Inclusion and Belonging

Our commitment to inclusion and belonging is anchored in our Purpose, inspired by our Ritual and rooted in our values. Our Founders set the example for this kind of growth and development, both as individuals and as an organization founded to be kind alike to all. Based on research conducted in 2021, we know that more than 18% of our collegiate membership is non-white—meaning one in five of our collegiate members is a person of color. In addition, 15% of our collegiate members—one in six—identify as LGBTQ+. These statistics are not unique to Tri Delta. They are consistent with current demographics in higher education. 
 
Bottom line: Tri Delta must understand who our members are in order to meet them where they are, as we work together to ensure an experience that recognizes, welcomes and celebrates their diversity. 

Through our commitment, we are working toward three outcomes for Tri Delta and our members: 

• Become a more diverse organization and live up to our founding tenet of being kind alike to all. 
• Enable Tri Delta collegians to graduate with skills and competencies to advance inclusion and belonging where they live, work, study and serve. 
• Empower Tri Delta alumnae/volunteers with the skills and competencies needed to create an inclusive environment for all members. 

In 2020, we completed an audit led by the Culture Shift Team to identify where we could grow. That audit resulted in a few actions:  

• We reviewed Tri Delta’s Governing Documents, policies and processes.  
• We began collecting demographic data on our members to learn more about them and better serve them.  
• We began educating members to equip them to create more belonging within the Tri Delta experience. 
• We worked to ensure that all Tri Delta members found representation in Tri Delta’s Board leadership. 
• We acknowledged our past and shared the story of Dr. Diane Petersen, one of our first Black members, and the discrimination she experienced when joining Tri Delta in the late 1960s.  
• We began to embed the work around belonging into all aspects of Tri Delta.  

In 2021, we partnered with the Culture Shift Team to conduct an enterprise-wide diversity audit that included: 

• An extensive review of Tri Delta’s Governing Documents, policies and processes. 
• Staff and board interviews. 
• A comprehensive leadership assessment focused on cultural competence and organizational readiness for change. 
• A series of Reflective Dialogue Sessions with Tri Delta members of color. 

The Culture Shift Team completed the audit in the fall of 2021 and shared three key findings with Tri Delta’s leadership: 

1. We had opportunities to improve our internal documents, policies and processes from an inclusion and belonging perspective. These opportunities were addressed through proposed amendments to Tri Delta’s Bylaws at our 2022 Convention, as well as other policy changes. 
2. We had an opportunity to broaden our focus around inclusion and belonging to reflect the work that was already happening in areas like access and belonging. 
3. We needed to learn more about our members—who they are and what they need to help drive the work forward. This resulted in two surveys: a Collegiate Inclusion Climate Survey and an Alumnae Engagement & Inclusion Survey. Both of these surveys have evolved in recent years to ensure that we continue meeting members where they are and garner their feedback about the ongoing inclusion and belonging efforts at Tri Delta.  

For us, inclusion and belonging is not a political issue. By centering this work in Tri Delta, we’re living into our founding tenet as a society that would be kind alike to all. Tri Delta’s commitment to inclusion and belonging is anchored in our Purpose, inspired by our Ritual and rooted in our values. It’s about knowing our members and meeting them where they are to allow us to see them, serve them and celebrate their uniqueness as we work to enable a lifelong journey of development and growth. 

Tri Delta is committed to fostering chapter environments where members feel welcomed, valued, respected and connected. The new director of inclusion & belonging role was created to help chapters strengthen member engagement, support accessibility, promote belonging and enhance the overall member experience.  

Many chapters have already recognized the importance of this work by creating chapter-specific positions focused on inclusion, belonging or member engagement. Establishing this as an official officer role provides a consistent framework across all chapters, ensuring that members have access to shared expectations, resources and training while allowing chapters to meet the unique needs of their communities. 

This position helps chapters intentionally focus on the connection between belonging and the member experience, recognizing that members who feel connected and supported are more likely to remain engaged and continue their Tri Delta journey. 

Additionally, the former DEIAB committee and retention committee have been combined to create the retention and belonging committee. This change helps streamline chapter operations while maintaining a focus on creating positive member experiences and supporting member retention through belonging initiatives. 

Belonging is one of the strongest predictors of member engagement and retention. The director of inclusion & belonging works alongside chapter officers to ensure that members feel connected, supported and able to fully participate in chapter life. By strengthening the member experience, chapters are better positioned to retain members and foster lifelong Tri Delta engagement. 

Recent research into the collegiate member experience suggests that mental health issues impact at least 40% of our membership. Tri Delta’s mental health Rotational Program, Behind Happy Faces, is available to all chapters. This program is designed to change the conversation around mental health and mental illness and provide members with the tools they need to approach a friend who may be struggling with their mental health. Thousands of Tri Delta members have participated in this program since its inception in 2019. Chapters may request a Behind Happy Faces Rotational Program, but availability depends on the specific rotation requested and whether the chapter has previously participated in the program. 

Tri Delta also provides mental health resources through our Resource Library, which is available to collegiate members and volunteers, along with training opportunities like Mental Health First Aid for house directors. These resources are designed to help our communities better recognize, respond to and support mental health and well-being. 

The work around inclusion and belonging is transformational. It’s the kind of work that takes time and intention—listening, learning, growing, changing as individuals and as an organization. As we know better, we’ll do better. But, in truth, this work will never be done—in the same way that kindness, our founding tenet, will never go out of style. 

We know that for some, this work is moving too slow, and for others, it is moving too fast. Our goal with focusing on inclusion and belonging is to create space for all our members—to meet them where they are and allow them to decide when and how they’ll step into the work, as well as the pace at which they’ll engage. This ongoing process is a journey, one that Tri Delta members are on together. 

A great starting point is My Tri Delta > Resource Library > Tri Delta Essentials > Inclusion and Belonging.