Council appointed Mary Jane Parker Beach (Beta Nu/Florida State) as the Ritualist at their May meeting. The Ritualist is a special officer, outlined in the Grand Council Bylaws, whose responsibility is to advise the Fraternity President and Grand Council on the interpretation of the ritual. The position has been vacant since 2017, when Amy Hayner Kates (Alpha Phi/Tulane) was serving at the time of her death. Mary Jane has served Theta in various roles, including but not limited, to Fraternity…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Last week, HBO Max released the trailer for its upcoming documentary “Bama Rush,” which follows the social media phenomenon that grew out of University of Alabama students documenting their sorority recruitment experience in 2021, reports Variety, Huffpost, Brit + Co, and E News. The students’ footage provided a glimpse into the week-long recruiting event, making it a viral social media sensation that garnered more than 2 billion views online. The documentary…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Week of April 24

Six of the seven women suing their sorority for allegedly coercing its members into inducting a transgender person revealed their names in open court Thursday, reports Wyoming Public Radio, FOX News, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, and Cowboy State Daily. One woman has dropped out of the lawsuit. The six remaining plaintiffs are Jaylyn Westenbroek, Hannah Holtmeier, Allison Coghan, Grace Choate, Madeline Ramar, and Megan Kosar. As well as identifying…

Workforce Updates

• Please join Alumnae Committee Chair Jennah Jones in welcoming Lisa Marie Bullard Lazdins, Zeta Kappa/South Carolina, to the alumnae committee as alumnae district director (ADD) for Alumnae District I.
• Please join College Committee Chair Mandy Womack in welcoming Liz Becker, Zeta Nu/UC Davis, to the college committee. Liz will serve as college district director (CDD) for College District XV. Outgoing CDD Sam Keil is working with Liz on a transition plan with an official…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

This week

Several members of the University of Wyoming (UW)’s Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority have filed a lawsuit against the sorority’s parent organization, its president, its housing company, and a transgender individual. The plaintiffs’ suit comes after almost six months after Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first sorority at UW to accept an open-transgender student for membership, reports NBC News, FOX News, AP News and Casper Star Tribune. The suit includes numerous…

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According to The Hill, CBS News, WPTV, and MSNBC, the Florida House of Representatives advanced House Bill 999, a bill that would ban Florida’s public colleges from paying for programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill would also prohibit majors and minors with coursework touching on race theory, gender studies, and intersectionality. As a result, it could eradicate entire majors such as African American studies, gender studies, and women’s…

Industry Update Provided by NPC

Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) plans to roll back its restrictions of fraternities and sororities implemented in 2017 following the hazing death of student Timothy Piazza, reports Spotlight PA. This coverage was syndicated across the state, appearing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Penn Live, The Morning Call, and more. The university enacted more than a dozen changes to its oversight and compliance rules for Greek life organizations after 19-year-old…

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This week

In 2021, Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood’s death sparked conversations across Kentucky after he died from alcohol poisoning following a hazing incident in the Farmhouse Fraternity house at the University of Kentucky, reports Commonwealth Journal and Richmond Register. Two months after Lofton’s death, high school students proposed anti-hazing legislation during the annual Kentucky Youth Assembly mock government which paved the foundation for Senate Bill 9,…

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This week

Last week, Luke Tyler, 19, was found unresponsive in his room at Washington State University (WSU), FOX News and New York Post reported. Tyler was a member of Theta Chi, and a group of Tyler’s friends called for the fraternity to be investigated with the help of an online petition. “His death directly followed a long and cruel pledging process allowed by his fraternity, Theta Chi,” the petition says. A university spokesperson did not respond to a…