Industry Update Provided by NPC

This week

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, columnist Kate Cohen calls for the abolition of college fraternities. Cohen provides commentary on recent fraternity misconduct, including sexual misconduct allegations in fraternities at University of Massachusetts at Amherst and University of Nebraska at Lincoln, as well as the hazing death of Adam Oakes at Virginia Commonwealth University. This piece argues that misconduct and fraternities are intertwined, and that reform often fails to prevent this behavior. The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) has submitted a letter to the editor in rebuttal, noting the vast majority of fraternity members are appalled by these allegations and that fraternities are among the student organizations addressing larger societal issues such as sexual assault, hazing, and alcohol misuse. NIC also notes that substantive change takes persistence, commitment, and member engagement, not calls to abolish organizations that are committed to improvement.

Last week

The Los Angeles Times and CBS News offered coverage of the recent protests at the University of Southern California following alleged sexual assaults and drugging at the campus’s Sigma Nu Fraternity. The fraternity is under interim suspension, and the university has acknowledged the “troubling delay” in their communication to campus. At least six students reported they had been drugged at Sigma Nu on Sept. 24, but the university did not notify the campus community of these incidents until Oct. 20.

#GivingTuesday

Theta Foundation’s 9^th annual Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30 is just a few short weeks away. We know many of you served as ambassadors last year and would love to have your participation again. After you sign up on the Giving Tuesday website, you will receive updates and a toolkit on how to maximize your social media networks throughout the day. We also have fun incentive items for ambassadors only, so be sure to check them out on the ambassador sign-up page. Please contact Foundation Assistant Director of Advancement Kassie Dobbs if you have any questions.

Theta Foundation staff encourages you to update your email signature this week for #GivingTuesday and keep it active through Dec. 1. On Dec. 2, feel free to switch your email signature back your regular Theta signature. Here are instructions on how to update your email signature (Outlook and Gmail). Thank you for your support!

January Mentoring Program

January is National Mentoring Month and Kappa Alpha Theta is featuring a mentoring program in ThetaConnect during January. More information about how to participate will be available later in November. If you haven't joined ThetaConnect yet, now's a great time to do so; this document shows you how to join.

Theta Blogs

• Serving Theta as an ELC: My Story
• A Time to Give Thanks

Helpful Links

• ThetaConnect
• Workforce Contact Information
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 
• New Volunteers
• Previous Updates