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  Office of the Dean of Students -> Sorority and Fraternity Life -> Virtual Chapter Resources

Virtual Chapter Resources

The resources below are intended to help with navigation for virtual engagement in the sorority and fraternity community. Resources include: siblinghood, recruitment (intake), mental health, general chapter operations, facilities, COVID-19 resources, general support, and more.

   Sisterhood / Brotherhood / Siblinghood

How can you continue to create excitement around spending time with each other? Simple activities or gestures go a long way - a video chat call, a Zoom study session, a movie watch-party, or a quick text to check in on a friend all add up to our members feeling supported.

44 Ways to Foster Brotherhood and Sisterhood Virtually (Phired Up)
How to Keep the Members You Recruit: A Guide for Retention and Engagement (Phired Up)
Considerations for Fraternities and Sororities Hosting Events During COVID-19 (Holmes Murphy)

UT Austin Guidance #7: Meetings, Events and Mass Gatherings with Checklist
   Recruitment and Intake

Recruitment, also known as rush or intake, is defined as any sorority or fraternity activity that seeks to add new members to a chapter. This could include information sessions, social gatherings and more. Some Greek-letter organizations host recruitment throughout the year, while others recruit during specified times each semester or year. Below are several resources related to recruitment:

Generating Visibility for Culturally-Based Fraternities and Sororities (Phired Up)
What to Say: Text and Social Media Opening Lines (Phired Up)
Hosting Better Informationals (Phired Up)
Thursday Thoughts Zoom Call Recording: Recruitment and Intake

   Campus Climate and Mental Health

Sorority and Fraternity Life Cultural Consciousness Page
The initiatives outlined below support our office's commitment to cultural consciousness. We have categorized these initiatives into three categories: Education, Service and Awareness.

Mental Health Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic (Active Minds)
Sleep, Self-Care, and Sharing a Productive, Healthy Indoor Environment: Everything Students Need to Know about Mental Health during COVID-19

Student Chat: Student-Led Mental Health Advocacy in an Era of Physical Distancing

Communicating in Quarantine: Tips to Encourage Mental Wellness in Close Quarters

   General Chapter Operations

We encourage all of our chapters to continue to operate this semester, whether in-person, hybrid, or fully virtual experiences. Check out this resource with some tips: Virtual Meeting Tips (Phired Up).

For more information about room reservations on campus, please refer to Student Activities' Indoor Space Reservations page.

Community Service and Philanthropy
Do the causes and organizations your chapter has supported in the past still resonate with members? Is there interest or opportunity to expand or shift the focus of your service and philanthropic efforts right now? How can our core values of service to others be expanded to explicitly include the ideas of good citizenship, stewardship of public health, and civic engagement?

Academic Support
Flexibility and support are valuable when engaging members about academic success. A few things to consider:

  • How can you provide resources and opportunities for members to support one another? Can you create tutoring or mentoring opportunities for members within fields of study?
  • Can you take this opportunity to assess your GPA requirements and expectations – are they realistic right now?

Below are a handful of academic resources to be shared with your membership:

   Facilities

Contract Language or Addendums
Free Legal Advice from Fraternal Law Partners

Cleaning and Sanitization Guidelines
Disinfecting Your Facility: CDC Cleaning Guidelines
CDC Guidelines for Shared Housing

Additional Resources
CDC Guidelines for Shared Housing
UT Austin Roommate Guidance

While Fall 2021 may look different from Fall 2020, chapter should be prepared to continue to deal with evolving and remaining COVID-19 protocols. Questions your plan for the Fall 2021 should be able to answer:

  • What is our action plan for if someone living in the facility tests positive for COVD-19?
  • What is our schedule for cleaning the facility? Do we need to elevate our cleaning protocols?
  • What is your plan for operating food service? Do you need to modify your service to create a to-go system with minimal contact with the staff?
  • Are there any cost considerations that you need to weigh? If there are reduced services and amenities, do you plan to reduce rent/dues?
  • What is your guest policy? Both for non-members and members who do not live-in?
   COVID-19 Specific Resources

What to do if you think a member is exposed?
Guidance below is taken from the Protect Texas Together protocol:

  • If the member has symptoms: Please have the member contact University Health Services. There is no cost for students to get tested – even without insurance.
  • If the member does not have symptoms: They can take a free Proactive Community Test (saliva test). Find a campus location here.
  • If they got a positive test result at an off-campus location: Please have the member contact the Behavior Concerns and COVID-19 Advice Line and/or have the student complete the self-reporting form for COVID-19 Their identifying information will be kept confidential.
    • Other considerations:
      • Reach out to the member to check-in. See how they are feeling, and if needed, work together to come up with a plan moving forward.
      • Please review the Exposure Action Chart to determine if you may need to self-monitor, self-quarantine, or self-isolate moving forward.

Quarantine and self-isolation options?
How to Self-Quarantine

Additional Resources
Holmes Murphy COVID-19 Resource Center
COVID-19 Resources for College Panhellenics (National Panhellenic Conference)
Participant Release for COVID-19 (Holmes Murphy)
What We Know Now: COVID-19, Risk Management, & Member Behavior (Pennington & Co.)

   General Support Resources
  • University Health Services Nurse Advice Line: 512-475-6877 — Staffed 24/7, and provides advice about how to care for an illness or injury at home, and guidance about whether to see a healthcare professional.
  • Counseling and Mental Health Center 24/7 Crisis Line: 512-471-CALL (2255) — Call when you are experiencing a mental health crisis
  • Behavior Concerns and COVID-19 Advice Line (BCCAL): 512-232-5050 - Share a campus behavior concern
  • Student Emergency Services: 512-471-5017
    • Provides a variety of support services for students facing a crisis or emergency: deanofstudents.utexas.edu/emergency
    • Emergency funds
    • Short-term emergency housing accommodations
    • Discreet absence notifications to faculty
    • Services for food insecurity and professional clothing needs
    • Private advocacy and support for Title IX incidents available on request
    • Referrals for appropriate campus and community resources
    • Information regarding course load reductions or full withdrawals
    • Act as primary advocate for students and primary contact for families
  • Counseling and Mental Health Center: 512-471-3515 — Counseling, case management and referral services for UT Austin students: cmhc.utexas.edu
  • University Health Services: 512-471-4955 — Provides medical care, including urgent care, to undergraduate, graduate and professional students: healthyhorns.utexas.edu
  • LiveSafe App:
    • Download via the QR code, Apple or Google Using the QR code at left, download "LiveSafe" from the App Store or Google Play. Register and fill out your profile. Search for & select "University of Texas at Austin- Visitor." When prompted, choose your affiliation. You're set!
    • Share Info with Safety & Security. When you see something suspicious, share that intel with the UT Austin's Safety and Security team.
    • Request Help.
    • Communicate with local emergency services no matter where you are in the world.
    • Tab Navigation: Virtual Walk & Notifications: Virtually walk contacts to their intended destination and know when they have arrived. Access broadcast messages.
   SFL Training and Recordings