Updated Coronavirus Advisory – March 18, 2020
First and foremost, thank you for the leadership being provided by thousands of collegiate chapter officers, members, and alumni volunteers throughout the country in leading chapters, alumni entities, and communities in responding appropriately to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are grateful for all Sigma Nu Brothers leading in the face of these unprecedented challenges.
Collegiate chapters and alumni entities, including house corporations, should continue to align their decisions and operations with the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the recently updated guidance of avoiding in-person group gatherings of 10 or more people through March 31, 2020. The CDC has further recommended canceling or postponing in-person gatherings of 50 or more people through May 15, 2020.
Collegiate chapters and alumni entities should begin to cancel or postpone any in-person events planned through mid-May, at minimum. No contracts should be executed for events planned to occur over the next four months. For event-related contracts already executed, the appropriate collegiate officer or alumnus should communicate with the venue or vendor immediately to discuss options for postponing or canceling the event. Most venues and vendors have been accommodating in finding a mutually agreeable solution. However, if you should run into difficulty or would like advice in this regard, please contact me.
I also want to remind you of the Fraternity’s dedicated coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advisory webpage at www.sigmanu.org/coronavirus. Here, you can access all issued statements and a wealth of planning resources to assist your chapter or alumni entity.
The Fraternity is aware of several companies that are providing direct support to students impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic:
- U-Haul is offering free self-storage for up to 30 days.
- Enterprise is offering flexibility for college students needing rental car transportation to get home.
- Comcast is offering expanded access to its Internet Essentials service.
We will continue to provide guidance and resources to assist collegiate chapters and alumni entities during these challenges. As Executive Director Brad Beacham (Texas Christian) stated in his advisory message on March 16, 2020, “Throughout our 151-year history, Sigma Nu Fraternity has weathered public health emergencies and periods of war; Sigma Nu Fraternity will weather this trying time and do all we can do to support our Brothers and our communities.”
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly if we can be of any further assistance. I can be reached at fred.dobry@sigmanu.org or (540) 784-1502.
Fraternally,
Fred Dobry (Indiana State)
Director of Health and Safety