Charlotte Maxwell
Contributing Writer
Theta Kappa Phi is excited to welcome nationally noted hazing prevention expert Lorin Phillips to the Mountain on November 29 for an engaging presentation on “Hazing Prevention: Sweating the Small Stuff.”
An effective advocate for student-centered, student-led leadership on positive social behaviors, Phillips has worked with over 300 communities, providing valuable prevention education to more than 90,000 students, volunteers, and professionals across the United States.
We want to encourage everyone to take the opportunity to participate in an important conversation about hazing. TKP has spent the past two years working on policies and procedures to enhance each member’s experiences and keep hazing out of our organization’s practices. I and each of our members believe it’s important for students, faculty, and staff alike to understand why this is necessary and why every group on the Mountain must strive to have healthy power dynamics and relationships.
We at TKP believe that Phillips is the perfect person to educate and encourage each of us to do our part in supporting effective, student-led, student-centered hazing prevention efforts at Sewanee, given her abundant experience and her relatable, kind approach.
Phillips earned both her bachelor’s degree in integrated science and technology and her master’s degree in adult learning and human resource development from Virginia’s James Madison University.
Within her national sorority, Tri Sigma, Phillips has held multiple leadership roles, including Director of Chapter Services and Assistant Executive Director responsible for strategic planning, assessment, and prevention education. Currently, she serves as Tri Sigma’s Executive Director of Enablement.
Beyond her sorority, Phillips has been a dedicated volunteer with the national advocacy group HazingPrevention.org. She is also an active member of the Association of Fraternity Advisors, serves as a local chapter advisor, and is a member of James Madison University’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
As a leader in her national sorority over more than two decades, Phillips has conducted over 200 risk management investigations and 40 membership reviews. She created and implemented a membership experience assessment, refreshed the sorority’s member development framework, and revised the chapter accountability process to emphasize collaborative approaches to addressing policy violations.
Phillips also implemented a nationally recognized prevention institute focusing on creating effective prevention partnerships. The program helps students reduce high-risk behaviors in their chapters by providing chapter-specific data to create annual chapter prevention plans. In 2020, Tri Sigma’s innovative programs received awards from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for the country’s most outstanding change initiative and drug and alcohol prevention program.
We’re thrilled that some of our TKP alumni and parents plan to travel to Sewanee and attend Phillips’ presentation. “As one of its founders, I am so proud that TKP is taking a leadership role on hazing prevention at Sewanee,” said Alex Wilson Albright (C ’77) of Austin, Texas. “These are important conversations for everyone – not just members of Greek organizations. I hope everyone at the University – students, faculty and staff – takes advantage of this opportunity to hear this speaker.”
Phillips’ talk will be free and open to the public at Guerry Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on November 29.