Nationwide, Delta Sigma Phi’s Courage and Culture programs are launching conversations on challenging, meaningful topics. In living rooms, chapter houses, and retreat centers, brothers are sitting down to talk about the choices they make, the culture they shape, and the responsibility they carry for one another and their communities. Since 2022, the Fraternity’s health and safety-focused education has created space for those conversations, equipping members to make safer, more informed decisions in their daily lives.

Through education focused on topics like alcohol and substance use, hazing prevention, bystander intervention, consent and relationships, and mental health, members are actively engaging with what it means to live out the Fraternity’s values. Some of the education happens in traditional workshops facilitated by volunteer facilitators, staff, or chapter advisors. The Respect in Action workshop guides participants through real-world scenarios and case studies, practicing how to step in when something isn’t right. One participant recently shared that their facilitator for this workshop was “very easy to talk to and be vulnerable with,” which helps members genuinely engage in the challenging conversations brought up in the workshop.

Other Courage and Culture education is led by undergraduate members themselves. This academic year, Delta Sigma Phi piloted a peer-led model through Let’s Talk: A Guide for Conversations that Matter, a mental health-focused workshop designed to be facilitated within chapter meetings. Members have reported walking away having open conversations about communication, checking in on one another, and creating space for honesty in the chapter. When reflecting on his experience with this workshop, one participant recently noted that his peer leading the workshop did “a great job of using the material from nationals [sic] as well as his own experience.”

Another way these conversations expanded even further was through the introduction of Culture and Culture Retreats this academic year: immersive weekend experiences where members from multiple chapters came together to learn, reflect, and connect. The inaugural retreat brought together chapters from Wisconsin and the Chicago area in the fall, followed by a spring retreat with chapters from across Florida.

Beyond the workshops themselves, the retreats created something harder to measure but just as important: connection. Brothers shared experiences, challenged each other’s perspectives, and built a collective vision for healthier chapter cultures. As one attendee put it, his experience at the retreat was “very nice and educational. [The facilitators] were very patient, understanding, and energetic. Overall, I had fun, and it was a good program that I think other chapters should do.”

As Courage and Culture continues to grow, so does its impact. The Fraternity remains diligently focused on expanding access to these workshops and experiences, equipping more members with the skills to build and maintain healthy habits, both individually and for their whole chapter. 

If you’re interested in hosting a workshop or serving as a facilitator for Courage and Culture, learn more by reaching out to healthandsafety@deltasig.org.