Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

This creative project outlines the steps taken to successfully plan and host a fundraising event at Arizona State University. In my case, this more specifically dealt with organizing a dodgeball tournament between two friendly rivals: police officers and firefighters in the city of Phoenix. All proceeds raised from this fundraising dodgeball tournament were donated back to first responders working in the city of Phoenix.

Crazed Oasis strives to create a community-based, sustainable clothing brand that looks and feels great, while creating a community that is safe and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds. We strive to educate all about the world to provide an understanding and appreciation for all individuals and cultures. The current climate of the world is a crazy one, and the clothing industry is highly unsustainable. Crazed Oasis is creating the solution by building a community to create new friendships and connections while focusing on the important topics of the world, such as sustainability, mental health, human rights, arts and passions, and more. Through our clothing products, we will educate and create a culture of understanding through art.

The opioid crisis is a dangerous public health issue on the rise among college students involved in Greek organizations. This study investigated what first-year students involved in National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities and Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities at Arizona State University (ASU) know about opioids and how to react in the event of an opioid overdose to provide recommendations for ASU. Data was collected by surveying first-year NPC and IFC students at ASU on their knowledge and behavior patterns regarding opioids and overdoses. Additionally, a series of interviews with large public universities in the United States were conducted to discuss resources available to students. It was found that the fraternity and sorority members surveyed have an inadequate amount of knowledge about opioids and overdoses, but have less experiences with opioids and/or overdoses compared to non-Greek affiliated students at ASU. It is believed that with proper education and access to resources, students will decrease their risk of experiencing an overdose. This research provided the basis to argue for educational programs and resources being provided to students at ASU.

This business plan is centered around the creation of a digital marketplace that will promote small businesses and sustainable shopping habits throughout the community and beyond. Our business decisions will be guided by our vision which involves encouraging environmentally conscious shopping habits, supporting small artists, and raising money for charity without compromising quality. In addition to our focus on creating a social media-based digital marketplace, we aim to ultimately help local artists grow their businesses and further support the causes they care about.

For my senior thesis, I explored the topic of toxic masculinity in America, specifically on college campuses and cultivated through aspects of Greek Life. My exploration of the topic culminated in an art showcase that was intended to create a space for candid dialogue about the impact and effects of a persistent culture of toxic masculinity perpetuated through Greek Life. It is important to note that I do not believe that masculinity in and of itself is toxic; rather, often the ways in which it is conceptualized and enacted is harmful to men, women, and society as a whole. Thus, my goal is not to disparage men or masculinity, but rather to open a dialogue exploring how Greek Life reproduces a culture that pressures men to conform to a rigid and narrow conception of masculinity.

From December 2019 to December 2020, I served as the chapter president of the Chi Omega Psi Epsilon Chapter at Arizona State University. Although my experiences as president sharpened my leadership abilities and provided me with skills I will take into my future career, the emotional baggage caused by the experience was scarring. I found myself carrying it with me after my term ended, allowing my negative emotions to highly affect my post-leadership experience. In conducting this project, it was my goal to determine if other student leaders had similar experiences to mine, and if so, come up with recommendations on how to improve support processes to ensure that student leaders are able to enjoy their terms as much as possible. From my research, it is evident that expectations and responsibilities put on student leaders are taking away from the positives that spring from leadership experiences. In interviewing 18 student leaders from multiple organizations across six universities around the country, it became evident that students’ positions were highly affecting their mental health and feelings towards the organization and university while in the leadership role and after their terms. I created three recommendations with the hope that this project will start the conversation around the topic of student leadership support, eventually inspiring change that will allow future student leaders to have a better experience than both myself and my peers had. These recommendations include creating an outlet/platform where past and current student leaders can talk about their experiences, creating an avenue for organization advisors to connect with the majority of members rather than having them solely in contact with the leaders, and streamlining university communications to both students, leaders, and advisors. By doing these three things, student leaders will have a better support network, allowing them to fully experience, learn from, and enjoy their time as an executive board member of their organization.

This project consists of both a research paper and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) college students in Greek Life sorority and fraternity organizations. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences and social climate that LGBTQ+ students face when navigating the intersections of gender, sexuality, and their involvement in Greek Life. Themes that emerged include heteronormative and cisgendered aspects of sororities and fraternities; lack of education on the LGBTQ+ community and how to support them; and exclusion of LGBTQ+ students in Greek Life organizations, especially those outside of the gender binary. As many sororities and fraternities are over 100 years old, many aspects of these organizations have changed over the years. However, there is always room for improvement and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have been slowly developing with these organizations amending their official documents based on the gendered language used that is outdated. The next step for better supporting LGBTQ+ students in Greek Life organizations is for these organizations to discuss nonbinary and transgender membership at their annual conventions, as well as universities seeking to begin either incorporating a gay-straight alliance for fraternity and sorority life, or better educating their members on aspects of the community.