Dear friends,
The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is composed of 26 member organizations with collegiate and alumnae members throughout the world. Our collective impact in our communities is expansive and noteworthy. As the mother and aunt to five NPC women, I feel incredibly blessed that they have the opportunity to be sorority women and know that their experiences have helped make them the women they are today. Sorority women are truly making a difference in the world.
As members of values-based organizations, sorority women live their member organization's purpose and vision through millions of dollars in philanthropic support to dozens of worthy causes and countless hours of community service. From supporting victims of sexual assault to leading bystander intervention programs, sorority women are at the forefront of solving some of the most pressing challenges facing collegiate women today.
If you’ve been reading or watching the news lately, you’ve likely seen coverage regarding increased reports of sexual violence on college campuses and the student-led protests that have followed. These recent reports are alarming and serve to underscore why awareness and education about sexual violence prevention are critically important.
For many years, NPC has been committed to supporting College Panhellenic women in cultivating safe environments and helping them lead the way on campus to prevent sexual violence. For example, "NPC’s Real Talk Time: College Panhellenic Sexual Violence Assessment Initiative" seeks to provide a model for College Panhellenic communities to start conversations on campus, explore potential campus partnerships and increase awareness and action to combat sexual violence. With this approach, each College Panhellenic community can assess its environment and the level of knowledge in the community and then, in turn, tailor solutions and actions to meet the community’s needs. The College Panhellenic women who are committing the time and resources to successfully implement this initiative are making a difference on their campus and in the lives of other women.
In addition, our member organizations have done an outstanding job of preparing and providing resources. Each of our organizations’ investments toward sexual assault awareness and prevention education is genuinely amazing, indicating how important the issue is for all of us. The number of resources used to combat sexual assault is impressive, and together NPC, member organizations and universities will educate and work to eliminate sexual violence on our college campuses.
One sexual assault is one too many, but NPC and our member organizations are committed to making a difference for young collegiate women. We want women on college campuses today to be well informed about this issue and spread the word to help others in their communities.
Interfraternally,
Cheri M. De Jong
2021-23 NPC Chairman
