The Update

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July 3, 2018

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Published

July 3, 2018

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Lorie Land

News from the Industry

A lawsuit for injunctive relief has been filed against the University of Southern California based on claims that the University's policy requiring students participating in fraternity and sorority recruitment have at least 12 units of undergraduate coursework is an overreach. The case filed in California State Court relies on "Leonard's Law" to argue an infringement of students' First Amendment rights. AnnenbergMedia reports that the University has not yet responded.

Kyle Mitchell, former president of the Interfraternity Council at Texas Tech, was removed from his position, according to Teen Vogue. Several comments he made in a private group chat were made public last week, where he proposed that illegal immigrants should be hunted for sport. The university issued a swift condemnation of his actions, and Mitchell has since apologized on Twitter. Six other students have been expelled from their fraternity.

TIME reports that the University of Central Florida suspended a fraternity after a woman filed a lawsuit against them. She alleged that an explicit video of her was uploaded to a “revenge porn” page that other fraternity members had access to. The woman was in a relationship with a Delta Sigma Phi brother, who recorded a sexual encounter and played the video in front of the fraternity.

Holiday Closing

Kappa Alpha Theta headquarters will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Workforce Contact Update

Leah Logan, alumnae district director in Alumnae District XI, will be away from her Theta desk from July 17 through July 27. In her absence, please contact Director of Alumnae Engagement Liz Drake.

Social Media Snapshot

We enjoyed celebrating Theta’s 73^rd Grand Convention in Orlando with many of you this weekend! In case you missed it, Theta introduced an exciting new campaign to our Grand Convention attendees on Saturday: The Women Supporting Women campaign. Check out the launch video on Facebook, and please share it!

If you weren’t able to join us, check out the hashtag #Theta18 on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for all the details. We also posted two Facebook Live videos that are available to re-watch.

Fashion designer Carrie Hammer, Beta Xi/UCLA, addressed the Grand Convention crowd to share the inspiring message behind her “Role Models Not Runway Models” campaign. Watch the Facebook Live video of Carrie’s presentation! Carrie also gave a TED Talk in 2016 about the ugly side of the beauty industry.
On Saturday, Tara Storch, Delta Omega/Texas A&M, told the story of how losing her young daughter, Taylor, inspired her to found an organization dedicated to the gift of organ donation. Catch Tara’s speech on our Facebook page, and be sure to follow Taylor’s Gift on social media to be an advocate for Tara’s life-saving mission.

Send us your Grand Convention photos! Email high-resolution images to socialmedia@kappaalphatheta.org.

Five collegians shared their Grand Convention experiences on Instagram! Thanks again to:

Gina Li, Epsilon Sigma/UC Irvine
Santana Martensen, Alpha Sigma/Washington State
Jasmine Muniz, Eta Iota/ San Diego
Daryl Tibbets, Delta Omega/Texas A&M
Isabel Velasquez, Gamma Chi/Fresno State

Grand Convention Expenses

Any outstanding expense reports for Grand Convention 2018 should be submitted to your staff partner as soon as possible. Expense reports submitted after July 31 will not be accepted for reimbursement.

Year-End and Expense Reports

The Fraternity’s 2017-18 fiscal year ended June 30. Because some of your expenses may be for the 2018-19 fiscal year, please note on your submitted expenses if they are for the 2017-18 or 2018-19 fiscal year.

2017-18 expenses will be accepted until, but no later than, July 31. No exceptions to this deadline will be granted, as the Fraternity’s audit begins in August. Please submit your invoices in a timely manner. Also remember that, in accordance with the Fraternity’s travel policy, only expenses submitted within 90 days of expenditure will be reimbursed. If you have any questions, please contact your staff partner.

The Update | July 3, 2018