Impact of the Greek community and its philanthropy on the pandemic

Meet Katie Dial, the former president of the Idaho Alpha chapter of the Pi Beta Phi at the University of Idaho who served from Fall 2019 to Winter 2020.

Due to the COVID-19-mandated social restrictions, Greek life has been forced to adapt in innovative ways to continue to provide undergraduate students opportunities for interpersonal relationships during these times of isolation. A central component of the Greek community is participating in philanthropic events and initiatives to support those in the community. Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropy supports literacy through the Read Lead Achieve Foundation which promotes lifelong love of reading to create a more literate society. This story covers how the Idaho Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi has adapted its philanthropic efforts to support those in need amidst the pandemic.

The University of Idaho is located in Moscow, Idaho which Katie describes to be a close-knit community centred around helping each other. Prior to the pandemic, Idaho Alpha would host fundraising events such as “ Arrow Spike “ and visit low-funded schools in nearby rural communities. Since the pandemic, the women of Idaho Alpha have served the community through the newly developed opportunities that have emerged out of need such as making masks for those who are unable to afford them. Idaho Alpha has also partnered with a local coffee shop for a coffee day fundraiser in which a percentage of funds raised were donated to Read Lead Achieve. The coffee shop featured a special drink called “ Lotus for Literacy”. Members of the Greek community would earn points for every purchase at the coffee shop and additional points for purchases of the “ Lotus of Literacy “ drink.

The women at Pi Beta Phi have also modified their philanthropic initiatives to adjust for COVID-19 restrictions through the use of virtual platforms such as Amazon’s Wish List to provide books for the children at local low funded schools and the use of Zoom to virtualize Idaho Alpha’s annual spelling bee event with the Beta Kappa chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Additionally, the use of online social media platforms such as TikTok was used to host a competition among the Greek community in which the sororities and fraternities on campus would compete to post the best informative TikTok videos to raise awareness on literacy. The use of online platforms has ultimately allowed individuals to form and maintain a digital connection during a time of social distancing.

Thank you Katie for giving us the opportunity to share the great achievements of the Idaho Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi! Check out Idaho Alpha on their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/piphiui and their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idahopiphi/

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