Fraternity and Sorority Thriving: A Residential Perspective

When provided with the space and resources common to residential learning communities, fraternity and sorority residences are often viewed as synonymous to the risky behaviors associated with fraternal organizations. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of thriving of fraternity and sorority members in various living environment to their nonaffiliated peers using the Thriving Quotient. Fraternity and sorority members’ type of residence was not found to be associated with student thriving, although living closer to campus was positively associated with Social Connectedness and negatively associated with Engaged Learning. Fraternity and sorority membership overall was positively associated with Academic Determination and Social Connectedness, and negatively associated with Engaged Learning. Implications for intentionally creating living-learning communities and maximizing the residential experience of fraternity and sorority residences are discussed