CHAPTER PROGRAMS: EXEMPLIFYING VIRTUAL EXCELLENCE

Our undergraduate chapters have demonstrated extraordinary agility, resolve and determination as they not only adapt to virtual learning but also seek to find new and creative ways to carry Alpha Kappa Alpha’s banner on their college campuses in the midst of this unprecedented global pandemic. Many undergraduate chapters have exemplified virtual excellence in operational workshops, program initiatives and sisterly relations activities. One such chapter is Mu Pi Chapter at Spelman College. On Friday, October 16, Mu Pi hosted a Town Hall entitled, “Cracking COVID – Lessons from the Pandemic” during Skee-Week. Under the leadership of Basileus Lydia Laramore and Global Impact Chairman Jordan Barefield, nearly 200 chapter members, Spelman students, Graduate Advisory Committee members and other sorority guests participated in an informative and engaging discussion about COVID-19 and its impact on our world and, particularly, students matriculating through college. The Town Hall format was a moderated discussion which featured Pandemic Task Force Chairman Joy Elaine Daley and Pandemic Task Force Co-Chairman Kimberly Esmond Adams. “Sweet” Mu Pi Chapter is to be commended for hosting this timely and relevant discussion which was executed with Alpha Kappa Alpha excellence!

CHAPTER OPERATIONS

As COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the country, the Directorate has made the difficult decision that Alpha Kappa Alpha will remain in a virtual mode through the end of the year. Many chapters have fully complied with this virtual mandate and operated completely virtually. We continue to see too many chapters, however, that have not heeded the virtual mandate. Sorors are reminded that virtual means no in-person activities, programs or events no matter how well-intentioned the service project or activity, how few sorors there are or how effectively you plan to social distance. In-person gathering in any context for any reason is not authorized and is a violation of the virtual mandate. Please consult the Guide to Virtual Program Activities and Resources for ideas to bolster your virtual programming. Thank you for your understanding and adherence and for exemplifying virtual excellence!

CONNECTION

As we continue our GOTV efforts for the November 3 election, please be reminded that the Political Activities Guidelines and the Election Dos and Don’ts are available as resources. Please also remember to be safe and to wear a mask at all times as you work to secure and protect the vote.

RISK MANAGEMENT/FACE MASKS AND COVERINGS

Alpha Kappa Alpha implores sorors to continue to adhere to the CDC guidelines regarding the use of masks and face coverings. We encourage sorors and chapters to donate N95 masks to healthcare professionals who continue to be in need of those protective medical masks. We also applaud sorors who made face coverings for personal use or to be shared with family members, close friends and sorors. Please refrain from placing the sorority crest or any other Alpha Kappa Alpha marks, brands or insignia on face masks and coverings. This prohibition includes chapter names in any form including Greek letters. Please also help protect the Alpha Kappa Alpha brand by refraining from purchasing any type of Alpha Kappa Alpha-branded face coverings or masks from vendors as this merchandise is not authorized for sale by our Corporate Office. Face coverings and masks are not authorized to be made and/or distributed in the name of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Vendors selling unauthorized merchandise should be reported to the Corporate Office using the Vendor Infraction Form. We thank you for your cooperation and adherence. Remember, each of us is a risk manager and must do our part. Click here to view the Wear A Mask: It’s A Serious Matter video created by the Program Committee in collaboration with the International Risk Management Task Force and the Pandemic Task Force and here to see the ways in which you can assist in getting the Wear A Mask message out.

Thank you for continuing to join your region’s weekly Day of Prayer calls. Let us continue to pray for families impacted by COVID-19, recent storms and flooding, healthcare workers, first responders and other essential workers, our sisterhood, this nation and our world. Please also pray for wisdom and compassion for national, state, and local leaders as they continue to make important decisions regarding safely re-opening our communities, businesses and schools. We must continue to pray for justice and equal protection under the law for African Americans in this country.

Due to the significance of this election and what it means, please join the Directorate, Former Supreme Basilei, International Committee Chairmen and International Committee Members as we begin a consecration period leading up to the November 3 election. Specifically, please pray each day at 6:00 p.m. through Tuesday, November 3, when the polls close in your city. Please also join in offering a sacrifice by refraining from desserts and drinks (consuming only water, coffee and tea). Your participation in these activities is strictly voluntary and should be undertaken only as you are inclined and medically able to do so. The period of consecration, along with the fast, will keep our hearts and minds focused on this all-important election and what it means for us, our families and the communities we serve at the local, regional and international levels.

A Layperson’s Guide to How — and When — a COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Authorized
By Matthew Herper, STATnews

In a U.S. pandemic response dominated by missteps, the effort to develop vaccines to prevent COVID-19 has so far been a triumph. Vaccines against the coronavirus that causes the disease are now racing through giant clinical trials as a result.

It’s a terrible irony, then, that the Trump administration’s statements have resulted in an erosion of public trust, with the percent of Americans who tell pollsters they would take a COVID-19 vaccine dropping and experts worrying the president could compel the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before one is ready. (Spoiler: No vaccine will likely be ready by Election Day.)

“When the president comes out and says, ‘by a very special day, we might have a vaccine,’ the whole thing blows up,” Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown School of Public Health, said at a session focused on COVID-19 at the STAT Health Tech Summit. “In some ways, we’ve got to get the politicians to shut up and let the scientists talk about this and drive this process.” The process of deciding when a vaccine appears to be safe and effective isn’t as straightforward as the general public might believe. But it’s important to understand it if we are to have confidence in these critical tools for helping to curb the pandemic.

Here, then, is a rundown of the science that goes into the decision-making process, what it tells us about when results could realistically be available, and when vaccines could start to be administered. This story is based on interviews as well as on documents the drug makers have released detailing their clinical trial plans.

Read More...

COVID-19 BACK TO SCHOOOL DECISION-MAKING TOOLS

According to the CDC, choosing whether to send your child back to school can be difficult. Considerations should include:

• Your family’s unique needs and situation and your comfort level with the steps your school is taking to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• Specific risks to members of your household if a child is infected in school,
• Access to school meal programs, social services, extended day childcare services and extra-curricular activities.
• Social-emotional support from peers and educators.
• School transportation.

Click here to access a questionnaire designed to help you weigh the risks and benefits of available educational options before you make a decision. Remember, each family is different so certain questions may be particularly important to you. There may be many unknowns, answer each question with a check in the column that most closely reflects you and your family today.

Review your answers. Multiple checks in the “Unsure” or “Disagree” columns might warrant a conversation with school administrators, your healthcare provider, or your employer. You may also want to use the tools to make the views, concerns and suggestions of your healthcare provider or your employer, known to school administrator.

Bear in mind that these questions address your views about how prepared your child’s school was to re-open for 2020-2021 school year. If you answer “unsure” to any items regarding your school’s plan, consider reaching out to your school administrator for more information.

Notification Protocols

The integrity of sorority impact data is directly tied to the information collected. Who should I notify?

• Notify your Chapter Basileus if you test positive for COVID-19.
• General Members should notify your Regional Director if you test positive for COVID-19.
• Undergraduate Members should notify your Graduate Advisor if you test positive for COVID-19, and the Graduate Advisor will notify the Basileus of the supervising Graduate Chapter.
• Chapter Basilei should notify the Regional Director.
• Inform your Chapter Basileus if you have been in close contact with other chapter members or sorors and where the contact occurred.
• Chapter Basileus will notify only sorors who are at risk for possible exposure without divulging the infected soror's name.
• Chapter Basileus will remind at-risk sorors to regularly monitor their symptoms and immediately notify their doctor if they become symptomatic.
• Chapter Basileus will remind at-risk sorors to quarantine themselves and STAY AT HOME for 14 days to stop the spread of the virus in the event they become symptomatic and test positive.

How has COVID-19 affected Alpha Kappa Alpha?

Visit https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ for up-to-date worldwide COVID-19 statistics.

Virtual Movie Screening

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The Theta Omega Omega Chapter from the Notable North Atlantic Region hosted a viewing of the documentary Becoming, the memoir of First Lady Michelle Obama. Soror Sharon Burrell serves as Basileus and Sisterly Relations Chairman, Soror Deborah Parham Hopson, coordinated the event. More than 300 people attended the viewing as far away as Italy. The event was open to the public. There was an engaging, moderated discussion following the screening framed around movie quotes from the First Lady. The movie was a fun, communal way to watch a movie, connect with the public and have insightful participation from the audience. Kudos to Theta Omega Omega Chapter on a great event!

Top Tips for Hosting Virtual Events:

1. Select a platform to accommodate the type of activity and get familiar with the platform.
2. Use features to engage the audience - the chat feature, the hand raise to ask a question, reaction buttons to show approval, etc.
3. Encourage Sorors to show themselves on screen. If we were together, we would be looking at one another.
4. If sharing a medium, test it prior to launching to ensure the movie or music will be heard, played uninterrupted.
5. If utilizing a speaker, please ensure that all participants are muted so that everyone can enjoy the speaker without interruption.
6. If you are able to help a technologically challenged Soror, please do so in order to be inclusive of all who wish to participate.
7. If you will be utilizing break out "rooms" for small group discussion, please select ahead of time so that Technology can assign prior to the event - or use a platform which allows the participant to select the breakout session themselves.
8. Schedule a run-through prior to the event for all participants to ensure they are familiar with the platform.
9. Send a reminder to the Chapter or registered guests a day before the event to increase attendance.
10. Follow up with a thank-you or a survey to obtain feedback from the participants.

RECENT EVENTS

Skee-Week Undergraduate Day of Prayer

Our Undergraduate members observed Undergraduate Day of Prayer to kick off Skee-Week. Kudos to Second Supreme Anti-Basileus Jasmyne McCoy, Undergraduate Members-At-Large Alysse Guerrier and Jasmine Williams, and the members of the Undergraduate Activities Committee for their leadership and commitment to exemplifying excellence during these unprecedented times. Click here to view the program.

AKA Mobile Mammography Unit On the Road Again

Even in the midst of COVID-19, Alpha Kappa Alpha is finding a way to serve during Breast Cancer Awareness Month using our signature AKA Mobile Mammography Unit. Yes, our coach is back on the road again and is currently in the Southwest providing mammograms at locations in Arizona while adhering to all of the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Peruse the AKA Mobile Mammogram Unit Virtual Guidelines as your chapter considers ways to safely resume mammography testing.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Soror Glenda Glover
Supreme Basileus

Soror Joy Elaine Daley, International Regional Director (Chairman)
Soror Kimberly Esmond Adams, Special Assistant & Risk Management Task Force Chairman (Co-Chairman)
Soror Danette Anthony Reed, First Supreme Anti-Basileus
Soror Jasmyne McCoy, Second Supreme Anti-Basileus
Soror Cynthia Howell, Executive Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Soror Martha Perine Beard, Chief of Staff to the Supreme Basileus
Soror Ora Douglass, Program Committee Chairman
Soror Cynthia Finch, MIP Committee Chairman & Healthcare Professional
Soror Jasmine Adkins Moore, Disaster Relief Committee Chairman
Soror Kasey Coleman, Leadership Development Committee
Soror Carol Dixon, Corporate Strategic Partners Committee
Soror Kaylen Long, Membership Committee
Soror Hollye Weekes, Program Committee
Soror Robyn Jones, Physician & Medical Director for Women's Health