The Update | February 14, 2023

The Update

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February 14, 2023

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Published

February 14, 2023

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Lorie Land

Industry Update Provided by NPC

This week

Last week, Luke Tyler, 19, was found unresponsive in his room at Washington State University (WSU), FOX News and New York Post reported. Tyler was a member of Theta Chi, and a group of Tyler’s friends called for the fraternity to be investigated with the help of an online petition. “His death directly followed a long and cruel pledging process allowed by his fraternity, Theta Chi,” the petition says. A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment regarding the allegations of hazing and would not say whether any of WSU’s fraternities were under investigation. The spokesperson did caution the public against speculation until more facts are known. (Note: National Panhellenic Conference [NPC] will reach out to the College Panhellenic and will be in touch with chief Panhellenic officers as we learn more about impacts to the community.)

Last week

Last week, the family of Stone Foltz received a $2.9 million settlement—the largest payout for hazing by a public university in the state of Ohio—USA Today, CBS News Pittsburgh, and ABC News reported. Foltz was a 20-year-old student at Bowling Green State University when he died from alcohol poisoning while pledging a fraternity in March 2021. Eight former Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity members either pleaded guilty or were found guilty on multiple charges related to Foltz’s death, including reckless homicide, hazing, and giving alcohol to a minor.

Workforce Update

Please join Alumnae Committee Chair Jennah Jones in welcoming Heather Dennis , Delta Psi/UC Riverside, as alumnae district director (ADD) for Alumnae District XV.

ThetaConnect Updates

ThetaConnect , our members-only app, grew by more than 240 members in January! Almost 8,500 users visited ThetaConnect last month, 5,450 more than in December. In addition, January’s Mentoring Month was a success with over 340 interactions within ThetaConnect, meaning members were messaging each other and creating mentoring relationships.

ThetaConnect also has a new feature: In-Feed Videos!

A new “Upload Media” button will appear when users post on the feed, allowing them to select between images and videos.
Videos can be uploaded, recorded, and viewed directly in the feed from any device.
Multiple videos in a post can help users share more impactful information.
Upload high-resolution videos up to five gigabytes each.

This was a great month for ThetaConnect and such a great start to the new year. Please contact Lisa Thibault , digital engagement and alumnae marketing manager, or Madi Leger , digital marketing coordinator, regarding general ThetaConnect questions or how you can use ThetaConnect for member programming.

Theta Foundation 2023 Scholarship Application Deadline

The deadline for Theta Foundation's 2023 Scholarship Application is coming up soon! More than $850,000 is available to support members pursuing undergraduate and graduate study during the 2023-2024 academic year. All applications and recommendation forms are due by 6:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 1. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the resources on Theta's website , including upcoming help sessions . Please contact Foundation Programs Director Mary Kate Smith with questions.

The Bulletin

The February issue of The Bulletin has been emailed to all college and alumnae chapter officers, advisors, and facility corporation board officers and posted in Theta Portal > Chapter Portal > Chapter Resources > HQ Communications Resources > The Bulletin. Workforce members always have access to The Bulletin via Igloo > Files > The Bulletin. The Update is Theta’s main communication source for the workforce, and The Bulletin is Theta’s main communication source for college chapter officers and advisors and alumnae chapter officers.