Happy Holidays from NPC!

Dear friends,

As 2024 wraps up and we get ready to welcome a new year, we hope you’re enjoying the holiday season with the people who matter most. Our community has much to celebrate with the recent passing of the Stop Campus Hazing bill by the Senate. This has been a collective effort of the sorority and fraternity community and the Anti-Hazing Coalition for many years and is an important step towards ensuring safety for all our members and potential new members. We expect a signature from President Joe Biden in the coming days, and this important legislation will take effect six months after signing.

The NPC Board has wrapped up its final board meeting of the year, and we’re pleased to share updates on what we’ve been working on. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your board liaison. 

Future of Recruitment
In October, the Board met with the inter/national presidents to discuss the Conference’s future priorities. A key focus is evolving the recruitment experience. We recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. While the current recruitment process works well on some campuses, it falls short on others. As we begin this multi-year initiative, we want to acknowledge that it will take time and collaboration to ensure the process meets the needs of our communities. The Board is planning to hold focus groups to gather additional feedback from member organizations as we further define the scope and timeline of this project.

Total Method Setting Team (TMST)
Following the Annual Conference, the Board met with Kate Roessler, TMST chair, to discuss:

• Fall legislation outcomes;
• Current and planned work of the team;
• Challenges and obstacles to be addressed; and,
• Next steps as the pilot concludes this spring. 

As a reminder, the TMST pilot focuses on total setting, not recruitment, which means the pilot will be complete once the last campus sets total in spring 2025, regardless of recruitment style or timing. The leadership team is reaching out to delegates for feedback as they prepare to work on proposed spring legislation.

Release Figure Methodology Committee (RFM)
The Board also met with RFM Committee Chair Malaea Seleski after the Annual Conference for updates on the work of the RFM Committee, its leadership team and training initiatives. The Board has asked the leadership team to:

• Define roles and responsibilities within the committee
• Develop a succession plan for various roles within the committee
• Develop a training and mentorship plan for committee members

The leadership team is working with NPC staff on these projects and all should be completed no later than May. All leadership team members have been reappointed for the 2025-27 biennium.

Recruitment Terminology
At the Annual Conference, we previewed efforts to update recruitment terminology, informed by the Culturati data and feedback from high school and college students. Our staff has already gathered feedback from more than 150 current sorority women, member organization leaders and campus-based professionals. Additional input will be gathered during College Panhellenic Academy in January. The Board will revisit this discussion at the end of January to determine next steps. This initiative aims to address barriers and clarify aspects of our recruitment that may be confusing and unwelcoming to potential members.

Data Privacy and Protection Special Committee
Appointments for the Data Privacy and Protection Special Committee have been finalized. Thank you to those member organizations who submitted candidates for consideration. Gayle Fitzpatrick, Alpha Omicron Pi, has been appointed chair and has met with staff to review the committee’s charge. The committee will begin its work in January. They will design their project plan and timeline and will submit an initial report to the NPC Board by March 1, 2025. Updates will be provided to the Council of Delegates as this project progresses.

OmegaFi Update
Discussions with Omega Fi are ongoing as we work toward a mutually beneficial solution. While we cannot provide specifics at this time, we appreciate their commitment to collaboration. Updates will be shared with member organization leaders as discussions progress. 

Other Actions and Discussions

• Adopted the NPC Position Statement for Academic Requirements
• Announced a refreshed NPC Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Values
• Approved the 2023-24 Financial Audit
• Confirmed a practice of analyzing and prioritizing stakeholder groups for each new project, with periodic reviews as projects advance. This practice will be added to the NPC Board of Directors Manual for future reference.

Regular topics of discussion
In addition to the strategic items mentioned above, the Board continues to monitor the work of the Conference through the following regular activities: 

• Reviewing financial reports on a monthly basis and reviewed quarterly delegate financial report;
• Receiving reports and updates from committees, staff and coalitions (e.g., TMST and non-RFM recruitment, growth coaching, Anti-Hazing Coalition (AHC), Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC));
• Meeting with a variety of volunteers and partners regarding work relating to our strategic framework and operations (e.g., Standing Committee Chairs);
• Monitoring campus concerns (e.g., University of Maryland); and
• Participating in Board committee (Finance and Board Governance & Education) meetings on a regular basis.

As a reminder, nominations for the NPC Board of Directors will open after the new year. Information on board service, expectations and a timeline are available at npcwomen.org. Thank you to the Nominating Committee for its work in organizing this process.

Panhellenically,

Kelly Beck
2023-25 NPC Chair