Industry Update Provided by NPC

In a lengthy profile, USA Today offers a window into the sorority experience of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Ca. “Her sorority sisters say Harris was born to lead, and she got some of her earliest training as an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman at Howard,” writes Nicquel Terry Ellis. The story goes on to detail various ways Harris’s sorority sisters are helping to fuel her candidacy, including hosting fundraisers, attending events, and…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

According to The Advocate, two Louisiana State University (LSU) students who pledged Phi Delta Theta Fraternity with Max Gruver in 2017 told a Baton Rouge jury Wednesday that Matthew Naquin, a member of the LSU chapter of Phi Delta Theta at the time, targeted Gruver the night he died of alcohol poisoning by peppering him with questions during an initiation ritual and ordering him to chug hard liquor every time he gave a wrong answer. Naquin faces up to five…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The End All Hazing Act introduced in the U.S. House last week could change how institutions deal with hazing through increasing transparency, according to The Daily Iowan. The legislation would require universities to maintain a website featuring clear information on the policy violations of student organizations, including fraternities and sororities. Colleges would also have to contact law enforcement within 72 hours of hazing-related injuries. 

Florida…

Holiday Closing

Kappa Alpha Theta headquarters will be closed Thursday, July 4, in recognition of Independence Day.

Theta Representation on the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Student Advisory Committee

Now in its second year, the Student Advisory Committee helps to support the work of NPC to advance the sorority experience together, represent the college woman’s perspective, provide suggestions on existing NPC Panhellenic programs, and offer ideas for new initiatives. Ten students…

Government Relations Update

The Collegiate Freedom of Association Act (H.R. 3128) is gaining cosponsors in the House. If you haven't contacted your congressional representatives yet, here's a link to do so. Input your name and address and your representatives' information appears along with a message which you can personalize.

These supportive contacts are critical to our efforts. For additional information, contact Director of Government Relations Laurie Connor.

Recent Theta Blog

Kappa Alpha…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The New York Timesreported on a wave of student activism pressing colleges on sexual assault. Citing examples from wide-ranging campuses from Rhodes College (Memphis), to Swarthmore, Harvard, and Princeton, the Times highlighted efforts to boycott fraternity parties, and a response from fraternities to cancel parties to raise awareness for assault survivors. The story also notes that activists from multiple campuses are collaborating, sharing tactics and…

The Update | June 11, 2019

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The NPC Media Sweep distributed by email from NPC on May 31 contained an incorrect link to an article about George Washington University’s policy banning single-sex fraternities and sororities. The preceding link is correct.

Grassroots Update and Webinar Invitation

Two important pieces of legislation that the Fraternity Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) has been working toward—the Collegiate Freedom of Association Act (CFAA) and the END…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Three students at Yale University have filed a class action lawsuit against the university and its fraternities alleging discrimination on the basis of sex, NBC Connecticut reported. The lawsuit also “alleges a hostile environment in terms of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.” While the university’s fraternities are off campus, the lawsuit calls upon Yale to hold these organizations more accountable for their behavior.

The Gamma Iota Chapter of Pi Kappa…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

The Chronicle of Higher Educationpublished a lengthy story titled ‘Someone is Going to End up Dead’ (available only to subscribers) on Phi Sigma Phi at Central Michigan University, a fraternity that repeatedly violated both school rules and the law but was only recently punished. The story highlights Phi Sigma Phi as indicative of the flaws of university bureaucracy in addressing threats to student safety. 

Many of the problems the public traditionally associates…