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August 7, 2018
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The Update | August 7, 2018
News from the Industry
After the death of fraternity pledge Tim Piazza, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity member Ryan Burke became the first sentenced in the case, according to The Washington Post. Burke, who pleaded guilty to hazing and alcohol violations, avoided jail time but was sentenced to three months of house arrest, 27 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $3,000 fine. According to the case, Burke was a key instigator in the drinking that lead to Piazza’s death; as the recruitment chairman for the fraternity, he supplied Piazza with alcohol and subsequently avoiding calling for medical treatment once Piazza was injured.
A small, yet growing, group of university presidents has vowed to reform U.S. university Greek life, after hazing deaths at their schools. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Eric Barron of Penn State, F. King Alexander of Louisiana State, and John Thrasher of Florida State led a group of administrators dedicated to making Greek life safer. Barron has called for scaling back individual chapter’s self-governance models and returning the chapters to their “foundational values of leadership and service.” He also wants to improve national data on fraternity and sorority performance and continue the national conference the three university leaders started in April. Note: National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) offered comment to the Chronicle reporter, and the piece notes the coalition of presidents has not sought the counsel of NPC, but NPC is willing to engage and collaborate if asked.
Travel & Reimbursement Policy Reminders and Updates
As the new academic year begins, it’s a good time to review the policies outlined in the Kappa Alpha Theta Travel & Reimbursement Policy. A few key points and an update are listed below.
- Receipts must accompany all expenses; credit card statements alone are not sufficient.
- Traveling can be particularly difficult if you have dependents, whether they be children, adults or pets, so Kappa Alpha Theta does cover dependent care; however, prior approval and receipts are required.
- An addendum has been made to the Air Travel section of the policy regarding Wi-Fi: “Kappa Alpha Theta will reimburse an officer for the use of Wi-Fi service, in the air and at the traveler’s destination, if approved by the chief executive officer or chief operating officer prior to travel. A receipt is required for reimbursement.”
We are so grateful for the time you spend traveling in support of our members and chapters—wishing you safe and timely travels in the coming year!
New Volunteer Role
Kristin Anderson, Eta Tau/Tampa, has been added as a member of the government relations committee. Kristin will support Director of Government Relations Laurie Connor in recruiting and mentoring collegians for the annual Capitol Hill visits in April. Contact Assistant Director of Alumnae Engagement Laura Stelsel with any questions.
Advisor Training Updates
New curriculum: The advisory board training program will be debuting new curriculum this fall. We are planning to send our team to several cities, focusing on locations where many advisors from different chapters can attend. We will be sending out save-the-date emails once dates have been solidified. Contact advisortraining@KappaAlphaTheta.org with any questions.
- Virtual roundtables: We are excited to present monthly opportunities to connect with our advisors on timely topics. These will occur the second Wednesday of every month, starting in September. All virtual roundtables will start at 6:00 p.m. Pacific/9:00 p.m. Eastern. Those who have RSVPed by the week prior will receive email instructions on how to connect to the conversation.
- September 12: Risk Prevention
- October 10: Elections
- November 14: Recruitment
- December: No meeting
Onboarding new advisors: We will be hosting one virtual meeting per semester to discuss helpful tips and best practices for those advisors who consider themselves “new” (or anyone who would like a refresher). Our fall meeting date is Wednesday, September 19, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific/9:00 p.m. Eastern. REGISTER HERE.(Please note, these meetings will be recorded for those who are unable to join us.)
Working Remotely
Many of our volunteers are working remotely for Theta in some capacity. Many of you are even coaching volunteers who are serving remotely as well. Check out these great tips on how to engage remote workers.
Social Media Snapshot
The Return of #IAmASororityWoman
During the month of August 2018, Theta will again participate in the #IAmASororityWoman campaign, sponsored by Delta Gamma to help change negative stereotypes of sorority membership. As sororities face continued scrutiny from host institutions, potential new members, parents, and others, the campaign aims to highlight the value of sororities and the unique, dynamic women who make up our organizations. We hope you will share our posts, or create your own, on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and use #IAmASororityWoman to contribute to the conversation.
Theta Discontinues Headquarters Snapchat Account
If you follow Theta on Snapchat, you may have heard the announcement that we have decided to abandon the account and move the content previously shared on that channel to Instagram Stories. Attempting to pivot the social network toward messaging rather than brand engagement, Snapchat recently changed the algorithm that controls how users search and find content from accounts they follow. The change decimated Theta’s view numbers, rendering the time and effort put into creating Snapchat stories unjustified. The consensus for Theta (and among many of our Greek peers) is to focus on sharing content on Instagram Stories instead. Please follow @kappa_alpha_theta on Instagram and check our stories for content, including Live from the Theta Archives each Thursday, member takeovers, and more!
Recruitment Photos
It’s that time of year again! Please send your high-resolution recruitment photos to socialmedia@kappaalphatheta.org.
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