Message From the Chairman: New Organizational Structure Announced for NPC

In October, during the National Panhellenic Conference annual meeting, the board of directors approved revised governing documents that allow for the development of a new organizational and governance structure designed to make NPC more nimble and responsive to the most pressing challenges facing students, campus partners and the greater Panhellenic community.

The new governance structure will include:

• A Council of Delegates, consisting of one representative from each of NPC’s 26 member organizations and having primary responsibility for Conference membership and Panhellenic policies.  
• A new seven-member Board of Directors consisting of five members elected to service by the Council of Delegates and two directors appointed by their member organization (on a rotational basis). The Board of Directors will lead NPC and have authority and responsibility for overseeing the affairs of NPC. They will establish corporate policy, set the strategic direction, oversee and secure resources and monitor organizational performance. The Council of Delegates will also elect the NPC chairman.

The first Board of Directors to be established under the new bylaws will be appointed and elected by the Council of Delegates in May 2019 and will assume office on July 1. The new NPC chairman will be elected by the Council from the seven members who comprise the Board of Directors. 

This historic change in governance will equip NPC to be a stronger, more strategic ally to our campus-based colleagues on topics such as hazing, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, diversity and inclusion, among others. The Panhellenic community is increasingly looking to us as a resource and a convener and this new organizational structure reflects our desire to further expand our capacity to serve such a role. 

The new structure is also intended to ensure that greater resources and staff-level engagement can be brought to bear on priorities ranging from recruitment and membership growth, enhanced data collection and communications efforts advocating for the sorority experience. The NPC professional staff will continue to accomplish their work alongside the organization’s volunteers.

You can read the news release here.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful holiday season filled with fun and laughter and a happy, healthy new year.

Interfraternally,

Carole J. Jones
NPC chairman 2017-19

About 'Stand Up to Harvard'

standuptoharvard.org
#standuptoharvard

On Dec. 3, a group of sororities, fraternities and students filed a pair of lawsuits challenging Harvard’s sanctions policy that punishes students who join off-campus, single-sex* social organizations. These efforts are supported by the National Panhellenic Conference as well as the North American Interfraternity Conference and the organizations in the Cambridge Coalition.  

With the sanctions, Harvard is interfering with students’ rights protected by the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX—a dangerous precedent by one of America’s bellwether higher education institutions. 

Moreover, the lawsuits describe how Harvard used a campaign of threats and intimidation to scare students into abandoning their fundamental rights to free association and to live free of sex discrimination. 

You can visit standuptoharvard.org to read more about the lawsuits, the specific reasons behind them and sign the petition to lend your support. You also may be interested in these articles and video: 

• The Boston Globe: Sororities, fraternities sue Harvard over social club crackdown
• Video: Alpha Phi's International President Renee Zainer explains why standing up to Harvard important
• Tulsa World Editorial: Harvard's banning of sororities and fraternities doesn't fix problems of discrimination, sexual assault

If you have questions about Stand Up to Harvard, NPC's support of this effort or other related questions about women's involvement in the lawsuits, please email NPC. 

Please also follow NPC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay informed about Stand Up to Harvard and other important programs and initiatives.

* The term “single-sex” is used throughout the Stand Up to Harvard website and related documents in reference to our organizations that are women’s only. Although each member organization defines "woman" differently, we use "single-sex" in these materials because Title IX uses the term "sex" and these lawsuits use Title IX as a basis for the legal claims.