Stevens has welcomed Kevin Grunder as the new Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life. In an email interview with The Stute, Grunder discussed his role and the ambitions he has for Stevens’ Greek Life.
Q1: Tell me about yourself and past experiences that brought you to this position.
“My name is Kevin Grunder (he/him/his) and I am so excited to be a member of the Stevens’ community as its new Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life!” Grunder said to introduce himself.
He then went into detail about his background that brought him to this position, and explained that he earned his “M.A. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University in 2019 and my B.A in Public Relations and Theater Studies from Rider University in 2017.” As an undergraduate student, he was engaged in his fraternity and overall Greek Life community at Rider. “Prior to coming to Stevens, I worked as a Program Coordinator for Student Engagement & Activities at Stony Brook University where I advised a fraternity and sorority community of 30+ social, professional, and culturally-based fraternal organizations.”
Grunder concluded his introduction by stating, “I came to Stevens to continue my passion for enhancing the fraternal experience on college campuses and look forward to supporting our Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life community! I am proud to be a Duck and am excited to experience all the campus traditions within our community!”
Q2: Could you explain what your role is as Greek Life Coordinator?
As the Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life, Grunder stated, “My role is to provide advisement and oversight to our 20+ fraternal organizations, 3 governing councils, and 2 programmatic councils on campus.”
He also explained that he oversees “primary recruitment and new member education/orientation/intake for our three governing councils on campus.” Additionally, he educates chapter leaders and members on risk management, leadership development, program planning, and hazing prevention. Finally, he acts as “a liaison between our chapters and other students, campus partners, and inter/national headquarters staff.”
Q3: What is first on the agenda to complete as the New Greek Life coordinator?
Grunder noted that his first priority in his new position is to “meet with our fraternity and sorority chapters to learn more about their experience and how I can best support them in my new role.”
Q4: How do you plan to enhance the experience for students in Greek life?
Grunder explained that his plan to enhance Stevens’ Greek Life experience is by “providing opportunities to meet with our chapter members and leaders to learn more about their student experience.”
He hopes that through these encounters, he can seek student input in order to identify areas in which he could “support our chapters in providing advisement, facilitating opportunities for leadership and/or values-based programming for our fraternities and sororities, and helpful resources to complement their chapter and community experiences.”
Q5: What are the top three things you hope to accomplish in your position?
The first task Grunder hopes to accomplish is to “learn more about our students’ fraternity and sorority life experience to create meaningful opportunities to elevate their membership experience.”
His second goal is to “strengthen our chapter and council advising structure to best support each of our organizations in creating, achieving, and surpassing set goals.”
Finally, Grunder would like to “increase Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life pride and community collaboration by developing new traditions and celebrating community points of pride.”
Q6: Are there any significant changes you plan on making?
Grunder stated that he believes the most important thing he can do in his first year is to “make myself available to our Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life students to learn as much about their experience as possible.”
“I approach my advising around developing authentic rapport and partnership with our students,” he elaborated. “In learning more about our students and their experience, I believe that we can work together to progress the Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life community together in a meaningful way.”
Q7: What impact do you want to leave on Stevens’ Greek Life?
In his response, Grunder stated that the impact he would like to leave is to “empower our students to lead with their ‘why’ of fraternal membership and ensure those values are congruent within every aspect of the fraternity and sorority experience. With an understanding of their ‘why’ for fraternal membership, I hope to empower our students to be the change and impact they want to see for our community.”
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