February 4, 2020 – The U. S. District Court in Connecticut has dismissed all claims against fraternities in a lawsuit filed by Engender and three individuals attacking single-sex membership policies. The court stated the claims “lack a strong basis in law.” This decision follows the resounding rejection of a similar Engender theory last year by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

“All students should have the right to join organizations, co-ed or single-sex, that enhance their collegiate experience and make positive contributions to the local community,” said Judson Horras, president and CEO of the North American Interfraternity Conference.

Additionally, federal and state courts in Massachusetts recently concluded that Harvard’s sanctions policy against individuals who join single-sex organizations may be discriminatory and unlawful. Further, the Collegiate Freedom of Association Act has received strong bipartisan support in Congress.

Across hundreds of college campuses, millions of students and alumni have found value in belonging to single-sex organizations, from fraternities and sororities to acapella groups and academic societies.

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DOWNLOAD: Court Ruling (PDF)

Media Contact:
Todd Shelton

Indianapolis, February 3, 2020 — Veteran business executive Ryan Temby has joined the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) staff as Vice President of Campus Operations for the Southeast region. 

Temby will focus on community development, council effectiveness and alumni engagement as he contributes to the NIC’s mission to enhance the fraternity experience. He will facilitate strong relationships by delivering support to communities across the Southeast.

“Ryan brings a fresh perspective, rooted in industry client management and business success, to the NIC. I look forward to seeing the growth of our Southeastern regional communities and the fraternal experience as a whole that will stem from his executive-level leadership skills,” NIC President & CEO Judson Horras said.

Temby has more than 20 years of project management and customer service experience in energy, manufacturing, high tech and retail industries. He brings strong leadership, management and sales skills coupled with a focus on innovation to the NIC.

“My fraternity and the health of the entire interfraternal community have been a passion of mine since I was initiated. I am excited to bring this passion to the NIC,” Temby said.

As an undergraduate at Rutgers University, Temby served as president of his colony and was a founder of his Sigma Chi chapter. He has served as a local volunteer for Sigma Chi since the 1990s, and he assumed international volunteer roles more than a decade ago. He currently serves as grand treasurer for Sigma Chi.

Temby will work from his home in the Columbus, Ohio, area, where he will be accessible to the campuses he serves.

In another staffing change, Archie Messersmith-Bunting has assumed a new role with ForCollegeForLife and will have a reduced role with the NIC. He will continue to provide leadership to the NIC’s Health & Safety Initiatives on a consulting basis.

“We are thankful for Archie’s contributions to the NIC membership and happy he will continue to support our framework that empowers students as they work to shift campus culture,” Horras said.

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January 16, 2020

A state court judge has denied Harvard’s motion to dismiss sororities’ legal challenge to Harvard’s policy punishing students who participate in single-sex organizations.

“This decision recognizes what we’ve long known to be true: that sorority members have rights to freedom of association and should be free from sex discrimination,” said Emma Quinn-Judge of Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the state case.

“Yet again, a court has thoroughly rejected Harvard’s arguments and concluded that there’s more than sufficient evidence that Harvard interfered with the constitutionally protected rights of its female students,” said Quinn-Judge. “Not only did the court reaffirm that these plaintiff sororities deserve the chance to fight for their members’ rights in court, but the ruling emphasized that Harvard’s policy has had a disproportionate impact on women. Two courts have now concluded that Harvard’s policy may be discriminatory and unlawful. Harvard should listen to the courts and stop taking opportunities away from its students.”

Additionally, Dani Weatherford, CEO of the National Panhellenic Conference, Judson Horras, CEO of the North American Interfraternity Conference, released the following joint statement in response to Judge Linda E. Giles’ decision to reject Harvard’s motion to dismiss a state lawsuit challenging its policy of inflicting sanctions on students who are members of single-sex groups:

“For a second time, a court has found what is obvious to nearly anyone who’s looked at this case: There is considerable evidence that Harvard’s policies have violated the rights of its students and done unique harm to women’s spaces in particular.

“It is now long-past time for Harvard to repeal this discriminatory policy. Instead of enforcing a policy that tramples students’ rights at Harvard, we hope the university will join us in productive dialogue about building a healthy and more inclusive campus culture.

“While we remain confident that the facts of this case remain on the side of the students we represent, we know that we can build a stronger culture if we work together as partners.”

The plaintiffs in this state lawsuit and a federal lawsuit have a breadth of support from nearly 100 single-sex organizations, including the 26 sororities of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), the 65 fraternities of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), and the organizations in the Cambridge Coalition. Learn more at standuptoharvard.org.

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DOWNLOAD: PDF of RULING

Media Contacts:

TODD SHELTON, 317.872.1112 x447
CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER, NORTH AMERICAN INTERFRATERNITY CONFERENCE

JONATHAN COFFIN, 317.983.1419
FOR THE NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE   

About the National Panhellenic Conference
NPC is the umbrella organization specifically charged with advocating on behalf of the sorority experience. It is comprised of 26 national and international sororities that are autonomous social organizations. Collectively, NPC sororities are located on more than 670 campuses with more than 400,000 undergraduate members and nearly 5 million alumnae.

About the North American Interfraternity Conference
NIC is a trade association that represents 65 national and international men’s fraternities, with more than 6,100 chapters located on more than 800 campuses in the United States and Canada, with approximately 385,000 undergraduate members and nearly 4.2 million alumni. The NIC has introduced enhanced health and safety guidelines and programs, including a ban of hard alcohol in fraternity houses and events.

WASHINGTON (October 25, 2019)– Fraternity and sorority groups along with parents of children who died from acts of hazing applauded the introduction of the Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life by Hazing Act (END ALL Hazing Act) in the U.S. Senate by Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Bob Casey (D-PA). The legislation will provide parents and prospective students with better information about student organizations with histories of hazing incidents in an effort to eliminate hazing nationwide.

The END ALL Hazing Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in June by Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-Pa), would require colleges and universities to post on their websites incidents of hazing that took place on campus or within a student organization. Providing this information would improve transparency and assist students in making the best choices for their futures.

“A nationwide standard to inform prospective students and parents of hazing infractions increases transparency and accountability. Choosing a college should be based on the best information about academics, cost, post-graduation job prospects and safety. Isn’t this what we all want?” said Dr. Cassidy.

“Hazing has absolutely no place in our society or in our schools. I am proud to join Senator Cassidy in introducing the Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life by Hazing Act (END ALL Hazing Act), to provide much needed transparency to students and parents,” said Senator Casey. “I am also proud to cosponsor the Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act to ensure that these horrific incidents are appropriately reported and that students are educated on the dangers of hazing. I want to express my sincere condolences to the Piazza and Braham families, and thank them for their tireless advocacy to stop hazing on college campuses and prevent other families from losing loved ones.”

Tuesday, members of the Anti-Hazing Coalition, which includes fraternity and sorority leaders and parents who have lost sons to hazing, were on Capitol Hill to emphasize the importance of the legislation to members of Congress.

“We are thrilled to see the bipartisan introduction of the END ALL Hazing Act in the Senate, which is critical in the fight to address and stomp out this issue,” said Dani Weatherford, CEO of National Panhellenic Conference, and Judson Horras, President and CEO of North American Interfraternity Conference. “We must bring more transparency, accountability and improved safety to all student organizations on campuses nationwide. Our organizations will continue to advocate for this bill to become law and for other solutions that can help bring an end to hazing.”

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Media contact:
Todd Shelton
Chief Communication Officer

At Power 5 Conference, organizations commit to collaborating on the wellbeing of fraternities

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 14, 2019 – A coalition has formed between senior student affairs officers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools and the executive officers of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) member organizations on SEC campuses. The group will collaborate to adopt current best practices and develop next-best practices to enhance the fraternity experiences on member campuses.

The representative members of the coalition affirm the importance of the fraternity experience in the academic success and personal development of individual students. Additionally, they are committed to developing lifetime allegiances to both alma mater and member organizations.

“Fraternity and sorority life in the Southeastern Conference is an integral part of a vibrant climate on the 14 SEC campuses,” said Dr. Danny Pugh, vice president for student affairs at Texas A&M University. “The senior student affairs officers of the SEC came together in February of 2018 to affirm our commitment to these students and organizations. Our goals are to further develop best practices within the conference and to engage the collective student leaders of these organizations to meet current and future challenges. Our most recent work with the North American Interfraternity Conference presents a new opportunity to positively advance these organizations for the foreseeable future.”

With more than 100,000 students combined in fraternities and sororities, SEC chapters and individual members make significant, constructive impact in their communities. Specifically, research shows that academic performance, retention, philanthropy, campus leadership, and alumni involvement is enhanced through engagement in fraternal membership. Nationally, approximately one in 10 fraternity and sorority members attend SEC institutions.

“Our recent collaboration with NIC reflects our commitment to enhancing the fraternal experiences on our respective campuses,” said Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Mississippi. “Our campus communities have worked tirelessly, but independently, to strengthen fraternity and sorority programs. With nearly one in 10 fraternity and sorority members attending an SEC institution, we are optimistic that this approach will provide a support structure to strengthen the experience for all of our students while also creating future best practices for universities across the nation. ”

Leadership within SEC and NIC organizations have committed to open and transparent communication within the collective group as well as individual member institutions and member organizations, while recognizing the unique attributes of each organization.

“Strong relationships move the needle for positive advancement which is why our members are thrilled to partner with the SEC to better serve the conference’s alumni and students,” said Judson Horras, NIC president and CEO. “We hope this partnership can be a catalyst for more collaboration among higher education and our member fraternities.”

The group has committed to equal and timely communication through annual meetings and strategic planning and will support the annual SEC Fraternity & Sorority Student Leader Best Practice Summit each year. The inaugural summit is planned for January 2020.

About the Southeastern Conference: A pioneer in the integration of higher education and athletic competition, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a leader on the national landscape for intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century. Since its formation in 1933, the SEC has achieved stature and stability by designating governing/voting power to the presidents of the member institutions. These university leaders determine the policies of the conference and through the years this involvement has been the principal source of strength in the evolution of the SEC. Throughout its 82-year history, the SEC has provided leadership on the vital issues facing intercollegiate competition.

Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have been in the SEC since its formation in 1933. The league has expanded twice, adding Arkansas and South Carolina in 1991, then Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012. www.secsports.com

About the North American Interfraternity Conference: The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is a trade association representing 66 inter/national men’s fraternities. The current member organizations have 6,100 chapters located on 800 campuses, with 380,000 undergraduate members and 4.2 million alumni. NIC member organizations also represent a diverse range of fraternity men and interfraternal interests, including fraternities founded for leadership and business interests as well as faith-based, multicultural, historically black, and new or emerging fraternities. www.nicfraternity.org

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Coalition Commitments (PDF)

Media contact: Todd Shelton, Chief Communication Officer, North American Interfraternity Conference, 317-872-1112 ext. 447, todd.shelton@nicfraternity.org