Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

www.alpha6294.com Alphabet Dr. Goldschmidt: What is your perspective on the current economic pressures on Greek organizations and their members? Pres. Schmidt: Having been at MIT for 41 years and watching Greek life, one observation is interest ebbs and flows with generations. I saw that with my own sons' interest. When it ebbs, that could be financially existential for fraternities. I think the biggest challenge is maintaining a stable population, ideally a population that's larger than the size of the house so that you never get in that downslope. The important thing there is to be focused on what kind of students you are trying to attract. Dr. Goldschmidt: Have there been any further developments in the discussion on students living in Greek housing during the Arch summer semester? Pres. Schmidt: There's an active conversation about that, and I think you're in the same boat we are, which is needing to fill beds—but that's not where I want us to be. We must figure out a way to get to that point so it's not financially existential to either one of us. Personally, I think we should be supportive of that. [Editor's note: An RPI policy update following this discussion now allows fraternity and sorority chapter members to reside in their respective chapter houses during the summer Arch semester.] Dr. Goldschmidt: What else can we do to make Greek life more economical, with a focus on that at a time when undergraduates are facing heavy financial burdens? Pres. Schmidt: I firmly believe that a supportive living environment is a net good for the student. When you have that kind of healthy living group, be it a fraternity or sorority or some other affiliation, and it's working … when you think about all the stressors on students and concerns about mental health and whatnot, having that supportive environment is important. In that respect, to the extent to which we can strengthen that living system, I think it's in all our best interests. But I also say, because this comes up in different contexts, that you're not going to have a healthy fraternity/sorority system without a healthy university. Dr. Goldschmidt: How can fraternities and sororities work to make themselves more attractive options to students who may be uncertain about joining in the Greek life experience? Pres. Schmidt: I think the alumni network is a critical one in several dimensions. One aspect is that we have the Alumni Fraternity and Sorority Council, which is a is a brilliant thing in the sense that it has the RPI administration talking to fraternity and sorority alumni. I often use the term co-parenting, because if the parents aren't aligned, the kid's in trouble. I think, for the alumni network that's supportive of the house and the students in it, partnering with the administration is really great. The other thing is that with the board's permission, I'm making very substantial investments in the advancement and alumni office here. What you guys do naturally, we just want to broaden it so it's the whole institution. Dr. Goldschmidt: Speaking of alumni engagement, how would you suggest organizations at RPI work together to keep alumni more engaged, particularly with undergraduate chapter events? Pres. Schmidt: One of the fun things we've been doing are these 24-hour challenges with the athletes. Our athletic director matched up teams based on the size of alumni bases so whoever got more individual donations or dollar number of donations had access to an extra $1,000. It created this interesting competition and that it would be fun to run something like that: who would you consider to be your competitive fraternity? Let's match up those alumni bases! It's not transformative money, but it's a way of getting people in the game, then that brings resources. Dr. Goldschmidt: How do you think significant alumni support benefits the future of fraternities and sororities on campus in general? Pres. Schmidt: There's an underpinning to our strategy for the next decade, which is to move RPI to a more financially resilient position. That has several components, one of which is growing sponsored research because that can be meaningful revenue. Driving toward more alumni philanthropy is another one. Coupled back to that is, we're in a situation where the cost of higher education is a big concern. It's not like we're making money, because especially from a STEM-centric institution, it's expensive to deliver this kind of education through laboratories or quantum computers and whatnot. We need to figure out a way to make it more affordable, and scholarships are a logical thing. So the extent to which we can think about how we align around lowering the cost of education for a student coming to RPI is, is there a way to raise scholarships with first preference to a student who's going to be in a fraternity or sorority? That's a natural alignment there. Dr. Goldschmidt: For your vision in the next 10 years, what do you anticipate Greek life to look like? Do you have any last words on key goals or challenges? Pres. Schmidt: What I would love to see is every fraternity or sorority, every independent living group, is financially healthy. That, to me, means you're filling your beds and you have plenty of folks that are interested in being part of that community and that it's a living environment that's complimentary to their academic experience. Greek Life at RPI Alpha Advisor and RPI President Discuss Fraternity Growth and More The conversation didn't stop there! Find the full conversation at alpha6294.com/forum24. Or scan the QR code! During the fall, Chapter Advisor Dr. David Goldschmidt '94 (A1364) joined RPI President Martin A. Schmidt '81, Ph.D. for a conversation about RPI's Greek life landscape and the value of alumni involvement. The two discussed the benefits of fraternity engagement, campus housing options, and more. Dr. Goldschmidt has served as the Executive Officer for the Computer Science Department at RPI since January 2012. President Schmidt took office as the 19th President of RPI in July 2022.

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