The Update | January 15, 2019

The Update

Published

January 15, 2019

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Published

January 15, 2019

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Lorie Land

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Mother Jones, and others offered new coverage of Harvard’s policy targeting single-gender social groups. In a lengthy piece that followed weeks of reporting, the Chronicle’s Sarah Brown focused on the policy’s disproportionate impact on women’s organizations—including National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) member organizations. NPC Chairman Carole Jones spoke to reporters at both The Chronicle of Higher Education and Mother Jones. “We feel that if we did not pursue the rights of our students to join organizations, other universities would feel like they could follow suit and do what Harvard has done,” she told Mother Jones.

Inside Higher Ed offered reporting on research first covered by The Chronicle of Higher Education in October that purports to show a negative correlation between Greek affiliation and GPA and other markers of student success. William E. Even and Austin C. Smith, both faculty members at Miami University, presented their research findings at a recent academic conference. The IHE article included push-back from North American Interfraternity Conference’s (NIC’s) Judson Horras and NPC’s Dani Weatherford, specifically citing a letter to the editor they penned to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Local and national outlets ranging from the Chicago Tribune to CNN offered coverage of a new lawsuit alleging that sorority hazing led to the suicide of a Northwestern University basketball player. The mother of Jordan Hankins filed the suit against Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Grand Council Action

At its meeting Friday, Grand Council took the following action:

Considered a membership reinstatement and a membership termination;
Set aside $737,412 (interest, dividends, royalty income) from the general assets of the Fraternity to be used for educational purposes;
Granted a charter to establish the Oxford Alumnae Chapter in Mississippi; and
Granted a charter to establish a college chapter at Seton Hall University, if invited to do so by the college Panhellenic association. If invited, the chapter would be established in the 2019 – 2020 academic year.

Social Media & the Women’s March

The Women’s March will take place in several cities on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. As you may see or make social media posts about the event, here is helpful guidance from our Individual and Chapter Social Media Guidelines: “Individual members are welcome to use social media to discuss political candidates/parties and share their views on controversial political issues. However, per Article I, Section 11 of the Kappa Alpha Theta Bylaws, official Theta social media accounts (such as college or alumnae chapters) should not use Theta’s platform to endorse or discuss political opinions that might not be representative of Theta as a whole. We recognize the value in advocacy and raising awareness; however, please remember that members of your chapter may not share the same political views. Thetas are united by the shared values of sisterhood, leadership, scholarship, and service/philanthropy. Official Theta social media content should focus on these core values rather than specific social or political issues.” If you feel a social media post should be reviewed for appropriateness, please contact Marketing Coordinator Jordan Qaddourah.

January Vendor of the Month

Visit Theta’s Shop page to check out the January Vendor of the Month: College Hill Custom Threads! During the month of January, receive 10 percent off any new bulk order of 50+ pieces, using the code WELOVETHETA, perfect for any spring recruitment or bid day orders. If you’d like to see a vendor featured on the Theta website, contact Kristi Tucker, assistant director of alumnae engagement.

Theta Foundation Grant and Scholarship Opportunities

Theta Foundation’s Quarter 3 Chapter & Individual Grant application deadline is tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 16. We are also excited to announce that the 2019 Scholarship Application is now available! The application and recommendation forms are due by Wednesday, March 6. Both applications are posted on Theta’s Apply for Scholarships & Grants page. Thank you for spreading the word about these opportunities! Please direct any questions about Theta Foundation programs to Foundation Programs Manager Mary Kate Smith.

High Five Friday Volunteers

We are looking for more exceptional volunteers to recognize for High Five Friday. Email the volunteer’s name and role to Laura Stelsel, assistant director of alumnae engagement, and if you have a specific instance of their greatness, share that, too! Thank you for all the work you do on behalf of Kappa Alpha Theta.