THE STATE OF THE FRATERNITY
Under the Chairmanship of Brother Jimmy McMikle, we issued the plan earlier this year but recently re-config- ured the document to ensure everyone understands our number one priority and emphasis is on undergraduate training, development and growth. Two years ago, I was humbly elected to serve as the 34 th Grand Polemarch of our illustrious fraternity. Little did we know, within eight months, the world would be turned upside down. On March 19, 2020, the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) became a pandemic, which wreaked global havoc of epic proportions during the past year. The catastrophic physical and economic impact has been matched only by the mental frustration of high death tallies, decreased access to healthcare and the uncertainty of what tomorrow holds. We established the COVID-19 Task Force chaired by Brother Jimmy McMikle and populated with the most knowledgeable brothers in the fraternity in the medical, science, technology and legal professions. Those brothers worked around the clock to create a roadmap to guide us down the path to a very uncertain fu- ture and their plan served us very well. Members of Kappa Alpha Psi have ad- justed and have been on the forefront of a virtual world. We are achievers and we always eagerly look forward to the next challenge, no matter how difficult. From the second stanza of “Invictus,” we embody the words, “In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed.” In the words of my grandchildren, “You did the Damn Thing!” This virtual environment caused many brothers to enhance their technologi- cal skills and elevate their abilities to carry out the tasks needed to maintain Kappa’s goal of preeminent achieve- ment. The virtual environment
dates, brothers and the fraternity.
Through the involvement of the broth- ers and the hard work and dedication of our Grand Board of Directors, General Counsel and International Headquarters staff, we created new programs and procedures like:
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Dues Subscription Payments Recognition of Local Chapter Polemarch with their own specialty fraternity Pin A Social Media Page that allows direct access to the Grand Polemarch and Grand Chapter Officers Governance measures to address Risk Management Issues Programs to help our Undergraduates brothers through COVID-19 and more
allowed brothers who have not been to chapter meetings in years to attend and make meaningful contributions. As a fraternity we have experienced what has become perhaps the most challeng- ing dilemma in our one hundred ten-year history. We have been operating at the local, province and Grand Chapter levels in a virtual mode, where we have imple- mented webinar tools to enable us to meet by computer, telephone, and other communication devices. I give kudos to Information Technology Lead, Brother Joe Williams and his team, along with Executive Director Brother John Burrell and IHQ staff, for meeting the challenges and allowing us to conduct the business of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. I salute all Province Polemarchs for their ingenuity and innovation in adjusting to the chal- lenges in the operations of their local chapters, enabling us to have a near-seam- less transition from normal to virtual. Our Province Polemarchs did an awesome job in conducting Virtual C. Rodger Wilson Leadership Conferences, as well as virtual Province Councils. These have led us to our first ever virtual Grand Chapter Meet- ing. During a time of limited income due to COVID-19 moratorium on membership intake, Brother Rhen C. Bass, CPA and the IHQ financial team, led by Brother Linwood Green, kept the fraternity fis- cally sound without the need to lay off a single employee. My brothers, Kappa Alpha Psi is an integral part of the fabric of American life. From our beginning, we have been involuntarily forced to do what
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We expanded our community service outreach by entering into partner- ships with the March of Dimes, Black Health Matters and the All of Us Research Project. We exercised our political voice by taking a solid stand against the injustice and inequality we witnessed across the country and we have worked with our Divine Nine and National Pan-Hellenic Council, in a collaborative and unprecedented way, to effectuate real political change in our country. Additionally, we also main- tained support for our Core Programs:
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Guide Right/Kappa League
Undergraduate Risk Management
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St. Jude Children’s Hospital (Sunday of Hope) Mental Health: Education, Awareness & Treatment G.L.A.D (financial literacy)
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One of the elements of the 34 th Ad- ministration which we are most proud, is the strategic plan we will use as a blueprint for the future of fraternity.
THE JOURNAL ♦ SUMMER 2021 | 45
VIRTUAL 85 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING
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