The Triangle National Council has been deliberating on a number of items in the last month related to the pandemic, premature closure of campuses and with a focus on chapter success in the Fall. As a result, here are several announcements.
Virtual Initiations
National Council has approved the use of the short-form initiation until campuses reinstate all in-person classes, or through January 31, 2021. The short-form initiation is otherwise only used for Honorary and Associate membership, but now may be used to provide full membership until such time as a proper live initiation may be done for the candidates. In addition, the short-form initiation is approved to be done virtually/online.
There are conditions that must be met:
- Candidates for initiation still must be reported to HQ and applicable fees must be paid in full at least 14 days prior to the ceremony. This has always been the policy, to confirm major and GPA are adequate.
- National President Joe Cerrato must approve the initiation on behalf of the Council, since each technically requires a waiver of the bylaws. This will be done when the initiation report is submitted (1. above).
- Chapters who initiate an active member using the Short form must perform a full Ritual ceremony for these initiates as soon as it is practical and allowed by any applicable health and safety policies.
- Actives initiated thru the short form are to be considered full members even if they have not viewed the full Ritual. Chapters are encouraged to have discussion with the new initiate after the initiation.
- These waivers and requirements are available only while on-campus activities are limited by the host university but none-the-less expire by January 31, 2021.
The goal is to provide chapters a means by which to initiate men who pledged in Spring and were not able to be initiated due to the closure of campuses, but this process also is applicable to men pledged this summer or fall. This waiver makes it possible to initiate online to secure the full membership of these men when campuses still are partially closed, but allows for summer initiations also.
NOTE: If your new member education period had to be cut short, you can apply for an expedited initiation with our online form here: https://www.triangle.org/initform/
COVID Information/Resources for Fall
Over the last two weeks, a team has been working to review all online resources, webinars and documents in an effort to provide guidance to actives and alumni as they plan for Fall. This information will be provided via social media and online webpages, so chapters can make better decisions in what is a very uncertain future. Look for the following:
- www.triangle.org/covid – Will be a web page where we will keep the latest documents and recommendations via links to their sources, as well as more detailed Q&A regarding a) housing, b) chapter operations and c) recruitment. This should go live by June 1.
- On Sunday, June 14 we will host a live Zoom webinar and stream to our facebook Nation Wide group, as well as our YouTube channel, where we will provide an overview of the current situation and outline the resources available and where to find them.
- We will continue to update the webpages as well as provide periodic videos and/or webinars throughout the summer. As always, you may contact us at hq@triangle.org with any questions not answered by these resources.
Annual Council Meeting
The Annual meeting of the National Council is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. Council members will have the choice to drive in to Plainfield, IN for a meeting at the Triangle HQ, or participate via Zoom meeting.
During the day, we will go live on Zoom to install the Council and to announce chapter awards, including the Garatoni Building Better Men Awards with a Grand Prize of $100,000 and two $25,000 awards. Additional details will be provided to chapters as the agenda is finalized.
Those with business to bring before the Council should contact Executive Director Tom Pennington at tom@triangle.org.
2020/2021 Risk Management Fee Billings
Estimates for the 2020/2021 Risk Management Fee billings were not sent in April as usual. Instead chapters were encouraged to budget for approximately the same amount as last year while we work with our insurers to find some cost savings. We have a couple options available to us, but must confirm details with our insurers and our Finance Committee before announcing any changes.
Expect some news in early June with clearer estimates. If you have questions about last year’s bill, contact Executive Director Tom Pennington at tom@triangle.org.