The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Membership

ASSOCIATION OF FRATERNITY/SORORITY ADVISORS
institution or unit” (Rosser & Javinar, 2003, p.825), the field of student affairs professionals
has been growing nevertheless (Sandeen & Barr, 2006). What this means for Fraternity
and Sorority Advisors in particular remains to be seen.
The youthfulness of professionals in fraternity/sorority affairs and the short amount of
time they tend to be in their positions suggest both a tremendous influx of young professionals
into the field as well as their swift exodus from the field after a short duration.
There are a number of possible explanatory factors for this, each touched upon in the
literature, yet merit further exploration given our unique demographic. One possibility is
there are many more entry-level positions than mid- and senior-level positions, resulting
in fewer opportunities for promotion and therefore encouraging younger professionals
to make lateral moves to other departments like Residential Life or Student Life in
order to advance their careers (or leave higher education entirely) (Evans, 1988). Of the
campus-based professionals who shared their position level, nearly 38% self-identified
as entry-level, 54% as mid-level, and less than 8% as senior-level professionals. Part of
the reason for the dearth of senior-level positions may be that few of them directly deal
with fraternity/sorority life, as senior-level administrators tend to oversee multiple function
areas and therefore have less reason to maintain membership in AFA.
Insufficient compensation is another likely factor contributing to high turnover in the
field, as it can lead to high stress and snowball into overall dissatisfaction with one’s
job (Quinn, Staines, & McCullough, 1974). While cost of living and average salary differs
from city to city, as a whole entry-level campus-based professionals average $30K-39,999
annually, mid-level professionals average $40K-49,999, and senior-level professionals
earn on average above $70K (see Figure 8). Given the paucity of senior-level positions,
lower- and mid-level professionals who want to increase their salary seem to be left
with little recourse but to leave Fraternity/Sorority Life in favor of better opportunities
in higher education or elsewhere. However, Rosser & Javinar found that “student affairs
leaders perceive that their salary levels are adequate” and the decision process to leave
their position or field “may involve more consideration of the bread-and-butter working
conditions than was previously acknowledged” (2003). Yet given how much the economy
has changed since the study was conducted, a follow up study is merited.
Another factor related to steadfast advancement that may contribute to attrition in the
field is the perceived lack of professional development opportunities for professionals
who are no longer entry-level (Rosser & Javinar, 2003). While the perceptions of our
members and their relative satisfaction with their jobs will be the subject of an upcoming
study, the literature strongly suggests that the lack of energy invested in mid- and
senior-level professionals creates a “revolving door syndrome” deserving of concern
(Evans, 1988, p.19). Other possible factors, which will be explored in subsequent studies,
include more subjective (and complex) measures such as job satisfaction, job stress and
burnout, staff to student ratio, congruency of expectations and experience, preparedness
from graduate school, mentorship, perceptions of support from higher ups, and ability
to transition into family life. 10
10 It should be noted that “literature on attrition in most other professions simply does not exist” (Lorden, 1998, p.207) and only
in student affairs are we concerned with the rate at which people leave a profession rather than a job or an organization (more
commonly referred to as turnover). We would do well to ask, then, if attrition is really as bad as we think or if it is a normal, healthy
part of one’s professional trajectory that allows for members to take their expertise and experience to other fields?
8 What We Know About Our Members and Why It Matters