The Associated Press reports that fraternity and sorority members at the University of Rhode Island have been issued a two-week shelter-in-place order. The school said it based its decision on high rates of coronavirus positivity among students in fraternity/sorority housing, with fraternity/sorority members having 11.17% positivity rates compared to those in off-campus housing, 3.83%, and the on-campus population, 0.65%. Chapters with no cases can apply for an exception. Students and chapters that do not follow the order risk suspension or dismissal.
Reports of high numbers of sorority women quarantining in chapter houses at The University of Washington were reported by Yahoo and The Daily Mail. The article referenced a summer outbreak in fraternal housing at the school and quoted a member of a sorority who said, “We’re dealing with an uphill battle that can’t really be contained by us. All we can do is do our best to limit the spread.”
The Cut, a publication of The New Yorker, published an article focusing on the efforts of the members of Zeta Tau Alpha at Northwestern University to abolish their chapter. Those interviewed cited The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC), concerns about racial bias, financial aid, and stories from the @abolishnugreeklife Instagram page as reasons for wanting to disaffiliate. Other fraternity and sorority chapters at the school, including Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Sigma Nu, were referenced as having large-scale disaffiliation. Neither NPC nor Zeta Tau Alpha’s headquarters were quoted in the piece.
At its Oct. 9 meeting Grand Council took the following action:
Task forces on several DEI topics are starting this fall. These topics were chosen based on the conversations and consultations with members (both students and alumnae). Nearly 50 members were selected to serve on these task forces. While each task force will work at its own pace, each will be supported by the DEI committee, staff, and other volunteers. The recommendations from each task force will be made to the proper authority for the specific recommendation (Grand Convention, Grand Council, a Theta committee, etc.) as well as announced on the Theta website’s DEI page.
Our current task force topics are:
If you have ideas, thoughts or suggestions for any of these task forces, please let us know.
It’s less than a week until Theta’s International Day of Service on Monday, Oct. 19! Every year, Thetas celebrate Bettie Locke’s birthday by spreading the widest influence for good in their communities. This year, we want to see how you are brightening the world during these unusual and challenging times. Email photos and service project descriptions to dayofservice@kappaalphatheta.org to possibly be featured on Theta’s social media.
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