Annual Meeting Educational Programming

The 2023 Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Annual Meeting will take place at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street and Tampa Marriott Water Street properties from Tuesday, November 28 through Friday, December 1.

The hallmark of the #AFAAM experience is the educational programs offered throughout the conference experience. In 2023, more than 100 educational programs will take place over 8 different blocks that are 60, 75, or 90 minutes in length along with Pre-Conference Programs, Intensives (half-day educational sessions on Friday), and a half-day Research Symposium. These sessions are led by professionals who have experience and knowledge in the particular areas they are presenting and understand the needs of the audience they are presenting to. These sessions were carefully selected by peer reviewers, volunteers, and Central Office Staff to offer new insight, perspectives, and effective practices to Annual Meeting attendees. 

Pre-Conference Programs

Pre-Conference Programs are half-day or full-day programs taking place prior to the start of the AFA Annual Meeting. These educational sessions are designed to provide in-depth instruction, skill-building opportunities, and time for action planning. The 2023 AFA Annual Meeting will include 2 full-day programs and 4 half-day programs! Registration for Pre-Conference Programs closed on Friday, November 10. 

Below you will find a full list of offerings: 

Mental Health First Aid for Fraternity & Sorority Professionals
Supported by MJ Insurance and Delta Zeta Sorority
Tuesday, November 28 | 12:00 Noon – 5:00 PM | $40

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based program developed and built by the National Council on Mental Health and Wellbeing and has been delivered to over 1 million people globally. This program guides new first-aiders through the ALGEE framework for mental health support and steps on how to support someone experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis. After completing the 90 minute pre-course, the 5-hour in-person session will dive deeper into the topics such as anxiety, stress, disordered eating, trauma, psychosis, and substance use disorder support for first-aiders. The in-person time consists of learning the application of the ALGEE framework and how it it applies to the work of fraternity/sorority support. In addition, intervention application for panic attack, anxiety attacks, suicidal intervention and non-suicidal self-injury are provided. At the end of the in-person time, an exam is given to certify the first-aider for three years. Note: this program is limited to 30 individuals. 

This program is able to be offered at a reduced cost to registrants due to financial support from MJ Insurance and Delta Zeta Sorority. 

Presenter:

• Will Frankenberger, Chief Safety Officer, Delta Zeta

Release Figure Methodology (RFM) Lite
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | $70

Have you ever wanted to learn about the math behind Panhellenic recruitment and how to support your College Panhellenic through primary recruitment? If so, join us for RFM Lite. This program is designed to help campus-based professionals learn about the methodology used by the National Panhellenic Conference. The purpose of RFM is threefold: 1. To maximize the number of potential new members (PNMs) who receive a bid through primary recruitment. 2. To allow each PNM to investigate realistic options and ultimately match with a chapter for which she has a preference among those options and 3. To enable each chapter to invite enough PNMs to each round to match to quota (i.e., the number of PNMs each chapter can offer bids to during primary recruitment). This training is a valuable learning opportunity for anyone working with a College Panhellenic who wants to support their community better.

Presenters:

• Julie Mincey, Director of Growth and Panhellenic Recruitment, National Panhellenic Conference
• Darcy Russell, NPC RFM Chair, National Panhellenic Conference

The Choice to Not Close
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | $70

Can an undergraduate fraternity culture be changed following a critical incident, or is the only option to close and start again sometime in the future? In November of 2021, a hazing allegation was reported to the University administration at Valparaiso University where this was the key question at hand. The allegations were significant and severe, however the commitment by the University and the men proved to be even more powerful. This Pre-Conference Program will explore the ultimate choice to center the desired healthy member experience in front of a seemingly easier option of chapter closure. As with all disciplinary cases, there are complex issues, relationships, and details to navigate. The presentation team will include the campus based professional staff involved, as well as two student leaders from the fraternity. The case will be used as the foundation of the program where participants will learn about critical questions to ask, key learning takeaways, and a path to success.

Presenters: 

• Carolyn E. Whittier, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President of Student Life, Valparaiso University
• Ryan Bye, Director of Student Involvement, Valparaiso University
• Nathan Janke, Former Phi Kappa Psi Chapter President, Valparaiso University
• Kaden Baker, Current Phi Kappa Psi Chapter President, Valparaiso University

Ship Happens: Creating an Organizational Misconduct Process That Works When it Does
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | $70

Another fraternity/sorority incident! Who owns it? OFSL? Conduct? Student Engagement? IFC? The Headquarters? We continue to see campuses and organizations flounder when it comes to addressing fraternity/sorority incidents. Since the release of the FEA/ASCA Collaboration Guide, we’ve seen an increase in conduct offices collaborating with headquarters in a meaningful way, but there is still so much nuance to what each stakeholder should and can do in different situations. We will unpack the different contexts at play in a multitude of scenarios, walk through how you can be the best partner no matter your role, and give you the tools to create your own policies, procedures, and processes to ensure your students are successful, while reducing recidivism. Ultimately, student learning should be at the forefront of conduct processes, so we’ll also offer insight and guidance for smart sanctioning that addresses root cause, while guiding and educating chapter leaders going through the process.

Presenters:

• Jessie Ashton, Director of Chapter Support & Wellness, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity
• Leila Faranesh, Associate Dean of Students & Director of OSRR, East Carolina University

Maximize Your HQ Operations: Building Brand Loyalty to Drive Results
Tuesday, November 28 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | $70

Fraternities and sororities are not your average student organizations. Whether our members realize it or not, fraternities and sororities are corporate entities with distinct brands. And like any corporation, building brand loyalty is essential to achieve organizational goals. This session will focus on ways fraternities and sororities can maximize their headquarters operations using an integrated marketing communications approach (IMC). Attendees will process and apply concepts through discussions and individual/group activities. Attendees can hope to identify techniques to: organize their headquarters work around organizational priorities; cultivate and maintain relationships with stakeholders; and define priorities for allocating resources. This session will use integrating marketing communications (IMC) as a framework to guide a needed reconceptualization of fraternity/sorority headquarters operations.

Presenter:

• Dr. Rafael Matos, Director of Membership and Training, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Supervision School: A Way to Handle All Those Unexpected Things You Didn’t Cover In Grad School
Tuesday, November 28 | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | $150

Our goal is simple. We want to have a live dialogue about the things that really make an impact on team members—when you are the supervisor. Spoiler alert, two of the biggest tips knowing the researched ways supervisors build real culture and a few things we need to stop doing in the workplace. We will open a conversation about why we need brilliant supervision skills now more than ever. Then, we will dig into the most practical advice about how to get more of that gold! This presentation is full of intriguing and true stories about the journey to a place of authentic supervision – for all of us. This course has four sections covering: Supervision competencies, self-awareness worksheets, personality profiles, work love languages, building trust, conflict and feedback styles, our MOVIE recordings, the habits of top-rated companies, team dynamics and why you can’t actually motivate anyone!

Presenter: 

• Erin Fisher, CEO and Owner, The Leadership and Training Studio

How to register for Pre-Conference Programs

To register for a Pre-Conference Program event, follow the instructions to register for the AFA Annual Meeting – the only difference is you will click on the  AFA 2023 Add-On Events. 

IGNITE Showcase

Thursday, November 30 | 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

The IGNITE Showcase is the #AFAAM’s micro-learning opportunity. Presenters are given 7 minutes and 20 slides to share their innovative take on topics they have a passion for – but here’s the catch: slides advance every 20 seconds. This experience helps you spread new, groundbreaking, and exciting ideas to Annual Meeting attendees!

Registration to attend this event is not required. We hope you’ll join us on Thursday, November 30 at 5:00 p.m. for eight incredible presentations:

• Quit Being a Yes Girl with Ashley Christman, Ed.D.
• Why Don’t My Members Care?: Revitalizing Chapter Engagement with Cassie Little
• Consider This with Stephanie Wright
• All That is Needed Are Moms with Samantha Lopez
• Mindset Mastery: Building Resilience through Mental Fitness with Thea Zunick, Ed.D.
• Town, Tailgates, and Teamwork with Abbi Hanson Allen
• Leading the Magical Way with Kyle Shatto
• But First, Trust. with Qy’Darrius McEachern

Research Symposium

Friday, December 1 | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

At AFA’s Research Symposium, attendees will hear from presenters in the field about their research, methodology, and key findings. A moderator will guide discussion to help attendees identify ways in which they can apply research to their practice.

Educational Intensives

Friday, December 1 | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Educational intensive sessions will provide attendees a true deep-dive into a topic area. Topics include:

• Data and assessment
• Harm Reduction
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Program strategy and design
• New professionals
• Mid-career professionals
• Seasoned professionals

This year’s educational intensives are supported through a generous partnership by our Gold Educational Partner, Kappa Kappa Gamma

Educational Programs

The slate of educational block programs being offered at the 2023 AFA Annual Meeting can be found here along with their corresponding learning outcomes and presenters! Stay tuned to learn more about the Research Symposium and Educational Intensives taking place on Friday, December 1 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. 

Continuing Education at the Annual Meeting

AFA is proud to be a lead partner in the development of the Student Affairs Educator Certification through the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification. This consortium includes representation from each of the founding association partners, including NASPA, ACUHO-I, ACUI, NACA, ASCA, and NIRSA. In addition to the general certification, several specialty certifications are available, including a Fraternity/Sorority Life specialization (CSAEd-FSL). Click here to learn more about the benefits of the CSAEd certification for you and your organization/institution.

AFA has been approved by the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification to provide CE credit for Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd). We are excited to share that continuing education (CE) credits will be available to active certification holders at the 2023 Annual Meeting. Sessions that qualify for CE credit at the Annual Meeting are identified with tags in the Whova event app. AFA is solely responsible for all aspects of this program.

At the Annual Meeting, certification holders may attain a maximum of:

• 13 Core credits
• 12.5 Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI) credits
• 12.5 Fraternity and Sorority Life Speciality (FSL) credits
• 6 Student Conduct Administration (SC) credits

What is the process for attaining CE’s at the Annual Meeting?

Throughout the Annual Meeting, certification holders are asked to complete the Session Feedback form in the Whova event app to document their attendance at sessions that qualify for CE credits.

AFA staff will work with presenter teams to collect and share handouts from sessions with certification holders. Handouts may include a slide deck, an article related to the topic of the presentation, or a list of works cited/references. Session handouts will be added to a Google Drive folder and shared with certification holders after the Annual Meeting.

Certification holders may request a certificate of completion after the Annual Meeting. Please contact Director of Professional Development Shelby Flores at shelby@afa1976.org to receive a certificate/proof of completion.

Additional information about CE processes will be shared with certification holders via email. If you have questions or want to learn more about CE credits at the Annual Meeting, please contact Director of Professional Development, Shelby Flores, at shelby@afa1976.org.

How do I know how many CE credits I can receive at the Annual Meeting?

Outlined below are the number of CE credits that can be counted for various sessions at the Annual Meeting. Sessions that qualify for CE credit at the Annual Meeting are identified with tags in the Whova event app.

• Educational Session #1: 1 CE credit
• Educational Session #2: 1 CE credit
• Educational Session #3: 1.5 CE credits
• Educational Session #4: 1.5 CE credits
• Educational Session #5 1.5 CE credits
• Educational Session #6: 1 CE credit
• Educational Session #7: 1 CE credit
• Educational Intensive Sessions: 3 CE credits
• Educational Session #8: 1 CE credit
• Closing General Session: 0.5 CE credit