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June 1, 2020

Psi Upsilon Fraternity extends its deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd, the greater Minneapolis Community, and all those affected by this reprehensible act of violence which resulted in his untimely death. It has been a difficult and emotional week, particularly for Black Americans and we hope that all our members are safe at this time.

Psi Upsilon’s values are lifelong friendship, moral leadership, intellectual engagement, responsible social conduct, and service to society. Racism, xenophobia, violence, and any form of discrimination is not congruent with our values in any way. To truly live the mission of Psi Upsilon all members must condemn any and all acts of bigotry and hatred wherever they may come across it.

But making statements to this effect are not enough and we can, and must, do more. We will be working on opportunities to support our members and provide resources on inclusion in our communities and develop the courage to speak up when they see discrimination in any form – whether on their campus, workplace or elsewhere. We do not have answers currently and want to be thoughtful about this serious issue. If you would like to be directly involved, or have suggestions to pass along, please reach out to Executive Director, Thomas Fox, at tfox@psiu.org.

In addition, we encourage chapters and alumni associations to reach out to your local ACLU or similar organizations for ways to support your local communities.

Psi Upsilon’s Policy on Diversity and Inclusion: https://psiu.org/diversity-and-inclusion/

On Sunday, May 3^rd, the Executive Council of Psi Upsilon decided to postpone the 177^th Convention and cancel the 2020 Leadership Institute in Atlanta, GA – originally planned for July 24^th through 27^th. In 1841 Psi Upsilon became the first fraternity to hold a convention, and since that time the annual event has grown to become a wonderful celebration of our great fraternity. In addition, the Leadership Institute provides unique educational experiences relevant to our brothers and those that support them, and it is a highlight of our calendar.

The wellbeing of our brothers was our greatest concern, and we did not feel we could provide a safe and responsible environment given the current environment and uncertainty of the future. Today, months after COVID-19 began affecting the United States and Canada, so much is still unknown about the disease, including how long it will be around, if it will come back, and how our day-to-day lives will be affected moving forward. The Executive Council had hoped that by this time, there would be more answers and that we would still be able to host Convention as scheduled. However, we do not feel we can risk our brothers’ health or gamble that the ability to travel and convene in large groups will be safe and allowed by the end of July.

We are committed to hosting a quality virtual event in its place and holding a remote experience to report on the activities of the Fraternity, Foundation and Executive Council and all brothers of the fraternity will be invited to attend. In addition, unique educational opportunities will be provided to our members over the course of the summer to replace the leadership institute experience and help them prepare for the Fall. The dates, times and logistics for these meetings will be shared in the coming weeks.

Those who have already registered and paid for the Convention will be receiving a full refund.

We’d like to thank the Gamma Tau Chapter at Georgia Tech and the Psi Upsilon Society of Georgia for all the work they’ve done to help prepare for this event. While we are disappointed about the cancelation, we look forward to celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Psi Upsilon at Georgia Tech in person when it becomes safe to do so.

While we know that this news is disappointing, we know that when we meet in person again, the reunion will be even more special. In 2021 we plan to convene the 177^th Convention in Madison, Wisconsin and hope you will be able to join us then. We plan to return to Atlanta in 2023 for the 179th Psi Upsilon Convention.