Industry Update Provided by NPC

In response to at least 10 hazing-related deaths at Texas universities since 2000, state lawmakers passed a bill in 2019 to toughen anti-hazing laws. The Texas House Committee on Higher Education revisited the bill on Tuesday, with anti-hazing advocates calling for legislation that would hold individual students responsible for their actions, according to The Texas Tribune. “Students report the No. 1 deterrent that will stop hazing, the No. 1 by far, is visible,…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Seven Gamma Phi Beta alumnae from Iowa State were featured on the TODAY Show, recognizing their letter-writing tradition that began in 1956. For the past 60 years, the women have corresponded in a round-robin style, with each sister receiving a yearly package of letters with updates on everything from careers to families. This tradition was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019.

USA Today reports the mother of a Rutgers University student who was…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

U.S. News and World Report, Patriot-News and The Philadelphia Inquirer report that Lehigh University’s fraternity/sorority life system has been “paused.” In an email to the university community, President John D. Simon and Vice President for Student Affairs Ricardo Hall announced a suspension of all new member activities. They also prohibited contact between existing members and new members, and any events that are not business-related. The “pause” on…

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…