Adviser Dr. Craig Tollini
In the fall of '08 and the spring of '09, the Kappa Theta Chapter began searching for a new adviser. After several looks and many approaches, the Chapter decided on the new adviser: Dr. Craig Tollini. (Pictured at left)
From the New Adviser:
I received my BA in 2000, my MA in 2002, and my PhD in 2005. I went to college at Elizabethtown College and graduate school at Western Michigan University. My undergraduate major was in Sociology/Anthropology, while my graduate degrees are in Sociology. At the doctoral level, my concentrations were Applied Sociology and Social Theory (emphasis on the Sociology of Knowledge).
I started working at WIU in the Fall 2005 semester, only a couple of months after I defended my dissertation. (I actually went back to WMU in December to walk in the graduation ceremony.) As you would expect given my degrees, I work in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Since I was hired for a position in quantitative methodology, I teach mainly the statistics and research methods courses for undergraduate and graduate students, though I also regularly teach Introduction to Sociology. While most students (and even other faculty) do not like the methods courses, I thoroughly enjoy. I truly get excited designing a project and collecting and analyzing data, even though it can be demanding and time consuming.
In terms of research, I am currently (and plan to continue) working on projects that address liberal bias in academia, "gaydar, " "gay-for-pay" actors, and (last but not least) fraternities and sororities. It was this research that led to my becoming the faculty adviser for Theta Xi at the end of the Fall 2008 semester. After attending a chapter meeting to ask the members if they would be willing to participate in my project, I was asked if I would be willing to become their adviser. After meeting with the president and the executive board, I decided to accept. The members voted, and here I am.
I was initiated into Theta Xi as an Alumni Member in January 2010. I also have affiliation with other honor’s societies. I could not have joined a fraternity while I was in college because Elizabethtown College did not have any Greek organizations. Even if it did, I would not have joined because of the stereotypes I had about Greeks; stereotypes that have lost their strength as my research continues. Three members of Theta Xi had taken one of my classes, however, and I talked extensively with one of them about the chapter’s efforts to re-establish itself on this campus and to obtain a chapter house. In addition, I was very impressed by the openness and authenticity of the members during every interaction I had with them, as well as their ability to take their fraternity and their brotherhood very seriously while not taking themselves too seriously. It was for these reasons that I decided to accept.
Contact Dr. Tollini at: cd-tollini@wiu.edu
From the New Adviser:
I received my BA in 2000, my MA in 2002, and my PhD in 2005. I went to college at Elizabethtown College and graduate school at Western Michigan University. My undergraduate major was in Sociology/Anthropology, while my graduate degrees are in Sociology. At the doctoral level, my concentrations were Applied Sociology and Social Theory (emphasis on the Sociology of Knowledge).
I started working at WIU in the Fall 2005 semester, only a couple of months after I defended my dissertation. (I actually went back to WMU in December to walk in the graduation ceremony.) As you would expect given my degrees, I work in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Since I was hired for a position in quantitative methodology, I teach mainly the statistics and research methods courses for undergraduate and graduate students, though I also regularly teach Introduction to Sociology. While most students (and even other faculty) do not like the methods courses, I thoroughly enjoy. I truly get excited designing a project and collecting and analyzing data, even though it can be demanding and time consuming.
In terms of research, I am currently (and plan to continue) working on projects that address liberal bias in academia, "gaydar, " "gay-for-pay" actors, and (last but not least) fraternities and sororities. It was this research that led to my becoming the faculty adviser for Theta Xi at the end of the Fall 2008 semester. After attending a chapter meeting to ask the members if they would be willing to participate in my project, I was asked if I would be willing to become their adviser. After meeting with the president and the executive board, I decided to accept. The members voted, and here I am.
I was initiated into Theta Xi as an Alumni Member in January 2010. I also have affiliation with other honor’s societies. I could not have joined a fraternity while I was in college because Elizabethtown College did not have any Greek organizations. Even if it did, I would not have joined because of the stereotypes I had about Greeks; stereotypes that have lost their strength as my research continues. Three members of Theta Xi had taken one of my classes, however, and I talked extensively with one of them about the chapter’s efforts to re-establish itself on this campus and to obtain a chapter house. In addition, I was very impressed by the openness and authenticity of the members during every interaction I had with them, as well as their ability to take their fraternity and their brotherhood very seriously while not taking themselves too seriously. It was for these reasons that I decided to accept.
Contact Dr. Tollini at: cd-tollini@wiu.edu
