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 is NOW OPEN and will close on Friday, November 3.
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.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, IGNITE SHOWCASE, RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM, AND INTENSIVES
The slate of educational programs being offered at the 2023 AFA Annual Meeting will be announced the week of October 16! Stay tuned to learn which educational programs are being offered along with their corresponding learning outcomes and presenters. Note: this document is subject to change; the final listing of educational programs will be fully available within the Whova app in November.
