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- Written by: MacKinley Phelps | Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC
On November 1, 2012, a pledge of the Northern Illinois University chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity tragically died due to alcohol poisoning. Six years later, attorneys on behalf of the deceased’s family were able to obtain a settlement of $14,000,000. This settlement was split between 44 individual fraternity and sorority members who were present on the date of the incident, as well as Pi Kappa Alpha’s NIU chapter.
Read more: Ongoing Trends in Fraternity and Sorority Lawsuits
- Written by: Curtis Linton
There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives overnight.
Across the nation, schools and districts worked hand-in-hand to create bookmobiles, buses with Wi-Fi hotspots and other remote learning options to ensure learning continued—despite classes taking place in kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms. Students gathered on Zoom for classes, and educators adapted and adjusted their lessons. However, despite the incredible efforts, research shows the pandemic widened achievement gaps. In addition to impacting students’ academic growth, the pandemic also took a significant toll on students’ well-being by increasing their stress and affecting their mental health.
Read more: How “Safeguarding” Can Address Student Well-Being and Help Prevent Harm
- Written by: Rich Thompson
If you serve on a house corporation, don’t buy into the notation that brothers don’t steal from brothers. It happens more often than you think. While fidelity insurance coverage can cover some of the loss, if the theft is large, the house corporation will be left holding the bag.
- Written by: Andrew Crossan
As a landlord or property manager, you rely on timely rent payments to operate your business. As you well know, however, life happens, and your tenants may not always make paying you their highest priority.
There are various methods landlords and property managers use to handle rent collection and ensure stable cash flow. What systems should you put in place to make sure your tenants pay rent on time?
- Written by: Sahalie Donaldson | The Chronicle of Higher Education
Jessica Scull had just been accepted to Columbia University as a transfer student when she met the companion who would become a crucial source of strength in her life: a gray and white cat named Smokey.
Scull, who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and major depression when she adopted him, in May 2021, says the effect on her mental health was immediate — so much so, she couldn’t bear the idea of moving to Columbia without him.
Read more: With Emotional-Support Animals on the Rise, How Are Colleges Responding?
- Written by: Nadia Bey | The Chronicle | Duke Student Publishing Company
When selective living is phased out at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, it will have been nearly a century since the practice began—a tradition older than Duke.
Fraternities first received housing in fall 1924, a few months before Trinity College became Duke University that December. This was much earlier than sororities and notably did not include multicultural Greek organizations.
Read more: A ‘crying need’: The history of Duke’s fraternity housing and its role on campus
- Written by: Rich Thompson
Good communication is essential for a good outcome. Yet, as it plays out between house corps and active chapters, it’s often not so good. To quote a famous line from the movie Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
Many house corp members are old school in how they communicate (sometimes really old school). Take the email style that is written in ALL CAPS. This style is typically only used to emphasize something IMPORTANT. So, how is an email to be interpreted that has every word IN CAPS? On the active chapter side of communication is Millennial Shorthand: LOL, BTW, OMG, WTF and hundreds of emoticons. What’s to be made of this? This is the fraternity equivalent of Mars and Venus.