The Emerald Newsletter | Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Winter 2016 | Page 29

Congratulations to sister ELsa Fernandez on receiving the award for local retailer of the year at the San Antonio Fashion Awards for her business Eye Candy Boutique.

From Fernandez's Facebook "The biggest THANK YOU to the best customers/friends in San Antonio! I'm so endlessly grateful to all of you!"

Wait...what was that?

News you may have missed from around the sisterhood

Elsa Fernandez Awarded Local Retailer of the Year at the San Antonio Fashion Awards

With everything going on it makes me happy to see that the Ladies of Kappa Delta Chi back the blue. Thank you Ladies for the baggies of goodies. I really appreciate the sentiment behind your Kind words. You all, along with the other

great citizens of our town, are the reason that I wear this Badge with honor and promise to protect and serve our community every day. Others might have a different view, but I see first hand the relationship us as Officers have with the citizens of this great city. Some might not see eye to eye with us as they break the law, but even after they are in custody we still have a human respect for each other. I PRAY that God continues to watch over our city and keep us whole. Amen.

#penguin #KDCHI #mygoodies #WFPD #WF #FAMILY #WEAREONE #PolicePenguin — with Raquel V Espinosa, Kristin Queenie Esquibel, Samantha Forester, Serena Darne, Dayna Salazar and Atzhiri Acosta.

Photo courtesy of Jaeden Esquibel Facebook

The WFPD would like to thank the Kappa Delta Chi Sorority for the awesome survival kits they made for our Police Officers.

Photo courtesy of Wichita Falls Police Dept Facebook

By Gina Garcia Alger, VP of Public Affairs

Can a KDChi chapter be politically active in a campaign or a political party?

A KDChi chapter can be active in voter registration initiatives, and various legislative items, i.e. raising tuition and fees/lowering state assistance to the universities. However, as a chapter and as an agent/representative of Kappa Delta Chi you cannot actively assist in an individual's campaign or a political party's platform. An example of this would be, I as Ruby Alvarado Hernandez, can volunteer for the Green Party and the presidential candidate they have, however I cannot wear KDChi paraphernalia while going door to door to advocate for this candidate, nor can I contact others as a member of Kappa Delta Chi to advocate for a particular candidate or party platform. In addition, I cannot, "as a chapter" of Kappa Delta Chi, endorse a particular candidate or party ticket/platform.

If I'm a KDChi sister who is very passionate about a certain political or environmental cause, are there any restrictions to wearing my letters to participate in a political event?

You cannot as an agent/representative of our organization advocate for a particular political party or its candidate(s). This is a time when you can sit back and take a litmus test of sorts. Would someone be able to make the assumption that you are taking a stand for a particular candidate as an agent of our organization if you are wearing our paraphernalia? If the answer is yes, don’t wear the shirt. In situations such as these, one needs to keep in mind why you are wearing letters to such an event, Is it an event that the chapter has voted on to take a stand on (see the political activities policy) or is the shirt you just happened to grab that morning, or are you trying to make a point by showing that you are a member of a Greek Letter Organization? If your chapter has already voted against taking a stand on a particular issue, I would suggest not wearing your letters. Wearing your letters indicates pride in our organization, and although you may have particular political leanings they may not always fall in line with those of the organization or all of its members.

Can KDChi as a national organization or chapters take a partisan stance on issues?

As a national organization we have chosen to stand down on certain political issues because we are composed of members from all walks of life with varying beliefs and political leanings. We, as an organization, try to be inclusive of all and taking stances as an organization would restrict us from that. With the aforementioned rules, the national organization is trying to ensure is that we follow IRS regulations to maintain our 501 (c) 7 status. And that status does limit what we can do and who we can and cannot advocate for. That being said there are some issues that our national organization or an individual chapter may want to take a stand against, i.e. raising tuition. There is a procedure in place in the political activities policy (Check memberclicks and your governing documents) where individual chapters can discuss and vote to take a stand on a particular issue. Roberts rules of order apply.

Am I allowed to run for office and serve my community while being an officer of KDChi on a chapter/regional or national level?

Yes you can, in fact we've had many sisters serve in their local and statewide legislative boards and who are currently serving on a variety of levels. Keep in mind you are not allowed to use KDChi funds, emails for campaign purposes or resources toward your campaign. Also, you're not allowed to bill KDChi mileage if you're attending a campaign event, just because you met with a chapter there. Also, we have quite the network of sisters, and although you can ask individuals to help with your campaign, chapters and agents/representatives of Kappa Delta Chi cannot campaign for you. So please make sure if sisters are helping you with your campaign there are doing so as individuals and not as members of Kappa Delta Chi.

If I'm a KDChi sister who's interviewed about a cause and I'm wearing my letters or KDChi paraphernalia, what do I have to keep in mind when doing interviews?

Often times news reporters appear on campuses, at the mall, even at our places of business, and if you are wearing your KDChi letters you are still more than welcome to answer any questions they may have regarding your own PERSONAL views. Now if they happen to know KDChi is a Latina based sorority and they start asking you something about our stance on i.e. education, immigration, the key would be to make it clear that your responses are your individual views. For instance, you could say "My personal view is..." Don't speak for the organization or the chapter on an issue unless the NAC/BOD has approved it or the chapter on their own has chosen to take a stance formally on a particular issue.

KEEP IN MIND SISTERS

the national organization is not trying to prevent our members from being engaged. As passionate, informed women, we encourage all members to stand for what you believe in. Take a look at the political activities policy as it details the organizations limitations for political activities and feel free to email your BOD Chair [email protected] for any questions.

KAPPA DELTA CHI SORORITY INC. & POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT

Q & A with BOD Chair Ruby Alvarado Hernandez

(Main content originally published in The Fall 2012 Emerald Magazine)

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