Tri Delta Leaders Lobby on Capitol Hill

Arlingron, TX (PRWEB) April 24, 2014

Five Delta Delta Delta Fraternity student leaders will travel to Washington, D.C., on April 27 to act as advocates for the Greek agenda. Lindsey Bach, Arkansas, Samantha Block, Florida, Tara Campbell, Southern California, Jaclyn Graham, Central Florida, and Sydney Hodnett, Delta State will represent Tri Delta’s 138 collegiate chapters as they lobby for legislation affecting fraternities and sororities.

“Tri Delta wants to ensure that its members have a meaningful and rewarding Greek experience,” says Fraternity President Phyllis Durbin Grissom, Southern Methodist. “That’s why providing these women with the opportunity to lobby for legislation, such as the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, is so important. We want to give our members the chance to be the voice of Tri Delta and have a hand in effecting change that will benefit them and other members of the Greek community.”    

For more than 10 years, the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition, which includes the National Panhellenic Conference, North-American Interfraternity Conference and the Fraternity & Sorority Political Action Committee have met annually with congressional leaders to lobby for the passage of legislation affecting members of fraternities and sororities, such as the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (CHIA). CHIA gives equal tax rights to non-profit organizations providing student housing. If adopted, the act would benefit fraternal entities like Delta Delta Delta’s National House Corporation. Fraternities and sororities provide housing for over 250,000 students each year, nearly one out of every eight students in America. The passing of this act will allow non-profit student entities to use charitable contributions to build and maintain housing for these students. Student participation is one of the biggest factors for helping to gain support in Congress for legislation important to the success of these Greek organizations.

Jaclyn Graham, Central Florida, says, “I have been fortunate enough to have had such a positive, supportive experience in Greek life and want to share that with our legislators to ensure that others are able to have an amazing, if not better, experience. Having the opportunity to sit down and talk with congressmen and women will provide the best opportunity for us as students, especially members of the Greek community, to convey the importance of student interests.”

Accompanying Tri Delta’s student leaders are: Phyllis Durbin Grissom, Fraternity President; Alison Ream Griffin, Tri Delta Executive Board Member; Sarah Coons Lindsay, former Fraternity President and Tri Delta’s National Panhellenic Conference Delegate; Tori Campbell, Tri Delta Foundation Trustee; Julie Coffman Doss, The Center for Living, Learning & Leading Board Member; Cile Jolly, Tri Delta Foundation Executive Director; and Diana Crawford, Tri Delta Chief Operating Officer.

The official hashtag used to follow the lobbying efforts of our student leaders is #passCHIA.

About Tri Delta

Founded in 1888, Tri Delta is a leader among social Greek organizations through its passion for progress and visionary thinking. Through partnerships with nationally recognized organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, award-winning publications like The Trident and innovative collegiate and alumnae initiatives, Tri Delta is committed to leveraging our timeless values to revitalize the sorority experience. For more information, please visit http://www.tridelta.org or call (817) 633-8001.

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