A Day in D.C.

As part of our mission to be the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience, NPC representatives visited with several officials on Nov. 20 in Washington. Joining me on visits were Advocacy Chairman Mary Jane Beach, NPC Executive Director Nicki Meneley, Fraternity/Sorority Political Action Committee President Sarah Lindsay and Public Policy Specialist Amy Davenport of Squire Patton Boggs. We met with officials at the following offices:

• Association of American University Women (AAUW)
• Running Start
• White House Council on Women and Girls
• Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)

These meetings were productive as we discussed ways NPC can align our strategic initiatives and collaborate in areas of research, training and education, and sexual assault prevention and response awareness. We seek to establish meaningful relationships and dialogue with other organizations that will result in a greater understanding of who we are and what we do. It was helpful to share our updates on the recent Gallup-Purdue Index study findings on the well-being of college graduates and retention as it relates to sorority membership. We also shared news with these officials about the formation of our Benefits of Single-Sex Status Task Force and Student Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Task Force. Through these meetings, we discovered that these organizations offer trainings, education and resources that can benefit our sorority women. It was a great day of conversation.

In our movement to advance the sorority experience, we must continue to reach out to other audiences and bring others along in our journey to fully embrace our mission and vision. This is what being a premier advocacy and support organization is all about.