Industry Update Provided by NPC

The Wall Street Journal reports that COVID-19 has scrambled the typical collegiate admissions process. Colleges can’t host admitted students on campus to lock in deposits, muddying enrollment projections. They can’t predict how many foreign students will be able to travel to the U.S. by the time classes start. And they are having trouble forecasting what financial aid students will need given the recent market changes and waves of layoffs. In the face of this uncertainty, many are boosting their admit rate.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports one in six high school seniors who expected to attend a four-year college full time before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus now think they will choose a different path this fall, according to a new survey from Art & Science Group. Three out of five students, though still intending to enroll in a bachelor’s degree program, are concerned about their ability to attend their first-choice college.

After being ousted from dorms, students mobilized to request refunds. Many institutions have complied—some relenting in the face of student outrage or petition drives—by offering a range of prorated refunds and credits based on the amount of time remaining on housing contracts or meals left on dining plans. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that some institutions are delaying a decision on refunds, with large universities potentially facing tens of millions of dollars in reimbursements.

• Inside Higher Ed released key findings of a survey of 172 campus leaders conducted with Hanover Research from March 17-19, as the sweeping scope of the COVID-19 situation began to come into clearer focus in the United States.
• Inside Higher Ed has released a 2020 Survey of College and University Student Affairs Officers covering a wide range of topics, including the job of the student affairs officer, student mental health, race relations and diversity on campus, and more. 
• Inside Higher Ed published an article on March 23 regarding the state of uncertainty regarding college admissions. The article includes perspectives of administrators as well as selected survey results.

The Chronicle of Higher Education published several articles regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on the state of higher education, including:

• Colleges That Closed Dorms Amid Pandemic Are Refunding Students' Money, Right? Not Everywhere examining campuses' financial response to students who are no longer on campus this semester.
• How is COVID-19 Changing Prospective Students' Plans? Here's an Early Look that contains findings from a survey of 487 prospective college students and their near-future college plans.
• If the Coronavirus Collapses State Budgets, What Will Happen to Public Colleges? that looks at potential impacts to institutions dependent on state operating aid.
• Will Coronavirus Close Your College for Good? that contains a Q&A with Robert Zemsky, a professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of Whittier College's Board of Trustees, about what has changed (or not) in the higher education market due to COVID-19.

Coronavirus and Theta

While COVID-19 has been a challenge for all of us, it has been especially disruptive for collegians. Last week, Mandy recorded a message expressing love and support to our college sisters, and a link to the video was sent to them and chapters advisors via email on Friday evening. We’ll be continuing communications outreach—including messages to graduating seniors and to alumnae about the Friendship Fund—while the stressful circumstances relating to the coronavirus continue. 

Proposed Legislation

An email was sent to all Grand Convention delegates on March 25, inviting them to view and download the proposed legislation to be considered by the 2020 Grand Convention. All Thetas can view and download the proposed legislation after logging in to Theta Portal. 2020 Grand Convention Proposed Legislation is in Theta Portal > Documents > Miscellaneous Forms.

The Bulletin

The March issue of The Bulletin has been posted in Theta Portal > chapter portal > HQDocs > The Bulletin for all college and alumnae chapter officers and advisors, and they were notified by email. 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. 

Plan of Aspirations

As you read in The Update on February 4, Council endorsed the goals and objectives of the next strategic plan at their meeting in late January. Before the new Plan of Aspirations is rolled out this summer, there is more work to be done to finalize the plan. The next step is to identify tactics that will help ensure the objectives are achieved. 

Below you can see a glimpse of the themes that emerged as priorities of the next plan. We are looking for members to serve in focus groups, brainstorming conversations, and tactic workgroup teams. If you have interest and/or expertise in any of the following areas, and would like to participate in the next phase of strategic plan development, contact Chief Operating Officer Jenni Schmaltz.

• Accountability
• Advocating for fraternity/sorority life
• Alumnae programming 
• Change management 
• Conducting and using internal and external research 
• Customized college chapter support 
• Defining the value of the Theta experience 
• Partnerships with college/university leaders
• Preserving organizational rights 

Educational Resources

These are unprecedented times, and our members and volunteers are shifting to online learning and remote work. We are compiling resources that we’ve found helpful as we start to navigate a new normal. If you find any helpful resources that would benefit others, please share with Melissa Shaub, director of education & leadership, for posting.

• Emotional Wellness: These are uncertain times, and coping with that uncertainty can be difficult. We compiled some resources that are free. Of course, our students have access to their campus counseling centers and can use them. That said, with many away from campus they may need additional resources for support. These resources, while free, are also accessible to alumnae. Check out this article at Active Minds as well as these special events they are hosting online. We’ve also linked to more resources on our blog, and all the resources listed here are provided in the Emotional Wellness section of the Coronavirus Update page.
• Managing all the “new”: Working through one change is stressful, let alone multiple changes at once, but that is exactly what we are all navigating right now. We’re working from home, homeschooling kids, and coaching student leaders as they are trying to lead their student organization remotely while they also begin online learning … it’s a lot! Researcher Brené Brown talks about this idea of FFT; if you don’t want to use profanity, you can call them TFT, Terrible First Time (in the other version you may guess what the first “F” stands for). If you haven’t heard her talk about this before, check out her new podcast Unlocking Us. She explains it in the first episode. In short, doing something for the first time is stressful and difficult, we’re anxious, and we are really vulnerable. That’s OK! All of us are experiencing our first pandemic, which is a colossal FFT. There is a way though terrible first times, though. Listen to her podcast for some tips and remember to give yourself grace.
• Empathy: We love Brené Brown around here; can you tell? Her podcast episode from Thursday was also a great listen. This episode offered some great insight into staying connected and kind and allowing ourselves to feel these difficult emotions. 
• Remote work/learning strategies: Lindsay Boccardo, a professional speaker/coach, offers some great insights into working and learning remotely. These strategies are helpful for volunteering and students, too!

Helpful Links

• Upcoming Important Dates and Visits
• Workforce Contact Information
• New Volunteers
• Previous Updates
• Coronavirus Update
• Grand Convention Website