From Sisterhood to the Senate: The Sorority Experience and Preparing Women for Political Leadership

Since the founding of the first Greek organizations in colonial America, fraternities and sororities have aimed to provide communities of support and empowerment for their members. Research on outcomes of sorority participation has shown increased social skills, confidence in leadership, and professional networking and connections. Existing literature surrounding women’s underrepresentation in U.S. politics shows that to bridge the political gender gap, more women need to be encouraged to run for office and have prior political socialization and experience. To compare skills acquired from the sorority experience and preparation for political careers, this study conducts a survey of 274 current and alumnae members of National Panhellenic Conference organizations, asking participants to reflect on how their experience has helped equip them for leadership roles outside of the organization. The results of this survey found that this sample of women’s sorority experiences were consistent with what was found in literature and that their experience helped them acquire technical, social, and leadership skills. Results also demonstrate that sorority life is a successful source of support, empowerment, and professional development during one’s time in higher education.This study can be used to expand programming on values and skills for sorority members, establish the relevance of Greek organizations, and help women understand one way they can develop skills needed to hold public office

BUILDING A RECIPROCAL PARTNERSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND ITS PRIVATELY-OWNED SORORITY AND FRATERNITY HOUSING

Higher education institutions with Greek systems have different models of sorority and fraternity housing. There are two primary models incorporated into this study; some institutions have Greek housing incorporated into their on-campus residence halls, while other Greek housing is privately-owned by local House Corporation Boards or by the chapter’s national headquarters. The University of South Dakota follows the latter model, with each of their eleven chapters having a privately-owned chapter house. Research shows that with privately-owned Greek housing, there is an increased risk of substance abuse and sexual activity, while there are benefits of increased student involvement and leadership development. With this risk in mind, institutions may be seeking increased oversight of and partnerships with privately-owned Greek housing. This research uses the University of South Dakota as a model for a reciprocal partnership between privately-owned Greek housing and an institution. Notably, the University of South Dakota requires live-in Graduate Assistants or House Directors, the adherence to alcohol/substance policies, and other safety measures in privately-owned Greek housing in order for the chapter to receive “Greek Releases.” These releases are exemptions for second-year students to live in their Greek chapter house, rather than the South Dakota Board of Regents two-year on-campus living requirement. Greek chapters rely on the Greek Release process and the ability of second-year members to live in their house in order to remain financially solvent, which encourages their adherence to university policies. The partnership also allows the institution to implement programs that promote overall student success, including increased academic performance, role modeling, and safety measures. With qualitative data collected from interviews with university staff and representatives from Greek organizations, this research creates a prototype for higher education institutions seeking to build a reciprocal partnership with their privately-owned sorority and fraternity housing

Molecular characterization of Miraflores peach variety and relatives using SSRs

The definitive version is published in: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044238Some traditional peach varieties, originated from the region of Aragón (Spain), were analysed by SSRs (Simple Sequence Repeats). The aim of this research was to characterize 19 clones related to ‘Miraflores’ variety, with unknown pedigrees, to assess their genetic diversity and to elucidate their possible relationships with 10 traditional peach varieties. Twenty SSR primer pairs with high levels of polymorphism, which have been previously developed for peach, were used in this study. A total of 46 alleles were obtained for all the microsatellites studied, ranging from one to six alleles per locus, with a mean value of 2.3 alleles per locus. Fourteen SSRs were polymorphic in the set of varieties studied and permitted to distinguish 16 different genotypes out of the 30 initially studied, although fourteen ‘Miraflores’ clones showed identical gel profiles. The genetic distance matrix was used to construct Neighbor joining cluster and to perform principal coordinate analysis which allowed the arrangement of all the genotypes according to their genetic relationships. The genetic relationships among these traditional peach varieties, and in particular among ‘Miraflores’ clones are discussed. The obtained results confirm that microsatellite markers are very useful for these purposes.We are thankful to T.N. Zhebentyayeva and G.L. Reighard for helpful comments on the manuscript. This research was funded by CICYT (Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología, AGL2002-04219 and AGL 2005-05533), INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentación, RF03-014-C2), Bilateral Spain-France (HF03-273) and DGA (A28, A44) projects and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. M. Bouhadida was supported by a fellowship from the AECI (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional) of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Peer reviewe

Die Abfassungszeit des Platonischen Phaidros

https://repository.brynmawr.edu/digitizedbooks/1010/thumbnail.jp

Die Abfassungszeit des Platonischen Phaidros

https://repository.brynmawr.edu/digitizedbooks/1010/thumbnail.jp