RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Commonwealth University announced on Monday that the Division of Student Affairs hired Dyad Strategies to conduct a review of fraternities and sororities at the university.
According to a VCU release, Dyad Strategies specializes in cultural and risk assessment within fraternities and sororities.
“We look forward to the review of Greek life at VCU by Dyad Strategies and their recommendations. This comprehensive review of major facets of Greek life will assist us as a university community in realizing our values related to a climate of respect, care and inclusion while also promoting health and safety,” said Charles Klink, Ph.D., senior vice provost for student affairs.
VCU called for the review shortly after freshman Adam Oakes died at an off-campus residence. Many questions still linger about what caused his death, but family members believe it was related to fraternity hazing.
Delta Chi, the fraternity Oakes received a bid from, was issued a cease-and-desist order from the fraternity’s national office and VCU the weekend he died.
Dyad’s review will be done in multiple phases. One part will be a quantitative assessment of the community and the other will be a more in-depth look at the Greek life culture.
The first phase will start later this month with a “community cultural survey.” The review will continue with Dyad Strategies visiting VCU’s campus to interview students and hold focus groups in late April.
In June, the review will finish with a final report including “benchmarked findings and a series of recommendations.”
The review will study what influences members and what they experience within these organizations, including “sense of belonging, quality of relationships, alcohol use, social status, hazing, openness to diversity, commitment, identification, sexual assault mindset, and motivation to join.”