THRIVE: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR FRATERNITIES TO EMERGE STRONGER AFTER COVID-19 COVID-19 Planning Is your fraternity chapter/council prepared to operate through a public health pandemic? DEVELOP YOUR PLAN EARLY. On the following pages, topics have been assembled to initiate planning discussions among inter/national fraternity headquarters, chapters, advisors, housing corporations, interfraternity councils and vendors. ADDITIONAL ARTICLES, RECORDED WEBINARS & RESOURCES TO ASSIST PLANNING CAN BE FOUND AT: NICFRATERNITY.ORG/COVID-19 Public & Individual Health: WATCH VIDEO REVIEW KEY POINTS DISCUSS Any gathering over 10 people Review federal, state and will be a risk this fall, including local guidance as it relates philanthropy, meetings, parties. to COVID-19 and then No big gatherings in June. July is communicate to the members questionable. how these guidelines will impact their fraternal experience. Must have a way to isolate and treat students who get sick when What level of monitoring is they return to campus. Encourage appropriate: students to report if they are feeling Review the feasibility of doing Q&A about impact of COVID-19 with Dr. unwell and not be scared of the Jodie Guest, Professor and Vice Chair, stigma. temperature checks before major Epidemiology, Emory University gatherings. How can we establish a culture of hand washing in our chapters? Review with campus health Students will need access to center the campus’ COVID-19 supplies, processes for facility testing procedures. Consider cleaning, commitment to offering how to communicate this hand sanitizer stations. information to the chapter. Review the feasibility of daily temperature check or sample of at least 20% of residents and members. Consider requiring a temperature check for all guests. Housing/Facilities/Meal Prep: WATCH VIDEO DISCUSS Considerations for your house or Install sneeze guards in all facility: serving areas if they do not already exist. Review a process for determining who should be permitted in the If utilizing a buffet line, staff chapter facility? Residents? Staff? should serve – no “help yourself.” Chapter Members? Guests? Consider all meals served preset Purchase hand sanitizer and (disposable containers and cleaning supplies well in advance utensils not required). of academic year. Q&A about the impact of COVID-19 Consider all meals served in on fraternal housing with Jack Dawson Develop a process for daily disposable containers and of College Fresh; Allan Lutes of Alpha Management; Woody Ratterman of CSL disinfecting of chapter facility. utensils. Management; Heith Sheeley of Greek In advance, secure isolation Treat the kitchen like a quarantine House Chefs; Clay Wardlaw of Safety Plus LLC room(s) in chapter facility if not zone. Keep the foot traffic to only provided by campus. the people that have to be in day REVIEW KEY POINTS in and out (if applicable, staff only Consider how best to safely serve – no guests or residents). Budget for additional operations meals: funds for cleaning and related services. If social distancing is still in effect, place 6 foot markers Consider health screenings for in the serving area for proper employees and staffing needs. How distancing while waiting in line can you help team members avoid for meals. getting sick? Recruitment & Chapter Operations: WATCH VIDEO WATCH VIDEO DISCUSS With expected declines, recruitment will be key: Ensure recruitment activities align with gathering guidance issued by governmental entities. Ensure the chapter has a plan to recruit their brothers back and incoming students to Q&A about the impact of COVID-19 on Q&A about chapter operations and campus. The plan should focus fraternity recruitment with Justin Tinkler, recruitment and how chapters are on proactive recruitment which Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Kansas State adapting due to COVID-19 impact with should start before the academic University; Brett Tilton, Sigma Alpha AJ Fidanzo, Delta Upsilon at Bradley year. Epsilon at Kansas State University; Will University; Zach Gaubert, Pi Kappa Alpha Branstetter, Beta Theta Pi at Oklahoma at University of Kentucky; Michael Haber, Review the chapter’s social media State University; Josh Orendi, Phired Up Pi Lambda Phi at Ohio State University; and web platforms to ensure they Productions Brad Welch, FarmHouse Fraternity at are focused on engagement with Iowa State University potential new members. REVIEW KEY POINTS REVIEW KEY POINTS Building interpersonal relationships Chapter Ops can be challenging over video and phone. Form new committees and expand number of brothers in volunteer Shifted focus on social media and roles to increase engagement. video calls after major summer events already canceled. Strategic planning for maintaining brotherhood in various scenarios Financial strain on families is (limitations on group sizes, how to a concern and affordability of bond online, what if some live in the fraternity membership. house and some don’t). Establish regular touch points with Restructure study groups and new members, particularly at new academic support systems to virtual. colonies. Start to plan now for fall philanthropy Phil Rodriguez, CEO of Delta Sigma events, especially if transitioning to Phi Fraternity, discusses online online. initiations starting at time: 14:29 Recruitment Expand size of recruitment committee and ensure it has tools to take action. Create strong presence for your chapter through campus communication channels and social media. High school seniors are less busy than normal right now since major events like prom and graduation are canceled, so they’re looking ahead to fall and excited to think about university experiences. Student Life & Gatherings: WATCH VIDEO WATCH VIDEO WATCH VIDEO Q&A about the impact of COVID-19 Q&A about impact of COVID-19 on Q&A about impact of COVID-19 on on the fraternal community and how student life and fraternity community collegiate athletics and campus life with technology can be used for virtual with Chris Graham, Director of Fraternity Mary Ellen Gillespie, Deputy Director, experiences with Mike Bourassa of WBT and Sorority Life, Florida State; Jenny Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Systems; Holly Rider-Milkovich of EverFi; Loeffelman, Assistant Vice President Chris Woods of Plaid for Student and Campus Life, Cornell REVIEW KEY POINTS University; Jeremiah Shinn, Vice Expect delays and changes, President of Student Affairs, LSU REVIEW KEY POINTS particularly with football season and Recognize that students are more REVIEW KEY POINTS tailgate culture. comfortable with technology than organizations are. Major changes are coming for How can fraternities get a seat at the Fraternity/Sorority Life. Fraternities table to reiterate the importance of Provide tools for chapters to need to have hard conversations our role as a retention tool for the continue operations, philanthropy going into fall. athletics department? and service. How can fraternities support DISCUSS Shorter is better, students will not campuses as they deal with sick Develop a plan for gatherings be willing to sit through long virtual students? Connections with health which aligns with federal, state experiences. departments and residence life will and local guidance. become critical. Find ways to retain personal touch or Decide if gatherings should be students won’t connect well. Modify protocols from past held outside of chapter facility situations (Example: Mumps cases). with local social distancing guidelines – with or without Prepare to coach students who are guests. unwilling to follow protocols. Ensure hand sanitizer is readily available upon entry of gatherings. Communication: DISCUSS Early, clear communication is important: Develop a plan to communicate Review with your inter/national for with members, parents and organization their crisis campus administration. management communication plan. If you have member(s) exposed to COVID-19 or a confirmed case, have a plan for communicating to members, parents, campus administration and inter/national headquarters. Legal Affairs: WATCH VIDEO REVIEW KEY POINTS health orders/guidance across scenarios is key as there could be campuses. The government does more flareups of the virus. have the authority to restrict constitutional rights, such as the Regarding Force Majeure provisions, freedom of association, in the the language of the contract is key. context of a national emergency, but Be sure to comply with any required this authority is not limitless. New notice provision. university policies and guidance Houses with food service should should be neutral with respect to take a close look at how that is different types of organizations. addressed in leases. Q&A about legal affairs impact of We should anticipate that neutral COVID-19 with Toby Eveland of Saul Chapters should have policies Ewing Arnstein & Lehr; Stanton Jones policies, consistently applied, will and protocols in place for how to of Arnold & Porter; Micah Kamrass of receive great deference from a address a positive diagnosis within Manley Burke; Jennifer Riso of Cokinos | court. It is important to note that its membership, especially if that Young private schools will have broader person lives in a chapter facility. REVIEW KEY POINTS flexibility to implement policies they see fit. Chapter officers need to be If your entity is involved in pending It is key to educate and help cognizant of both civil and criminal litigation, you should be pursuing chapters stay informed of applicable liability if these