Module 5

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Module 5, The Millennial Generation

For this Module you will want to read the Vision 2010 Report we provided each chapter this semester. Ask your chapter president or your recruitment chair for it. If you need an extra copy please contact headquarters ASAP. The majority of the information comes from this report.

It is important to understand the generation you are working with even if you are lumped in as part of this generation. A generation covers a wide scope of time, 20 years according to this report. Arguably the Millennials born in 1982 will be somewhat different then the Millennials born in 2002. There will be great similarities though and those similarities will be what we focus on.

Optimistic and Confident

	Prior to September 11th world crises were not issues for Millennials.
	The economy until recently has been positive and has given Millennials the expectation of financial opportunity greater then their parents.

Optimism and confidence can be both a positive and a negative. An optimistic man may not see the need immediately for what Fraternity has to offer or he may see a lot of opportunity. Sometimes confidence can be based on expectations that should not be true "expectations". For instance, four years ago members of AKL were reporting to headquarters more jobs and better pay when leaving college then we are hearing of today. Many times the salaries are half that of a similar position four years ago. The expectation of immediate rewards when leaving school should not be the same as what it was four years ago.

Sheltered and Safe

	Millennials have been the focus of a sweeping youth safety movement. There are metal detectors in their high schools, zero tolerance school rules, and many other policies/activities that have been implemented for this generation.
	Millennials have been involved in more structured activity then the generation before them.

This generation has been termed the "helicopter parent" generation. Someone is always hovering over them keeping them safe and pointing in the direction that they need to go next. Parents are becoming more active in college students' lives through determining their course of study as well as extra-circular activities.

Technologically Sophisticated

	Millennials spend more time online then any generation before them.
	Computers have become more of a critical item in their lives than TV.
	High speed internet, online shopping, blogs and online dating are regular activities for many in this generation.
	This is the first generation to graduate from high school and then be able to receive a degree from an accredited institution of higher education without stepping one foot in the classroom.

This is the true computer generation. It causes a change in that the socialization that once occurred in common areas doesn't occur as much. TV's and computers are in every bedroom and in almost every common area of a University. Websites have become much more important as a student will simply look something up on the web rather then going to personally experience it. This is the first generation participating in a National Presidential Election where online solicitation was successfully used.

Joiners Experienced with Extra-Curricular Activities

	This generation watches less TV than previous generations.
	They spend more time on organized activity then with unstructured activity.

This generation has been pushed towards structured activity such as organized sports, clubs, and religion. For this reason they are less likely to feel comfortable in an unstructured environment. They expect direction in a lot of what they do and then they also expect supervision while doing it. Upon completion of the structured activity they expect recognition.

As "Joiners" one would expect Fraternities to see an increase in recruitment with this generation. That is not the case. It may be that Fraternities do not seem as organized as needed. Another thought is that the students are not being directed to participate.

Team - Oriented

	This generation has been programmed to participate as a team.
	Competition has been minimized in their lives in a number of ways. In organized sports there are fewer winners/losers...everyone walks away with an award or ribbon. It is unacceptable for students to get bad grades which has led to grade inflation.

This generation is arguably more communal then the one before it. When they enter college and the workforce they are less likely to compete with each other. The understanding of "a top needs to have a bottom under it" is not necessarily there. In one study done on this generation selfishness was seen as more corrosive than immorality on society.

Driven to Achieve

	They have been found to be more ambitious than previous generations, however they need more direction.
	Math and Science tend to be more popular than social studies and arts. Active vs. Imaginative.

This generation tends to be more interested in results when doing their activities which is reflective of the interest in math and science. Activities that may not provide tangible results immediately tend to be of less interest.

Lower Risk Substance Users

Although society's belief may be different, studies have shown that freshmen entering school are not drinking and smoking as much as their predecessors over the last 20 years.

High Stress Levels

Research has shown, due to higher expectations, the economy and zero tolerance policies that stress levels in teens have risen over the past 15 years.

Volunteerism, Community and Civic Renewal

	In the year 2000, 76% of incoming freshmen performed volunteer work in the past year.
	In 1984, 27% of high schools had a community service program, in 1999, 83%.
	This generation tends to be interested in being more locally than globally involved.

Each year more students are learning the expectation of community service in high school. This will translate into a more civic minded student over the next few years. That means service will be of interest to a lot of students. One could assume the local interest reflects the millennials interest in seeing the results of their activities.

To finish this module please read the following article Echo Boomers and then complete the worksheets labeled Module 5 in your workbook.

Did you know?

This generation has always had answering machines and cable TV available in their homes.
CD Players have been the standard music medium since they were in early elementary school.
The majority do not know what a Beta VCR is.
AIDS was never a new disease to the millennials.