Alex Rossi, CSV 302 Journals Spring 2015

Journal #1: According to chapter 1, why are peer educators effective? Give an example
of how you think you will be an effective peer mentor. What are your goals as a peer
mentor?
According to Chapter 1, peer educators are essentially effective in influencing their
peers because they are relatable in terms of age and experience. As a Greek 101 mentor, it is
my job to help new members of the Greek Community transition into the community by
acclimating them to the traditions and practices of this community. I feel that peer mentoring
is one of the most powerful ways to mentor students. I have been a member of the community
since Fall 2012 so I have seen and experienced many of the things they are going through or
will go through. I think I can be an effective mentor because I can be genuine and give real
experiences and life lessons to my students that will help them make informed decisions. My
goal as a mentor is to have my students leave Greek 101 being informed members of this
community and what is acceptable behavior and what is not as well as inspiring them to take
on leadership roles in their own organizations.

Journal #2: According to chapter 2, explain the personal, social, and contextual factors
that influence change and personal development in the college setting.
There are many things that influence change and personal development in the college
setting. As young adults, students are still trying to figure out who they are and what they
believe. Students are searching for their talents, preferences, interests and ultimately their
destinies. Students become outgoing in their own pursuits, which influence their personal
development and experiences. When it comes to setting change, one factor that can influence
change negatively is something called the bystander effect. In this phenomenon, students are
afraid to act in situations of stress and turmoil because of the fear of acceptance and failure.
This is something that is incredibly common in college settings including groups like Greek
houses when it comes to alcoholic situations and fulfilling negative stereotypes within the
community.

Journal #3: According to chapter 3, define cultural proficiency and describe your
thoughts on how to avoid discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice in the Greek
community.
To be culturally proficient means being able to interact effectively with people of
many different cultures and backgrounds. I feel the best way to avoid discrimination,
stereotyping, and prejudice in the Greek community starts with how you act in you own
chapter. In your own chapter you are with all your friends and if you say or do something that
discriminates or stereotypes people, no one will really make a big deal about it. They will be
like, "Thats how they always act" or "They dont actually mean it." However, when you say
those things outside your chapter with people you do not know as well, discrimination and
stereotypes are taken way more seriously. So it is not as much of a challenge to change one's
behavior to fit a situation; the real challenge is to change one's behavior when you are with
your friends not judging you. There is a quote by John Wooden that goes, "The true test of a
mans character is what he does when no one is watching." That is how you change a culture
for the better, you start the change in your own community where you are not judged for the
insensitive things you say.

Journal #4: According to chapter 4, explain the difference between advice giving and
interpersonal communication and how you hope to use these skills in your Greek 101
sessions.
The difference between advice giving and interpersonal communication lies within
professional boundaries. Advice giving is all about showing guidance, counseling, and
professional facilitation to other. It is usually seen between mentors and mentees or advisors
and advisees. Interpersonal communication is more of about communicating between two
people to build relationships and friendships. It is usually seen between peers or friends.
Being a Greek 101 mentor, I will need both of these skills in order to be successful. Students
will often times feel more comfortable when you communicate with them as a peer through
interpersonal communication. They need to feel comfortable to share experiences and ideas in
the class; however, you need that professionalism with them to set boundaries. The student
need to understand that while we are their peers, we need to keep things professional so they
actual take this course seriously and will put some effort into the course.

Journal #5: According to chapter 5, explain why using effective communication skills
while assisting students in problem solving is essential.
According to chapter five, using effective communication skills while assisting
students in problem solving is essential because it is effective. To start when a student is
expressing a personal problem to you verbally, showing great listening skills such as nodding,
eye contact, and asking questions shows that you care about what they are saying, these things
create an encouraging and relieving environment for the student expressing the problem.
Effective listening is just the beginning, but when you can do this well, you can understand
and empathize better with a student about their problem and even give better advice when you
understand the problem. In the end, you want to help students help themselves so that they
can grasp independent problem-solving skills. Basically effective communication skills while
assisting students is essential because it empowers students, it informs students, and it helps
students teach themselves.

Journal #6: According to chapter 6, how do you hope to bring positive communication
to your Greek 101 group?
I feel the best way to bring positive communication to my Greek 101 group is by
pushing the new members to feel uncomfortable especially during the hazing and responsible
alcohol use sessions. Those topics are extremely difficult to talk about, they make people feel
uncomfortable, which is why many people probably just skip right over it and never really go
into detail of all the signs of hazing or alcohol abuse. However, because this is an
uncomfortable topic, we need to stress the importance and put it rights out in the open from
the start of that class. If you wait until half way through the class, you have already lost part
of the class and you will have to spend most of the class trying to get there attention back. In
order for student to actually learn and understand the dangers of hazing and alcohol abuse,
they need to be pushed out of their comfort zone and discuss these issues. Hazing and alcohol
abuse are two of the most prevent things non-Greeks associate with Greek Life. If we want to
change that notion, we must educate the future of our chapters so they can make positive
change in their organizations.

Journal #7: Plans for session 1 and retreat reflection

For my first session, my partner and I will really just do exercises for the class to get
to know each other. The activities my partner and I have planned are an opening name game
where we will go around in a circle; everyone says their name as well as an adjective that
begins with the first letter of their first name. After that my partner and I decided that we will
want to play an energizer game (Wal-Mart) because the students will most likely be low on
energy; however, we will sure that for every letter the students facing off introduce
themselves so they can continue to learn each others names. Then, my partner and I will then
talk about ourselves in what weve done in our houses, the benefits of being in Greek life, and
why we joined. Well then go around and ask everyone why he or she is joining and what he
or she is excited about. Finally well have everyone anonymously ask questions on note cards
to finish the class.
After our retreat, I felt very unified as a class. I saw how much every student in the
class really cares about the new members and how they want the best of every student.
Although we all come from different backgrounds and have different views, we all are
brought together by one common goal, to educate the future of our organizations. By
educating the new members we show how they can better our organizations when they take
on leadership roles.

Journal #8: Outcome of session 1

Our first session I thought went really well! We kept our group really entertained and I
think everyone really enjoyed being there on their first day. I think our class appreciated and
responded well to our honesty and were eager to ask questions and engage in the group
activities. We did not ask them to do anything that required too much effort other than being
honest and having an open mind. I treated my first session similar to how I treated orientation;
my objective was just for my students to get excited about joining this new community and all
that it entails. My partner and I shared personal stories, which made the class come alive and
open. We basically gave the class ideas of what its like being in Greek life and all the fun it
can be! Just before the end we reminded the class that while we have a lot of fun as Greeks,
its also important to remain safe and keep others safe in all sorts of situations that typically
arise in the Greek community. I think at the end everyone left knowing well what the purpose
of this course is and it gave everyone a sense of having fun and establishing community.

Journal #9: Plans for session 2

For session 2, my partner and I will engage in experiential learning when it comes to
alcohol abuse. So after the big session with the film, well ask the students what, so what,
and now what? So well ask for reactions of the film, what the film means to them, and then
their plans for utilizing the information learned in the future. My partner and I will also share
our personal experiences with the topic of alcohol abuse and then relate them to the lesson
and what lessons to take away from it all. What we want the students to take away from this
lesson is to be able to regulate their own safety and alcoholic consumption, as well as know to
call for help in any circumstance that a friend, sister, brother, etc. has had too much to drink
and needs medical attention. Although they learned about this at orientation, we will go over
the medical amnesty clause at URI, which says a student cannot get in trouble for alcohol in
calling for help when another student is in need of medical attention. Well then finish the
class with anonymous questions for my partner and I to answer.

Journal #10: Outcome of session 2

Session two was a lot more uncomfortable than session one. This was because of a
couple things. For one thing, the session two-group session was extremely long so when we
came to the break out session, most students did not participate because they were mentally
done. Furthermore, the content of session one is extremely light compared to session two. The
topic of responsible alcohol use is always a difficult one, but I feel that the student absorbed
the information quite well. The big session was informative for them and myself; however, I
do not feel that the small session was the effective because most students were not mentally
present. We still went over the entire topic as planned. We explained medical amnesty and
how if someone needs medical attention because of excessive alcohol use, the person who
calls 911 will not get in trouble for alcohol.

Journal #11: Plans for session 3

For the third session regarding hazing, our lesson plan is as follows. After the movie in
the big session, well ask for everyones reactions to the movie. My partner and I will then
talk about our personal experiences regarding hazing, and then have everyone ask anonymous
questions about the subject. Then well do an exercise of on the bus, off the bus, as a game
to gain everyones understanding, perspectives, and opinions of what hazing is and what
qualifies as hazing. After that, we will draw a line on the board and have the student
categorize where different things fell on the spectrum of hazing. For a lesson plan, this may
seem uneventful or too little planned, but my partner and I expect a lot of talking and
discussion to happen in the class.

Journal #12: Why do you think hazing occurs and how can it be stopped?
Hazing occurs in organizations for a couple reasons: the make the new members feel
like that have earned their place in the organization, to create a separation between current
members and new members, and to build stronger members by breaking them down first.
Although these are noble goals, hazing does not accomplish these things. These
There are two ways I think hazing can be stopped. One way is to start enforcing a one-strike
policy like URI is doing to enforce the fact that if a house screws up once they will be
severely punished. Another way is to somehow educate new members that hazing is an
upside-down concept. New members are needed for houses to thrive; therefore current
members should rather be begging new members to join instead of hazing them. To let new
members realize their value and necessity is another way to help prevent hazing, because they
can always say No.

Journal #13: Outcome of session 3

Session 3 was a rough and difficult session. My partner and I were grilled with
questions regarding hazing, and it was very difficult for me to relate because I personally
never was hazed. Of course, my students didnt believe me when I said this and then I
personally couldnt give them great feedback on their hazing experiences because my lack of
experience regarding the problem or situation. It was difficult for me to really empathize with
my students, which made me really rely on my partner. She couldnt relate much either, but
we were able to break the tension with the on the bus, off the bus game, where we asked
students on their perspectives of hazing and what is and what is not hazing. We also draw a
line on the board and had the student place where different scenarios fell on a line of hazing
vs. not hazing. Overall it was a very difficult class, but I think students were able to
understand how hazing can be dangerous and some ways they can manage it.

Journal #14: Plans for session 4

The last session is all about campus involvement and scholarship. My partner and I are
going to explain opportunities for involvement, growth, and leadership around campus and in
the Greek community, and then well share personal stories as well as what weve been
involved with in the past. Well stress the importance of broadening experience, personal
opportunities as well as the benefits. We will go over Greek Week with them and our personal
experiences of how to survive that week academically and socially. Finally in the end, well
do some goodbyes and closing remarks about the course.

Journal #15: Describe how you think alcohol abuse effects college students and if there
is a solution.
I think alcohol abuse affects college students very severely. From my personal
experience, binge drinking can result in making regretful decisions, waking up to pounding
headaches, memory loss, all sorts of injury, and can even deter me from doing my school
work and other obligations. Typically college students know alcohol abuse infamously for
injury and even death, and finding a solution is extremely difficult. You can educate students
all about it, you can show them scenarios of what can happen, but I think students will only
really grasp the concept of alcohol abuse and its consequences by personally experiencing
them. As a Greek 101 mentor, I really had to tell my students shocking personal stories to
really emphasize that these things can and do happen to people you know and are not
anything to joke about. The solution as it seems starts with peer education and setting the
example as Greek leaders in the community. It is our actions and words that are modeled and
followed by the younger generations.

Journal #16: Outcome of session 4

Session 4 was very bittersweet. We had a great discussion, with about 4 members of
the class, about getting involved and active within the Greek and campus community while
excelling academically. In the end, some students were definitely inspired and eager to go out
in the community and seek opportunity. I feel that my partner and I did the best we could get
the new members excited for Greek Week and for ready for the rest of the semester. We gave
tips of how to survive Greek Week, such as spending the whole week before studying and
getting as much work done as possible because there are so many things during Greek Week
that you need to get as much done before Greek Week so you can enjoy it. One thing I saw
from Greek 101 was at the end the students were exchanging numbers so they could stay in
contact with each other. This put a smile our faces because that was the overall goal of Greek
101: to get new members acclimated to the new community they just joined and to help them
make connections and friends within the community.

Journal #17: Describe your overall experience with Greek 101, what went well? What
do you think could have made it better/more effective?
I enjoyed Greek 101 and I feel that the students enjoyed it to for the most part. Other
than have a double session the last day. I think I was able to finish the course strong with my
partner in effectively facilitating the group. Although I am not great friends with my partner,
we still worked well together and did our job, and in the end that's all the matters. I think our
students actually learned something from the course and did take away the important lessons
in terms of being safe when drinking any kind of alcohol, preventing disasters, keeping others
safe, and of course dealing with hazing rituals. Although it was clear that some students
genuinely didnt want to be there, I think I definitely tried my best with my partner in making
the course fun and entertaining as well as educational. All I can say is that I tried my best, and
it ultimately was effective. My partner and I were very honest and open with our students in
our personal experiences, and I think our students really enjoyed that. I think what could have

been better was that we as a class could have done more scenario-based learning. So having
our students experience and go through mock scenarios and hypothetical situations regarding
topics to really get the point across. Thats my opinion, because frankly the hazing session
was really rough.

Journal #18: What are your thoughts on RAM GOALS? Do you think having this
organization in place will help?
I feel RAM GOALS can be extremely important to the development of our
community. By educating the importance of responsible alcohol management to Greek
organizations and Greek leaders, we can change a culture. Even if you only leave an impact
on one or two members, those few members can start a change in their own lives and own
chapters. By changing individuals, you can start a ripple effect and change even more. My
one comment about RAM GOALS is that I feel that it has been under utilized. This could be
chapters not taking advantage of this resource or it could be they do not know about it. I feel
that the members of IFC and Panhel who oversee this program have to do a better job
promoting this program and making sure chapters utilize this resource.

Journal #19: Who is your role model, how did they help you develop into the person you
are? How do you try to be a role model within your own chapter?
My role model is definitely Eric Henry Hazen. As IFC President, he is very influential,
hardworking, and very respected among his peers. He is a phenomenal public speaker, and he
carries much wisdom, experience, and knowledge when it comes to influencing and advising
others. Eric Hazen is an exceptional example of what leaders in the Greek community should
strive to be. He has pushed me to better my own fraternity and myself by looking at my
weaknesses, figuring out why I have those weaknesses, and then developing strategies to
overcome them.
I try to be a role model in my own chapter by taking the advice I have gotten from
Hazen an applying it to our situations. Hazen has taught the importance of speaking out when
you see people doing things wrong in your chapter. Being a bystander and letting the negative
things continue to happen in chapters is just as bad as participating in those actions. The

biggest thing I do in my chapter to be a role model is showing up to events. I feel that is the
biggest thing an older member can do to help motivate younger members is just being there.
By older members showing up to events it tells younger members that they still have to be
involved even as juniors and seniors.

Journal #20: How will you take what you learned in this class back to your chapters?
Do you think you can make an impact on your chapter?
I feel I can make a difference in my chapter from what I learned in this class. CSV 302
has taught me the steps to make responsible decisions as a fraternity to becoming more safe,
efficient, and mature. For example, the next time our fraternity plans to have a champagne
breakfast with two fraternities and one new sorority on campus that will indefinitely result in
girls being sent to the hospital due to alcoholic consumption, I will be there to stand up at our
chapter meeting and express my concerns as well as plans for a more mature, safe, and
responsible decision to be made. I personally think I can make an impact on our chapter,
because it seems the way to gain respect in our chapter is simply to talk a lot during our
chapter meetings. Although to make points clear, I need to speak with conviction, certainty,
and wisdom when it comes to situations like this, and I certainly think I am capable of doing

this in my house. In the past, Ive always tried to lead by example with my actions in my
fraternity and other organizations, but there is also a time to express my voice and opinions
that will allow people to give more notice when people might not be noticing my actions.