Each year, the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation funds the The Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) Capitol Hill Visits. This year the visits were held virtually from April 13 – 15. Over 200 meetings with lawmakers and their staff were held during these virtual Hill Visits. Conversations focused on student freedom of association and federal anti-hazing legislation (END ALL Hazing Act and REACH Act). There were 24 men’s organizations and 22 women’s organizations represented. Overall, 94 fraternity and sorority alumni participated along with 122 students representing 100 campuses.
Our organization was proud to have three members chosen to represent Delta Phi Epsilon. One of those members is Delta Upsilon chapter president, Tamar Shimon from the University of Tampa. We asked Tamar to reflect on her experience:
“It was amazing! I have never done something like this before. As Chapter President of the Delta Upsilon Chapter at the University of Tampa, I felt like I was stepping up for the entire Greek community and advocating for our rights and anti-hazing legislation. I was “in my element” because I love discussing politics and public speaking. With these visits, I was able to discuss my involvement in Greek Life and how Congress can help us support our ideas. I was able to talk about the REACH ACT. This act combats hazing by providing a federal definition of hazing, “require universities to include incidents of Hazing in their Clery Act reporting and provide students with educational programming related to hazing.” I am grateful I was able to be a part of this experience, and I will definitely be applying for this next year!”
Tamar Shimon is a student at University of Tampa, where she is president of the Delta Upsilon chapter. She is studying Chemistry and Communication & Speech Studies.
