Freedoms We Hold Dear

On this Memorial Day weekend, NPC salutes those who have died while serving in the country’s armed services. We hold dear our rights and universal freedoms — in particular, freedom of speech and our right to peacefully assemble as women’s-only organizations. Our sorority settings provide safe and supportive environments where our members can actively, openly and respectfully debate and exchange ideas. NPC is a collective caring community of 26 member organizations, each demonstrating outreach through works of community service and civic engagement. Our chapter operations are based on democratic principles, valuing voice and vote. We promote leadership and encourage our members to give back to their communities, be it the campus community or the communities in which they reside. We seek to make a difference and contribute in meaningful ways.

Patriotism was evident in NPC early in its existence. NPC was founded in 1902 and in 1917 went on record recommending to each member organization that it investigate all opportunities and needs for war service and that it aid in every way possible our nation in its present crisis. Our historical record goes further, stating, “Note — Every fraternity did war work.” Our members have continued to do their part through the years to support national armed service efforts — whether it be sending care packages to military bases overseas or greeting soldiers at airports. We stand tall on our heritage supporting those who fought so courageously and bravely for us.

And we also pause and remember our loved ones on this day.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Follow your interests. In order to do that, you have to keep your passions alive. You have to feed your flame and work very hard to protect it from the harsh judgment of naysayers, critics, discouragers, underminers and most of all, your own self-doubt.

-- Patricia Harrison, “A Seat at the Table”

Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- and a sorority woman -- stresses keys to success in her timeless book that serves as a guide for female leaders. Harrison’s successful career can be attributed to her ability to establish a network of women. She notes that women have a great deal to contribute in business, government and communities. She says, “With planning and thinking, focus and commitment, women can take their place at the table of their choice.”

But success takes a willingness to overcome fear. There is no substitute for women helping women. Sororities serve as mentoring groups, and our mentors encourage young alumnae to keep their passions alive and help develop personal networks.

More than 60,000 sorority women in NPC member organizations will graduate this spring. A lifetime of sisterhood awaits these graduates as they begin a new chapter in their lives. The sorority membership experience will indeed serve them well.

An independent survey released by Gallup Education found that college graduates who are fraternity and sorority members fare better than all other college graduates in a variety of long-term outcomes. The index study of more than 30,000 college graduates released in 2014 was designed to measure the relationship between the college experience and the five essential elements of well-being. Overall, the sorority experience translates into graduates who are more likely to be engaged in the workplace; more loyal to their alma mater; and more prepared for life after college.

There is more justification to the sorority experience, however. Research indicates a set of core competencies that graduates need as part of the 21st century skill set to be socially adept. Guided team projects and clubs/organizations help build these skills through the following opportunities:

• Interact effectively with others. The sorority setting teaches this skill and goes one step further by providing an intergenerational component to the interaction by virtue of alumnae advisors.
• Respond open-mindedly to various perspectives. A sorority chapter promotes the type of environment where ideas are shared and issues are debated as a learning laboratory. People learn from other people when the lens of another perspective is considered.
• Leverage differences and strengths of others in order to foster innovation. Sororities encourage committee work whereby members learn the benefit of teamwork and collaboration that ultimately results in positive outcomes.

There are more indicators that sorority membership adds value to the college experience. As part of NPC’s commitment to preserve the single-sex exemption in Title IX, it commissioned a task force last year to study the benefits of single-sex status. A white paper on this subject will be disseminated soon. Research compiled by this NPC task force reinforces the notion that women flourish in women’s-only educational settings where they feel empowered, inspired and supported.

Amid co-educational academic settings, sororities provide a safe place where women find there is connection with peers and a great sense of belonging. This instills confidence and allows for good growth. Overall, there are many benefits to women banding together.

The beauty of the sorority experience is that it does not end when the graduate receives her diploma. There are nearly 4,000 alumnae associations distributed among the 26 NPC member organizations. Young alumnae can find instant connections through new friends in sorority alumnae organizations and reap the benefits that come from female mentors.

Best wishes to all of our sorority women graduates. Seek to have a voice that makes a difference, and enjoy the sorority journey as part of your lifetime commitment.

Resources:

• Fraternities and Sororities: Understanding Life Outcomes, Gallup Research Study
• “Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today’s College Student,” Arthur Levine and Diane R. Dean
• “21st Century Skills,” Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel
• “A Seat at the Table,” Patricia Harrison

Shining Example of Panhellenic Excellence

Look no further than the University of Oklahoma to find one shining example of excellence in College Panhellenic operations. Last weekend I presented the NPC Excellence Award to the OU College Panhellenic. University officials, sorority chapter leaders and inter/national leaders representing the 11 NPC chapters on campus were in attendance for this special recognition event.

NPC recognized 11 campuses with this award for the 2013-14 academic year. Other Excellence Award recipients included the College of William and Mary, Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana State University, Mississippi State University, Texas Christian University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Kentucky, University of South Carolina and University of Southern Mississippi. With 585 College Panhellenics in North America, you can imagine it is quite an honor to receive this level of recognition. Campuses range in size but the common thread among all of them is superior performance in seven areas identified as core functions of College Panhellenic operations. These include:

• Recruitment planning and execution
• Panhellenic structure
• Regular communication with the NPC area advisor
• Implementation of NPC judicial procedure
• Panhellenic programming
• Academics
• Panhellenic community impact and relations

NPC views these core functions as key factors in the success of any College Panhellenic. OU’s efforts truly represent and exemplify the values of the National Panhellenic Conference.

This event was part of a Panhellenic showcase weekend where we heard about the achievements as well as challenges the OU Panhellenic community has facec. The OU Panhellenic is banding together to heal and move forward following the recent fraternity incident that cast a negative light on fraternity and sorority life. Sorority women recognize opportunities to lead and offer solutions. There was agreement that good will come from what has happened as the community confronts the issues. This statement was profound: “We will all grow and improve.” As a blended group of inter/national and local chapter leaders, we held a roundtable discussion where we talked about the strengths and challenges that we face as sorority women. We drilled deep and discussed issues related to integrity versus image and accountability. We also talked about programming for seniors and how we can better use them as mentors and instill lifetime membership. Overall there was an unwavering commitment to advocate for the sorority experience. I walked away inspired by these young women as I listened to their hopes, their dreams and their convictions.

I look forward to watching OU “better its best,” as I do regard OU College Panhellenic as the gold standard. Here’s to OU!

UNITED VOICES ON CAPITOL HILL

As we consider the power of united voices on issues, we can point to our lobbying efforts in Washington. This marks the 10th consecutive year that sorority women have been involved in such endeavors. But lobbying is nothing new for the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). In fact, we have history to prove that our united voices make a difference.

Panhellenic power was evident in the 1970s when sororities and fraternities learned that the government planned to eliminate all the membership restrictions based on gender in the proposed guidelines for Title IX of the Education Amendments. NPC acted promptly and issued a statement that the proposed regulations did not apply to private sororities with voluntary members. Letters and phone calls urged Congress to reconsider the position. As a result, Congress passed a bill providing exemption to social fraternities and sororities and certain youth organizations. President Gerald Ford signed the bill into law. This example illustrates positive outcomes from a united and concentrated interfraternity effort.

This year, more than 200 students and alumni will lobby on Capitol Hill in April to advocate on behalf of our sorority and fraternity community. 

The annual visits are sponsored by the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition, which is composed of NPC, the North-American Interfraternity Conference and the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee. Students will participate in two days of training to learn more about our public policy agenda. The participating alumni will join the students for an afternoon of training in preparation for our day on the Hill scheduled for April 29.

Here is our legislative agenda:

• Passing the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act 
• Protecting freedom of association rights under Title IX
• Focusing on campus sexual assault issues
• Ensuring every student’s right to due process
• Limiting alumni volunteer liability
•  Preserving charitable giving deductions

Why lobby?

This united lobbying effort raises our visibility among members of Congress and extends our reach, so we can continue to advocate for rights as single-sex private organizations.

For 10 years, these visits have allowed our sorority women to develop bipartisan relationships with members of Congress, paving the way for our voices to be heard on major issues that affect students. 

Lobbying teams meet with staff and members of Congress. These experiences provide learning opportunities for our students as they advocate alongside the inter/national leaders of sororities and fraternities.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. NPC and NIC are proposing a SAFE CAMPUS for all students and are dedicated to working with other parties to eradicate acts of sexual violence. Our joint statement reads: “The National Panhellenic Conference and North-American Interfraternity Conference organizations believe that one assault is too many. We fully understand and support campuses acting swiftly on behalf of a victim, and we are dedicated to supporting the victim’s rights -- whether he or she is our member or not. We also fully support the victim’s right to choose his or her course of justice.”

Watch for postings later this month, and learn more about our legislative agenda.

Will you join us in our crusade? We encourage our College Panhellenic leaders to launch sexual assault awareness campaigns on campuses and promote bystander empowerment. Sororities are a caring community that can provide emotional support to courageous women who step forward and report. 

Our march continues this month to advocate for many issues affecting the sorority movement. With our voices in unison, we can achieve our vision to advance sorority together. 

Stand strong. Stand united. 

We Hear Your Voices on Sexual Assault Awareness

The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) has taken steps in recent months to address this topic that has become part of the national conversation. Please review the timeline illustrating the progress made by NPC since we entered into the discussions on sexual assault awareness. Some noteworthy actions:

• In February, the NPC Board of Directors approved the attached position statement on sexual assault. This bold move was deliberate and most intentional. We realize that our voice on this topic is important as one of the largest women's organizations in the world.
• We have continued our conversations with RAINN and recommend its hotline -- 800-656-HOPE -- as a resource for students affected by sexual assault.
• Our Student Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Task Force will issue a preliminary report this weekend to the inter/national presidents.  
• In May, the Student Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Task Force will present their recommendations to the NPC Board of Directors. We will share the board's decisions on our strategic steps to move forward as plans get underway.

Sororities are a caring community that supports students affected by sexual assault. It takes courage to come forward and report sexual assault, and we applaud those individuals who choose to speak out and navigate their path for justice.

Threads of Friendship and Purposes Everywhere

In celebrating Women’s History Month, I am revisiting the historical records of the founding of NPC and many of our member organizations. It is remarkable to track the progress made by our founders and early pioneers to form women’s-only organizations. These women were bold, ambitious and strategic in establishing chapters from coast to coast — all of this achieved through personal letters, Western Union telegrams and visits by train to campuses in college towns. The early leaders would be amazed at the evolution of our organizations.  

I read this from one of the historical journals, to paraphrase: We are a society of college women devoted to fine friendship and progress. While this historical account tells the story of this progress, we find the threads of friendship and purposes everywhere.

Have we remained true to these purposes? What would our early leaders think of us now?

I honestly believe that our early leaders would be very pleased at the state of sorority in today’s world. You find threads of friendship and purposes everywhere illustrated in pictures of sorority women linked arm in arm posted on Facebook and impact reports of our community outreach. Sorority women are scholars, servant leaders and philanthropists. We make a difference today in our communities by putting our values into action.  

That said I also believe that our early leaders would be troubled with how sororities are being depicted in the media without full consideration of the enrichment that sorority membership adds to the college experience. I have not lost heart in the sorority experience, despite recent news stories. Actions of a few are incongruent with our values and founding principles; it is unfair to use a broad brush to paint all of us with allegations of anything to the contrary of what we stand for. These are indeed challenging times. As sorority women, we must stay the course and continue our efforts to do good and do better.

Friends, we have been entrusted to honor the legacy of our founding principles and pass it on to future generations. I recall a quote from one of my Chi Omega mentors, Kirk Bell Cocke Hassell. She said, “Leadership at its finest is by example. You can show your campus and world what we stand for and, at the same time, enrich your own life.” 

Our shared commitment as a unified coalition of sorority women will allow us to perpetuate the goodness that is embodied in our organizations. Just as our founders were determined to establish a presence on campuses, we are charged with the responsibility to see to it that our women’s-only organizations continue to flourish.  

We must stay true to our ideals. And lead by example.

STEP UP AS OTHERS HAVE BEFORE US

At the conference on girls' leadership and civic education at the White House, speakers addressed the need for women's empowerment through education and mentoring programs. Key messages included:

• Our voices are missing from shaping public policy.
• Women belong at the table where decisions are being made.
• Girls need courage, character and confidence to succeed.

The overall message that resonated with us that day was that girls today are tomorrow's leaders. Our actions as role models will inspire them to lead, and this in turn will impact future generations. Participants were challenged to step up; not to wait to be lifted.

The founders of our sororities were remarkable women. They saw the need to step up and lift others by overcoming obstacles to establish secret societies for women that would offer friendship and support in academic pursuits.

The mid 1800s saw unparalleled times in higher education. When women began to appear on college campuses, there was concern. Some critics asserted that women were not worthy of penetrating the educational sphere for fear it would harm our social culture. Later "scientific evidence" led some to believe that females were unsuited for academic training and the female brain could not handle textbook learning. One influential book written by Dr. Edward Clark raised the notion that higher education damaged a woman's health by inhibiting her reproductive system. There were serious doubts that women would flourish at universities.

From 1850-75, brave women of Alpha Delta Pi, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Sigma Kappa and Gamma Phi Beta formed the first women's fraternal organizations in response to male challenges in coeducation settings. Activities for men outnumbered those for women eight to one despite the fact that women accounted for up to one third of the student population on some campuses. In many ways, sororities stood as a daring declaration that women had an equal opportunity on the college campus.

Other women's organizations arrived on the college campus scene: Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Xi Delta, Kappa Delta, Chi Omega, Alpha Omicron Pi, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Zeta, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Theta Phi Alpha, Phi Sigma Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Delta Tau. Our early sorority members sought self-improvement by allowing their sisters to critique compositions, debate and practice elocution. The sorority setting was a safe environment where women could exercise democratic principles with voice and vote -- years prior to the 19th Amendment. Dedicated to organizational purpose, the ideal of true womanhood was woven throughout ritual ceremonies and mission statements.

Things have changed on college campuses. There are more women attending degree-granting institutions than ever before in history. However, one element has remained unchanged throughout the decades, the strong belief that women's-only organizations add value to the coeducational setting at colleges and universities.

Throughout history our sororities have provided a community where women find support and encouragement. Evidence from a Gallup study on well-being released in May 2014 shows that face-to-face interactions and mentors matter. This impacts the lives of graduates and their workplace engagement and the connection with their communities. These findings are an extension of our organizations' mission to encourage sorority affiliation as a lifelong commitment that helps flourish friendship, responsibility, community engagement and confidence.

Given our rich heritage and principles, National Panhellenic Conference efforts to preserve our single-sex exemption and protect our Title IX rights will not be restrained. We continue to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill to ensure these rights and will not acquiesce to any university mandate aimed at requiring social fraternities and sororities to become coed.

Step by step, we are making a difference in providing opportunities for women. NPC celebrates Women's History Month in March by scheduling International Badge Day on the first Monday in March. Retrace our steps in history by viewing this video.

Wear your badge March 2 as a tribute to those who have stepped up before us. We must do our part to raise our voices as a unified coalition of women in support of the sorority experience as women's-only organizations. What we do today will impact generations to come.