Pi. "We are proud to be the first sorority to join forces with the Consortium and implement the Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative. We recognize that now is the time for our women to use their voices to address this issue. Through the Initiative's impact, we are challenging our chapters to serve as catalysts for creating safer campuses." 

Alpha Delta Pi joins founding consortium members, which include Lambda Chi Alpha, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Triangle fraternities.

"We welcome Alpha Delta Pi with great enthusiasm," said Justin Buck, executive vice president and CEO of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. "Their active participation will enhance the collective impact of the Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative by providing more undergraduates with a uniform language, bystander prevention skill set and decision-making framework that transcends gender and college affiliation."

The FHSI curriculum was created by JRFCo under the guidance of an advisory council comprised of industry experts, academic researchers and campus-based professionals. It consists of three trainer-led program modules, all focused heavily on bystander intervention to help empower students to recognize, diagnose and most importantly, intervene in potentially harmful situations. Each module also emphasizes informed decision-making, evaluation of risks/consequences and challenges undergraduates to rethink their actions through the lens of their organization's values. As of February 28, 2015, the Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative has reached more than 20,000 undergraduates with its unique research-based curriculum and is on track to meet its goal of reaching more than 35,000 undergraduate students with the FHSI curriculum in the first year alone.

The customized "Taking A Stand" module developed for Alpha Delta Pi will be based on research showing sorority membership can impact one's individual actions.1 The curriculum will enable women to engage in an authentic dialogue about healthy sexual relationships, including how to obtain and provide consent, as well as equipping members with the necessary tools to understand how and why they should intervene, and how to create an intervention-supportive chapter culture.

By implementing the FHSI, Alpha Delta Pi will contribute to the united front these organizations have formed and enhance the powerful influence of their peer groups.2 The FHSI training modules are also designed to help empower members to be change agents in their communities. They will serve as the basis for ongoing programming and will be reinforced by advisors, alumni and staff members of Alpha Delta Pi in accordance with the organization's guidelines and policies. Strict criteria for implementation and the measurement of learning outcomes will be upheld by JRFCo and the leaders of the FHSI.

About the Fraternal Health and Safety Initiative
The Fraternal Health & Safety Initiative (FHSI) was developed by James R. Favor & Company in 2013 in an effort to address risk management issues impacting the health and safety of participating fraternity members and guests present within the fraternal community. The FHSI consortium of nine leading international and national fraternities and sororities represents nearly 100,000 undergraduate men and women at more than 550 college campuses. The FHSI provides expertise, leadership and innovation to meet the unique challenges facing fraternal organizations in today's complex world. For more information about the Fraternal Health and Safety Initiative, visit www.FHSI.jrfco.com. For more information about James R. Favor & Company, visit www.jrfco.com.

1 Multiple sources; full citations available upon request. DeSantis, 2007; Derryberry & Thoma, 2000; Elkins, Helms, & Pierson, 2003; Mathiasen, 2003; Nuwer, 1999; Robbins, 2005.

2 A Systematic Qualitative Review of Risk and Protective Factors for Sexual Violence Perpetration. Trauma Violence Abuse 2013 Apr 27;14 (2):133-67. Epub 2012 Dec 27. By Andra Teten Tharp, Sarah DeGue, Linda Anne Valle, Kathryn A Brookmeyer, Greta M Massetti and Jennifer L Matjasko

Contact Information:

Contact:
Fraternal Health and Safety Initiative
Molly Schlax

312-729-3661