Freedom of Association is of paramount importance for Greek organizations and its members. Without the right to associate with a single-sex organization, students would be unable to benefit from the numerous opportunities and experiences that fraternity and sorority life provides. FSPAC supports both the Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act (H.R. 2451) and the Collegiate Freedom of Association Act (H.R. 1626) to protect association rights of over 400,000 Greek college students nationally.

These bills allow students to partake in fraternities and sororities without suffering adverse consequences from universities’ policies. The legislation also prohibits imposing a recruitment restriction on a single-sex social organization that is not imposed upon other student organizations. Freedom of Association is key to ensuring the health and longevity of fraternity and sorority organizations and the lifelong benefits it provides its members. During visits to congressional offices in April, students and alumni highlighted Freedom of Association as the Greek community’s main priority for the current Congress.

Evelynn Schoenthal, an Alpha Delta Phi and President of Panhellenic at the George Washington University, explained:

Without my right to affiliate with Alpha Delta Pi and Panhellenic, I would not have earned the same personal, professional, and academic experiences that have prepared me for life post-grad.” Evelynn said her work as a student lobbyist for the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) “correlates with not only my own organization’s values of leadership and service to others but also with Panhellenic’s values of friendship, knowledge, and community.

The restrictions put in place by universities were of particular concern for A.J. Conte, a Theta Chi at Rider University. A.J. was delayed in joining his fraternity until his second semester because of his university’s rules. This delay impacted A.J.’s involvement with “an organization that gave me valuable leadership experience and allowed me to meet some of my very good friends and brothers.”

FGRC, a collaborative effort between FSPAC, the North American Interfraternity Conference, the National Panhellenic Conference and the Fraternity and Sorority Action Fund, is working to identify a lead Senate sponsor for a companion bill to H.R. 1626 and H.R. 2451. The FGRC legislative priorities aim for both bipartisan and bicameral support. Currently, between the two House bills, there are fifteen Republican cosponsors and three Democratic cosponsors. In the coming months, the FGRC team is following up on the visits made in April to continue to increase the number of congressional supporters.