Industry Update Provided by NPC

The U.S. Department of Education announced sweeping changes on Wednesday in how colleges must handle sexual-assault and sexual-harassment complaints, bolstering protections for accused students and employees. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports the long-awaited changes in the enforcement of Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, will require colleges to hold live hearings and allow cross-examination when adjudicating sexual-misconduct complaints. The new regulations, which will narrow the scope of complaints that colleges are required to investigate, have sparked renewed criticism from victims’ rights groups.

The New York Times published letters to the editor from professors, students and parents responding to Brown University President Christina Paxon’s op-ed. Many of the letters expressed a concern over returning to campus in the fall, questioning the safety and rationale of an expedited return ahead of a vaccine.

The Wall Street Journal reports that college counselors and gap-year consultants are being flooded with calls—mostly from parents anxious about courses going online and worried the quality of the education might not be worth the price. Most are still only exploring the possibility since most colleges haven’t yet announced whether campuses will open in the fall or if they will reduce tuition if classes remain online.

Grand Council Action

At its meeting Friday, May 8, Grand Council adopted a budget for the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year and considered an alumna initiate candidate for membership. 

Former Theta Staff

If you are interested in sending notes to any of the former staff members whose roles were eliminated last week, please send them to headquarters as follows:

[Former Staff Member Name]
c/o Human Resources
Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity
8740 Founders Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268 

Workforce Updates

• Please join Recruitment Committee Chairman Kara Van Duzee in welcoming Meaghan Hartney, Alpha Phi/Tulane, as recruitment and Panhellenic district director (RPDD) in College District I.
• Leslie Fight, alumnae district director (ADD) in Alumnae District V, is resigning from her position. If you are interested in this role, please submit the Volunteer Interest Indicator. Questions about the role and responsibilities can be forwarded to Director of Alumnae Engagement Liz Drake. The deadline for interest indicator submissions is Tuesday, May 26.

Workforce Communication Guide

The Workforce Communication Guide has been updated due to personnel changes. It is always available in the Igloo > Files > Resources > Volunteer Resources folder. This resource is only for the workforce and should not be shared with non-workforce volunteers.

Recent Theta Blog

May 2020 Heritage News: 150, 185, 280000+

Helpful Links

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