Sigma Delta Tau Goes to Washington!
by Amy Mitchell Krouse, SDT Government Relations Chairman

Members of Sigma Delta Tau are partnering with the NPC, NPHC, and NIH Greek member organizations to ensure that matters impacting the collegiate sorority experience are being addressed on Capitol Hill.

The 110th Congress is well underway, and with Democrats controlling both chambers, we can expect a flurry of legislative activity in 2007. The new Democratic majority will focus a lot of attention on some long-term problems with the higher education system, notably the rising cost of attending college and the limitations imposed on career choices when graduates have enormous student loan debt.

What are the Critical Issues for Us?

Two areas on which Sigma Delta Tau is helping the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee to focus are preserving the future of not-for-profit student housing and fire safety in our student housing facilities.

The Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (HR 643/S 638) would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow for tax-deductible contributions to be made to our Housing Corporations and Foundations for projects which provide parity to the dormitories on campus in terms of facilities, safety, and services.

Greeks house 250,000 students nationwide in $3 billion worth of properties. Our facilities are critical to universities – especially as we move into the baby boomlet of 2008. Currently, an alumnus can donate tax-free to a university for the purposes of building a dormitory facility, but cannot donate tax-free to install sprinkler systems, internet wiring, or any other maintenance project to their sorority or fraternity housing. Without this act and change in tax law, many of our facilities cannot afford the safety upgrades required by state law and local ordinances.

Sorority and fraternity housing, along with other not-for-profit housing alternatives, provide a cost-effective way for many students to stay on campus – particularly when there are not enough dorm spaces to house students for all four years. We need to make these facilities safe and comparable to the dormitory living environment.

The College Fire Prevention Act HR 642 would provide a matching program within the Department of Education to promote installation of fire sprinkler systems. With four fires a day in collegiate housing, it is amazing that only 35% have sprinkler systems. There is not a known fatality resulting from a fire in a sprinklered property.

Our Greek facilities are considerably older than most collegiate housing, and the majority are not sprinklered. Greek housing now averages one structural fire every 2.5 days. The cost of sprinklering a facility after construction is approximately $40,000–48,000. According to the nation’s leading insurer of Greek housing, $300 million is needed to install these life-saving devices in Greek housing alone.

This bill would enable not-for-profit housing organizations to apply for matching grants to upgrade their facilities.

How Can You Help?

1) Register on www.fraternalcaucus.org. List your affiliation as Sigma Delta Tau.

2) Write to your congressperson and senator in support of the above legislation. Form letters are available on the Fraternal Caucus website.

3) Join Us on Capitol Hill or Our Phone March on Washington! As an active member of the PAC, I’ve represented SDT on Capitol Hill three times. It is fascinating to watch our government at work, as well as a wonderful experience to meet SDTs working in government and to interact with the top leadership of all NPC/IFC groups.

This year, SDT sponsored two collegiate women on our Capitol Hill visits - Brittany Boursiquot from American University and Beth Hoops from Bradley University. They were truly outstanding, and I wish you could have seen them in action – WOW! I can’t wait to see what these young women will do with their futures.

4) If you have a personal connection to a member of congress or are working in the lobbying field, we’d love your help. Please contact us at nationaloffice@sigmadeltatau.com.

This is a place where SDT can take a leadership role in the Greek world. Please join me in supporting the efforts of the Fraternity and Sorority PAC.