Research Blog #10

Abstract

Throughout my research process, I have developed a main case that is the core of my argument.  This main case describes the relationship between soft skills (a modern concept that is further defined in my paper) and Greek-letter organizations.  The main research question that I asked was “How does being in a Greek-letter organization benefit a member once they are on the pursuit to enter the professional world?” This was when I discovered soft skills and decided to make them the main topic of my research paper.  I found that though there is no hard evidence that Greeks are more likely to be hired than non-Greeks, I did find a strong connection between soft skills and members of fraternities and sororities.  These soft skills have shown to benefit the work ethic of those in the professional world.  I also found that these Greek organizations both pre-screen for soft skills during the recruitment process and develop them through the Greek experience.  

Research Blog #9

Argument and Counterargument 

My argument for my paper is that college students who are involved in Greek life are more likely to possess soft skills than those who are not.  I discuss two different origins of these skills: before college or during college.  Greek life recruitment may act as a pre-screener as they take in new members who already possess soft skills.  The Greek organizations may also help students develop these skills through leadership and other experiences.  Regardless of the origin, businesses recognize Greek lettered organizations of having a close relationship with graduates who possess soft skills.  

My counterargument would be that soft skills are simply not necessary within the professional world.  It has been argued that if an applicant has the technical skills required to fulfill the job demands, they will do the best job possible.  As the economy is slowing changing to one of information rather than one of physical skill, there is an increase in the need for people who have interpersonal and communication skills.  Although my counterargument is valid, it is slowly disintegrating because of the change in society into the modern working world, commanded by businesses and technology.   

Literature Review #5

Robles, Marcel M. "Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Today's Workplace."Business Communication Quarterly: 453-66. Print.

This article discusses the new perception on soft skills that employers are finding are a necessity in the modern workplace. It emphasizes that while technical skills are important, soft skills open up much more opportunities for workers because it makes them versatile, easy to work with, and productive. The article then goes on to mention the top 10 skills experts claim to me the essentials: communication, courtesy, flexibility, integrity, interpersonal skills, positive attitude, professionalism, responsibility, teamwork, and work ethic.

Marcel M. Robles is a Business Communications professors and Eastern Kentucky University. He has published studies in Business Communication Quarterly a few times before. Robles was also the recipient of the 2012 Federation of Business Disciplines Outstanding Educator Award.

Robles mentions that soft skills are "transferrable". I liked this phrase because it shows that the possessors of these skills are versatile workers. Being versatile is quite a relevant topic in the modern workplace. Another key term that Robles used was "people skills". He continued on to say that they are only one aspect of soft skills. Soft skills are a much broader quality to possess.

"Soft skills have more to do with who we are than what we know" (458). I used this quote in my paper because I felt like it was relevant to Greek life. Fraternities and sororities are an activity outside of the classroom, it is more about personal development than intaking information.

"In fact, soft skills are so important that they are actually ranked as number one and extremely important for potential job hires in many occupations and industries" (459). This quote will help me combat my counterargument that soft skills are just fluff added on top of real work. This quotation shows that workers who possess soft skills could definitely see more success than those who do not.

This source is valuable because it includes scholarly research and plenty of evidence that soft skills are beneficial in the work place. Although this source does not discuss the origin of these skills, it will help me explain the importance of possessing these skills.

Research Blog #8

Interview

As a member of the Greek community writing about the Greek community, I found a plethora of subjects to interview.  Since the main case in my paper concentrates on the transition between collegiate life and professional life, I chose to interview a senior named Carly within my sorority, so I could get her perception of the topic.  Carly helped me a lot with her interview.  Carly is a Human Resources Management major, graduating in a few weeks.  She is currently experiencing the process of applying and interviewing for jobs.  She had heard of the term "soft skills" before and helped me gather a personal story in regards to how sorority life can build them up before a career.  A topic that Carly touched on multiple times was the fact that Greek life opened her to experience in leadership that she would not have found elsewhere.  She said this leadership experience could help benefit her in her HR career in recruiting because it made her more sociable.  

Research Blog #7

Case

The case that I have formulated for my final paper is that soft skills are an important aspect of the professional world and Greek-letter organizations are closely related to these skills.  I mention throughout my paper that these organizations serve as both a pre-screener and a provider of these skills and that, although it is hard to distinguish when a member develops these skills, their Greek organization is a good indicator that they possess them.  I bring up many different factors of how these skills are developed and specifically what the skills are.  This helped me organize my thoughts and, in turn, made my overall argument stronger because there was a clear stream of consciousness.  

Research Blog #6

Visual




This is a table that is taken from one of my sources that I included in my paper.  I found it to be beneficial towards my argument because it shows statistics of how upperclass fraternity members have higher GPAs than their non-fraternity counterparts of the same age group.  The scholarly source that this table was included in is an entry from Administrative Science Quarterly, written by Walter L. Wallace.  I use a a few quotes from this entry throughout my paper and I think they each support my paper.  I decided to include this as a visual in my paper because it would add another dimension of numbers and statistics to my argument.  

Wallace, Walter L. "Faculty and Fraternities: Organizational Influences on Student Achievement." Administrative Science Quarterly: n. pag. Print.

Literature Review #4

Wallace, Walter L. "Faculty and Fraternities: Organizational Influences on Student Acheivement." Administrative Science Quarterly: n. pag. Print. 

This scholarly article is shows the data and explanations gathered when the author, Walter L. Wallace, asked the question of how much Greek-letter organizations influence the academics of their members.  Through tables, graphs, and much analysis, Wallace shows the positive and the negative outcomes of the subjects of his study.  His leading argument highlights the distinct differences between Greek structured college experiences and non-Greek structured college experiences.  

This article was published in Administrative Science Quarterly, an academic peer-reviewed journal that publishes studies, essays, and dissertations mostly in regards to organizational studies.  It was established in 1999 and is still publishing volumes today.  It has published many educated scholars and is a reliable source because of its legitimacy in the academic world and it's wide array of published writers.

The information in this study that stood out to me was the data gathered through questionnaires given to a range of over 1,000 students at a given university.  All is important because it is clear and concise numbers.  The writer demonstrates transparency as he shows all of his given data and compares all of the information he gathered in well-organized tables and charts.  

“fraternity membership reduced most negative relations between peer-oriented social values and grade achievement” (661).  This quote is important because Wallace studied the positive impact that fraternities had on the students involved in his research.  This is also a good quote for my argument because shows a reduction of negative relations from two aspects of membership: social and academic.  

“a student whose expertise may be restricted to one particular activity, say getting high grades, is relieved from personally seeking well-rounded prestige in a variety of fields, say athletics, romancing, politicking, and others, in which he is not skilled, by his membership in a well- rounded organization” (666). This quote is also important for my argument because it shows that fraternities create well-rounded students who excel in an array of traits that non-members would not possess. 
This study is important to my argument because it is unbiased, it includes information coming from both Greek-letter organization members and students who have opted not to join Greek-letter organizations.  It is also scholarly because the author, Walter L. Wallace, is a professor of sociology and has performed research and surveys on this topic.  I can also use some of his tables within my paper to help strengthen my argument and give visual aid to my final thesis.  

Literature Review #3

DeSantis, Alan D. Inside Greek U: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. 

I have just requested to have this book delivered to the Alexander Library from another campus and I am eager to read it.  The author, Alan D. DeSantis, was in a fraternity himself and investigates many subjects regarding membership, specifically gender roles and how joining Greek life alters members' post-collegiate plans.  DeSantis did a lot of investigation that included interviews, focus groups, gathering of statistics, and recalling his own personal experiences.  

As mentioned, DeSantis is a fraternity man himself so he can share his own collegiate experiences.  He is also a professor at the University of Kentucky, so he is exposed to the modern-day fraternity habits as well.  He performed extensive research (enough to write an entire book!) and is knowledgeable about this topic. 

Since I have not received the book yet, I have not been able to browse the chapters; however, in the title, the word "prestige" stands out to me.  My own personal definition of prestige would be finding success in a career and earning a large sum of money.  Finding promotions and making a large income could also be included in achieving a prestigious lifestyle.  

“…while Greeks constitute an average of only 8.5 percent of American college students, they produce from among their ranks a staggering number of American leaders.” (7) This quote could be beneficial to my argument because it shows the existing proof that Greek alum hold leadership roles in the American society.  

“Of the over twelve hundred students I teach each year in my Introduction to Communication Theory course, a mass lecture, it is the sorority women who are always the most active and interesting participants in class” (106).  This quote could also benefit my argument because it shows the strong academic drive that sorority women possess.  Considering they all share this trait, it can be said that their organizations are the ones that influenced them to want to excel in the academic front.
I think this book will definitely help me write my paper because it gives multiple perspectives on many different topics.  Therefore, I can broaden my arguments and bring up many subjects that are relevant to my paper.  It is also reliable, so I know I will make the best argument I can because the writing is so strong.  

Research Blogs #4 and #5

Alexis Moran

201- College!

Prof. Michael Goeller

March 6, 2014

Starting a Career: Greek vs Non-Greek

The topic for my final paper has come a long way for me since the beginning of this semester.  From the start, Greek life has always been my top interest because it is something extremely unique just to college.  Finding an academic and analytic subject within the topic was a challenge.  After looking through a few scholarly research archives, I’ve formulated a thesis that I will be able to investigate in multiple ways.  Greek life impacts many collegians lives in more ways than one.  One specific way is through preparing members for the future.  Their preparations include striving for academic excellence, creating strong career networks, and implementing time management.  I am going to research the differences between building a career as a Greek life alum with building a career as a graduate uninvolved in Greek life.  I will enter the discussion describing some of the experiences others have reported while being involved in Greek life in college.  As I continue on, I will look at the foundations that fraternities and sororities set for their members academically throughout their college years that could give them an advantage or disadvantage post-graduation.  Then I would like to research the successes or misfortunes that both Greeks and non-Greeks have experienced on their job hunts and seek out some possible evidence as to why or why not which group receives the results they wind up with.  

My main research question is: How do fraternities and sororities prepare their members for future careers in ways that differ from collegians uninvolved in Greek life?  This question is sufficient because it compares two different groups, those involved in Greek life and those who chose to not be involved.  Because it is two clear groups, there will be differences that are easy to discriminate from each other, making each argument stronger on both sides. It is important in a research paper to argue both sides and here there is no grey area where people do not fit into either category.  It is clear cut: a Greek college graduate or a non-Greek college graduate.   I think this research question is manageable because it is specific.  Finding articles, books, and other sources will be easier because I can eliminate less specific sources that will be irrelevant to my topic.  I also like this topic because I can perform in-person interviews with alumni or collegiate seniors applying for jobs.  They will be a reliable source because I can choose which questions I can ask to my subjects and I can work with the answers I receive.  

To analyze case studies and facts, I will mostly compare and contrast the results I find from my sources in order to verify the difference between truth and opinion.  I will also be able to categorize the relevancy of my sources by organizing my quotes into lists and seeing which source I gathered the most information from.  This source will probably be my primary driving force that will support my overall argument- once I finish my research.  

My plan of action is to look in education archives first.  I have a tendency to be hyper-organized so I would love to be able to research supporting arguments in the order that I will write them in the paper.  If I look in education based searches,  I’ll be able to find research in regards to academics during college.  There could be possible articles on Greeks excelling in specific majors or schools.  I might also look for minimum GPA requirements for Greek life at  certain universities and compare it to the average GPA of the entire university.   I was also considering looking in a business source for post-college research.  I would look for possible statistics or articles about personal endeavors of graduates who have been accepted to or denied of jobs and the reasoning that goes along with it.  Statistics could include percentages of Greeks vs non-Greeks hired at specific companies.  I also want to make sure that taking Greek life into consideration is the only difference between candidates.  However, it could be interesting to consider that a student did better academically in college because of the ideals introduced to him or her in his or her organization.  I just want to investigate how much Greek life can affect a member academically and professionally.   I could then analyze a specific company and look for qualitative reasonings behind the quantitative results.  As I continue on my research, I’m sure I’ll develop new plans of action that will help me strengthen my argument and complete my paper.  

Working Bibliography:

"Greek Life at Southern Miss: Good Grades, Giving, Growth." Daily Times Leader: n. pag. Global NewsBank. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%20146F69E4E3CC2B58%20)&p_docid=146F69E4E3CC2B58&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=146F69E4E3CC2B58&f_penurl=yes&p_nbid=L4BL4BBHMTM5Mzg4OTIyMi40NzMzMDg6MTo5OkVCU0NPODE1Mg&&p_multi=DTLB>.

Grubb, Farley. "Does Going Greek Impair Undergraduate Academic Success?" The American Journal of

   Economics and Sociology: n. pag. Print.

Klopfer, Lisa. "Inside Greek U: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and

   Prestige." Library Journal: n. pag. Print.

Robbins, Alexandra. Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. New York: Hyperion, 2004. Print.

Warren, Lorraine, and Robert Smith. "Fraternity, Legitimacy and (His)Story: The Collective

   Presentation of Entrepreneur Stories as Excess." Tamara Journal: n. pag. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=966f1530-6d31-4354-9120-bb277eb0777a%40sessionmgr4003&hid=T4202

Literature Review #2

"Greek Life at Southern Miss: Good Grades, Giving, Growth." Daily Times Leader: n. pag. Global NewsBank. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/ 

     InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_ 

     id=(%20146F69E4E3CC2B58%20)&p_docid=146F69E4E3CC2B58&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=146F69E4E3CC2B58&f_o 

     penurl=yes&p_nbid=L4BL4BBHMTM5Mzg4OTIyMi40NzMzMDg6MTo5OkVCU0NPODE1Mg&&p_multi=DTLB>.

This article is mainly describing the nature of the University of Southern Mississippi's Greek Life and discussing some of the academic goals they have set and accomplishments they have made.  They bring up strong statistics about all of the organizations as a whole and discuss beneficial programs that they offer to help the students keep their grades as impressive as they are.  

The Daily Times Leader is a local newspaper that serves the areas around the University of Southern Mississippi.  Although there is no specific author credited on the article, the newspaper itself is reliable because it is close to the campus, so traveling there for research and interviews is accessible.  

The key phrase in this article is "overall culture of achievement".  This is the plan that Southern Miss Greek Life has implemented in order to maximize the academic success of its members, in addition to other values such as service and retention.  

"'We're focused on success in three areas - academics, community service and retention, as well as growth,' Schutts said." This could help my argument because strong academic emphasis results in a more successful future when seeking employment.  

"'We're elated that our fraternities and sororities are thriving in unprecedented fashion,' said Southern Miss Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Joe Paul. 'Every positive indicator of a healthy Greek system is up -grades, recruiting, retention and philanthropy. A healthy Greek system helps retain students who will most likely continue to be engaged in their communities and with the university for a lifetime.'" This is beneficial to my argument because the advisor has seen their successes himself and describes ways that it could benefit them in the future.  

"The lessons he's learned are ones he and his fraternity brothers will carry with them in life and work, Nelson said. 'We have tremendous autonomy to run our organizations, so we learn how to manage finances, work together and with other Greeks on campus to achieve goals that benefit not only our fraternity, but the university and others who need our help. Those kinds of experiences prepare you for life after graduation.'" This quote is basically arguing my thesis for me.  Nelson, who was the President of the Interfraternity Council at Southern Miss, explains that he experienced obligations that prepared him for post-college life.  

This article is important to my argument because it has statistics, direct quotes, and information about the success of Southern Miss Greeks in academic areas and others.  It explains that they have been prepared for professional life by their duties and responsibilities as members of Greek organizations.  

Literature Review #1

Robbins, Alexandra. Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. New York: Hyperion, 2004. Print.

This book is about the story of a researcher who went under cover for a year as she lived with sorority girls.  She reveals loads of things that occurred behind their closed doors and what she learned from the young women.  Although there are many surprising reveals, there are also some interesting discoveries she made regarding sisterhood and the ideals that the women hold themselves up to.  

The author, Alexandra Robbins, is obviously knowledgeable about the topic because this is an account of her own first-hand experience while living in the house.  At the beginning of the book, she does admit that she had her own preconceived notions about sororities, but her perspective is completely changed after experiencing a year living in the house.  

An important key term throughout this book is "socialized".  This is important because it is quite ambiguous and many writers could have a load of different definitions for it.  In Robbins's case, she considers the sorority girls to have been socialized before they joined their chapters which is why they wound up being "picked" from the large pool of girls who entered recruitment.  Robbins then goes on to say that the girls "socialized" within their chapters and have grown to be who they are as college students.  

"Between meetings and activities, fund-raising and date-finding, sorority membership can be as much of a commitment as a part-time job" (Robbins 94).  This quote could be important to support my analysis because it shows that sororities prepare people for real-life careers because of the demand for time-management.  

"But there is, of course, the question of whether the girls create the sorority or the sorority creates the girls" (Robbins 118).  This could be an interesting topic to bring up in my paper because it could indicate independence or a lack thereof.  This independence comes from well-rounded individuals who have a better chance at a steady future. 

"Some sororities still use secret passwords" (Robbins 286).  This is another interesting point to bring up in regards to the topic of exclusivity that comes with joining an organization.  The exclusivity continues after college and into the professional world when sorority sisters or fraternity brothers meet and are perhaps colleagues.  This could benefit someone in finding a job because they share rituals and values that another colleague has.  

This book will be an important part of my research because it exclusively talks about the life of multiple sorority ladies.  Although there are some aspects of Greek life that are mentioned which are irrelevant to my topic, it covers many bases that I would like to mention within my final paper.  

Privatization

I've decided that my topic is going to be to analyze the business networking that comes as a result of graduating from a Greek organization.  This relates to privatization because of the exclusivity that results from it.  People who are only alumni of their respective organizations can add them to their resumes and make social connections that could result in a possibly job.

Scouting the Territory

I realized that I need to be more specific with my topic.  My original idea was using the theme of sororities, but as the Vice President: Membership of my own chapter, I sell Greek Life everyday.  I need to hone in on one specific benefit of joining a sorority.  The socio-economic benefits of life as both a collegiate Greek and an alum Greek have recently appealed to me. Some perks while still in college include minimum GPA requirements and study hours that promote academic success.  I would also like to research a percentage of how many Greeks in the U.S. graduate with honors.  Some perks post-graduation include life-long networking that could lead to career opportunities.

I Googled topics such as: "greek life and academics", "greek life networking advantages" and "sorority benefits"

Some links I found with quick facts:

https://cws.auburn.edu/studentaffairs/greekLife/ConMan_Uploads/files/Advantages%20of%20Greek%20Life%20on%20College%20Campuses.pdf

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/examining-the-benefits-of-greek-life

http://dailybruin.com/2011/09/13/_greek_life_benefits_students_through_its_networking_opportunities_friendships_/

Some links I found of articles that I would like to further research:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-campus/201109/how-fraternities-and-sororities-impact-students-or-do-they (this link also referenced the book that was loaned to me : Pledged by Alexandra Robbins)

http://dailybruin.com/2011/09/13/_greek_life_benefits_students_through_its_networking_opportunities_friendships_/

http://www.levo.com/articles/skills/sorority-networking-lessons

A book found on Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=vLN2SJe965oC&pg=PA45&dq=sorority+life&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sd4DU6aFNKyU1AGyloHIDg&ved=0CCgQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=sorority%20life&f=false

After researching only for a short time, I've come to decide that networking will probably be the main argument for my thesis.  Some supporting arguments will include building leadership skills, promoting academic excellence, and improving communication skills.

Obviously, Greek life is a highly controversial topic that is written about quite often.  From what I have seen, Greeks write about the benefits and non-Greeks write about the deficits.  This is not necessarily always true, but it has been the majority.  I'm going to stick with my kind and bring light to joining a sorority.  I think I will find success because it is a topic I am extremely passionate about.

Final Essay Topic

I would like to make my final essay about the importance of Greek life.  I have experienced the social and academic benefits of being involved in my sorority and would like to share my personal experience and research about other people's experiences.  Greek life offers a variety of opportunities in philanthropy, networking, leadership, and socializing.  Greek life is something I hold very dear to my heart so I would be able to give my undivided attention to all that I research on this topic!