Industry Update Provided by NPC

The Boston Globereports a Suffolk Superior Court judge has rejected Harvard College’s argument to toss a lawsuit challenging a school policy on single-gender clubs. In the state lawsuit, sorority organizations had alleged Harvard had violated state civil rights law by interfering with their freedom of association and by discriminating against their members on the basis of sex. Harvard countered that the plaintiffs failed to allege “sufficient facts to support…

Sesquicentennial Email Signatures

We apologize that the only sesquicentennial email auto signature directions are for Outlook users. Although everyone wants to share in the celebration, there are technical difficulties in including a graphic in other email platforms, including Gmail and Yahoo. The instructions for non-sesquicentennial email signatures for Fraternity, Foundation, and FHC volunteers are in Igloo > Files > Resources > 2018 Brand Resources > Email Signature…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports West Virginia University and the foundation created by the parents of Nolan Burch, an 18-year-old who died of alcohol poisoning during Kappa Sigma Fraternity hazing in 2014, are launching a campaign to promote student safety. The campaign, titled “Would you?” asks students if they would do what’s needed to help someone in crisis, even dial 911, rather than stand idly by. A central aim of the campaign is to stop hazing and…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Fox News, CNN, and local stations report that a Texas State University fraternity has been suspended and two men face charges after members of the fraternity allegedly attacked another student. The student was left with a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury. He was allegedly attacked by a group of Pi Kappa Phi members who mistook him for a member of another fraternity, according to a lawsuit filed in Travis County on behalf of the student. The incident…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Bloomsburg police are investigating the September death of a Bloomsburg University student from the Philadelphia area who died hours after he left his dormitory to attend a fraternity party, The Morning Call, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and WNEP 16 report. The Bloomsburg police chief said alcohol was involved, and police are looking into the alcohol source but declined to comment on whether police were probing a connection to fraternal organizations. King had an…

With deep sadness, we announce the closing of the Alpha Beta Chapter at Swarthmore College. The members of Grand Council have accepted the Alpha Beta Chapter charter, relinquished by a unanimous vote of the chapter members on October 27 and effective December 13, 2019.   

The closing of the chapter is a direct result of an announcement by the administration of Swarthmore: that fraternity/sorority life no longer has relevance on Swarthmore’s campus. In her letter to the campus community…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

KTLA, The Daily Titan and The Orange County Register report the parents of a 19-year-old woman who died of alcohol poisoning are suing her sorority and Cal State Fullerton (CSUF), claiming her death was due to hazing. Bea Castro had been a new member of multicultural sorority Chi Sigma Phi. The lawsuit alleges that during initiation events on March 16, 2019, Castro was forced to consume large amounts of alcohol on and off campus. Chi Sigma Phi is no longer on…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Nine former Ohio University students and members of Sigma Pi Fraternity have been indicted by an Athens County grand jury in connection with the Nov. 2018 death of freshman Collin Wiant, according to several local outlets. Some of the charges include involuntary manslaughter, hazing and drug trafficking. The case is now one of the largest criminal cases connected to hazing in America’s Greek life history, where allegations are mainly handled internally by…

Holiday Closing

The Fraternity, Theta Foundation, and Fraternity Housing Corporation offices will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Nov. 29 in recognition of the (U.S.) Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Generation Z Webinar

Marketing Coordinator Jordan Qaddourah presented research about Generation Z to Grand Council in October to help the strategic planning of the 2020 Plan of Aspirations. This 19-minute webinar covers high-level information about Generation Z, their notable…