Mold Might Be Lurking as Chapter Houses Reopen 
As chapter houses lie dormant and may either open up or not open up this fall, the house corporations should be aware of potential mold exposures. Even under normal circumstances, it has not been uncommon for a client in opening up a house to uncover the existence of mold in its property. The insurance coverage for mold is directly tied to a water damage source that served as a catalyst for the growth of the mold. However, mold just appearing on the surfaces, likely due to lack of air flow and increased moisture, is not covered.
With the chapter houses shut down for an extended period of time, issues may crop up with regards to the following:
- Shut down HVAC systems may lead to mold growth due to high levels of moisture in the house.
- Water intrusions that are not properly addressed in a timely manner may lead to mold.
The house corporations should take special precautions during this pandemic to ensure that their properties wont be plagued by the mold exposure, such as the following:
- Building maintenance protocols during property closures, including maintaining climate control systems, regular property inspections/ maintenance, and water flow protocols
- On site visits planned periodically to detect any areas of moisture accumulation
- Consider the installation of leak detection devices. We have several business partners who have these leak detectors: refer to Tattletale or Total Leak for additional information on their products. Should you install these preventative detectors, contact your Client Executive as we have the ability to apply some additional credits to your property premium on the next policy renewal.
- Review this EPA mold prevention resource for further information.
Should you have additional questions, please contact Heather Cox, MJ Sorority's Claims Account Manager.
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An Overview of ACHA Recommendations for Fraternities & Sororities in the Midst COVID-19
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Register here.
Hosted by Plaid, Fraternal Law, Pierce Communications, OmegaFi and FEA.
An interactive webinar that reviews the American College Health Association guidelines to include:
- College and university expectations of fraternal organizations
- ACHA recommendations for campuses
- Understanding your legal obligations, and
- Methods for mitigating PR concerns
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Importance of Communication During a Crisis + Membership Agreement Addendum
Communication during a crisis is crucial, and it is possibly even more important during a global pandemic, in which conditions are changing sometimes multiple times during the same day. It has become abundantly clear that the success of a university and a sorority chapter house to be able to maintain operations will be closely tied to the students’ and members’ commitment to follow the best practices established. It is of utmost importance that communication lines are open between the chapter and House Corporation leadership and the following entities:
- University officials
- It is important that someone from the House Corporation and/or chapter is communicating with the University health department and residential housing personnel to stay updated with what steps the University is considering in order to re-open.
- Your university contacts may not be willing to advise you directly, but communicating with them about what they are doing to prepare to re-open can help equip you as you plan ahead for the fall.
- Your state and local health departments
- Your national organization. Your sorority Headquarters will be making decisions and offering guidance. It is imperative that you stay in touch with them regarding re-opening specifics.
- Parents and members. It is imperative that clear and frequent communication is open between the House Corporation/Chapter and the members and their parents. We are recommending that an addendum waiver be added to the house rules that members are required to agree to in order to live in the chapter facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sample verbiage here. We have also seen this agreement referred to as a “Wellness Pledge” that the members are required to sign.
Importance of House Corporation Board and Chapter Advisory Boards Communication
- During normal times, it is important to clearly delineate House Corporation business from chapter business; however, these are extraordinary times, and it is important that the House Corporation and Chapter Advisor(s) are in open and continual communication with each other in order to share information regarding possible re-opening and what steps will be necessary to re-open the chapter house.
- We recommend that the House Corporation and chapter be on the same page regarding communication with members and their parents to ensure that expectations to live in the chapter house during the COVID-19 pandemic are accepted by the members and their parents. Our sample verbiage for the Member Agreement addendum can be found here.
- One of the biggest concerns of the sorority leadership is the support of the collegiate and alumnae members to follow the operating guidelines for each campus. It will be critical that the members know the rules and guidelines and that there will be strict reinforcement of these rules and guidelines. Being aware of the division of responsibility between the house corporations and chapter advisors, it will be critical that the standards boards are aware of the important role that they will plan in keeping the sorority houses in operation.
Excerpted from our What To Consider Before Re-opening resource.
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COVID-19 Response
We have created a page on our website for our resources and FAQs related to COVID-19. This situation is very fluid and changing hour-by-hour, so be sure to bookmark this page and continue to refer to it for additional information as we have it.
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COVID-19 Recommended Reading for This Week
Like you, we have been reading constantly, trying to stay abreast of the impact of COVID-19 on our clients and ourselves. We thought we would share here some of the most helpful items that we read this past week:
We encourage you to share with us what you're finding most helpful too (respond back to this email with your links and suggestions).
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REGULATORS MAKE BIG CHANGES TO BENEFIT PLAN NOTICE AND DISCLOSURE DEADLINES DUE TO COVID-19 NATIONAL EMERGENCY
Friday, May 22, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
REGISTER
The DOL and IRS have issued rules that extend several important benefits deadlines due to the COVID-19 national emergency. The new rules extend the time frames for COBRA elections, COBRA payments, and HIPAA special enrollments. The DOL also issued Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01 which gives employers some flexibility in the timing of ERISA required disclosures. The extension of COBRA election and payment timelines means that eligible participants will be able to wait to elect COBRA for longer than the normal 60 day election period, and employers will not be permitted to terminate COBRA coverage due to nonpayment for an extended period of time. Deadlines for mid-year election change subject to the HIPAA special enrollment rules are also extended.
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