With Your Help, We Raised $1 Million Over PAC’s Lifetime

Greeks' Powerful Voice on Capitol Hill

When Greek women and men work together, the outcome can be substantial and long lasting. We hosted another successful event in Washington, D.C., in April, with 300 people attending from across the country alongside 28 members of Congress, and we look forward to a new rotation of leadership and progress.

As the first woman president of our political action committee, I’d like to note the accomplishments of all who have raised money, put in the equivalent value of their time and testimony, and continue to work on passage of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (CHIA).

As of this writing, we have 228 CHIA sponsors in the House—beating our all-time high of support from December 2008. We have 31 sponsors in the Senate. And the work is still ongoing with our members gaining the local support of our final and critical numbers for passage.

And still we’re moving on. State by state, we’re targeting areas where Greek populations may be small in number but significant in voice.With your help, we are in a good position to have CHIA be part of major tax legislation—as we’ve now reached our $1 million fundraising goal. But there is more to the work of our established PAC as we look ahead.

• Our 19-member board will meet in July to update our strategic plan for the next five years.
• Greek-affiliated members of Congress will continue to be supported in upcoming elections.
• And we plan to advocate other relevant issues such as freedom of association and exemptions to Title IX.

The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee is no longer a one-note issue organization. As we inch closer to passage of CHIA, we look forward to legislation that matters most to our members—both as groups and as individuals. As one of the most influential higher-education political action committees in existence, our PAC membership is increasing and financial support is growing.

Unlike other membership groups across the nation, we have not experienced any decline due to the economy. To the contrary, we are hitting record numbers in giving and in participation. The same is true of our growth on college campuses for both sororities and fraternities.We hope you continue to “be present” and “be counted” as our grassroots work progresses. Write a check, make a call, send an e-mail, and be open to the information we’re sharing as our new advocacy season begins.

Larry Wiese, KA Order, passes the gavel to Julie Burkhard, ΑΧΩ, as she takes on the role of president of the Fraternity and Sorority PAC. As women and men who chose an experience for a lifetime, be prepared to carry on our call to action.

Sincerely,
Julie Cain Burkhard, ΑΧΩ
President, Fraternity and Sorority PAC