"Indebted" by Caitlin Zaloom

        The opportunity of providing a quality college education coupled with the problem of college affordability are currently hot topics and challenging issues facing students and their parents today. Parents are caught between a desire to provide their children with a better life through investment in their future and a look at family needs and assets that can affect the well-being of all concerned. In her book Indebted, author Caitlin Zaloom explores this problem and the financial pressures of paying for college.

        The student finance issue is complex and complicated. Zeroing in on these issues, Zaloom shows how the different government sponsored college investment programs can be an answer to the finance issue and help provide financial assistance, but she also brings out the problems associated with investment in these programs that middle class families may experience. Besides these programs the limited availability of federal grants based on middle class income and the filling out of the outdated FAFSA form that leads to the expected family contribution adds to the financial pressures of the college experience.

    Indebted was one of the top five books evaluated by the DKG Educators Book Award Committee. Author Caitlin Zaloom, through countless interviews with both parents and students involved, looks at the struggles, implications, and consequences of trying to navigate the financial process and make the financing of a college education work for them. This book is a must read and a valuable resource for all parents who are going through or have gone through the college financial maze.

Help Is Just A Click Away

 

Do you need help planning a new member orientation? Are you looking for ideas to encourage your chapter and promote the benefits of being a DKG member? Then a visit to the DKG website (www.dkg.org) will be your answer. All the forms you need can be found by clicking on Membership. Also, under the Resources tab, you can find PowerPoints and videos such as Pride in the Big Picture which provide resources for a new member orientation. Other videos and presentations will guide you to information like the basics of creating a website and copyright information. A scrolling rotator screen keeps you current on new happenings of DKG. An online chat feature allows you to receive answers to those membership questions quickly during business hours. Check out the online communities (found under MYDKG tab) that provide ideas and communication tools with DKG members who have similar interests. Books, social media and membership groups are some examples of what is available. There is even one for home projects. Visit the different forums (found under the About Us tab) to keep abreast of happenings in your area and others. Access to all the online publications like DKG News and The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin are on the website under the Publications tab. The list of resources is long, so it is certainly worth a visit. In fact, visit the site regularly to stay current on the DKG happenings. Remember to access much of the information, which is member only, you must log in by clicking on Sign In on the top right of the page. Your username is your 6 digit membership number which is found on your membership card or is available from your chapter treasurer. The password is available from your chapter president or treasurer if you have not ever visited the DKG website. If you have forgotten your password, simply click on the “Forgot Password?” under the Sign in and a link to reset your password will be sent to the email we have on file for you. With the many resources and information available on the DKG website, one blog post could not possibly list them all, so plan a visit and go back often.

More Bang for Your Bucks

 

The 2020-2022 Finance Committee will be sharing a blog series entitled “More Bang for Your Bucks”. Through these posts we hope to inform you of the “value” of being a DKG member. It may “interest” you to learn about the opportunities DKG provides you not only in a “monetary” way, but a common “cents” way to “cash” in and keep informed of what is “available” for you. We hope you get a “bang” out of our posts.

More Bang for Your Bucks

A logical place to start is to help you understand the power of your membership dues. Each member pays her dues to her chapter treasurer according to her membership category…active, reserve, or collegiate. The $40 USD paid by active members along with the $20 USD paid by reserve and collegiate members is mailed or wired to DKG International Headquarters in Austin, Texas from our 17 member countries.

At this point, the collective power of member dues starts to make a difference. When member dues are combined to support the work of the Society, those dollars provide a return of investment to members, personally and professionally, and reach beyond the member to her community and around the world.

Upon arrival at DKG Headquarters, member dues are processed by the staff of the Membership Services Team and prepared for deposit to a bank by the staff of the Accounting Team. While some dues will remain in the Available Fund as part of the required reserve—the rest is put to work!! Here is where “More Bang for Your Bucks” begins.

Bang #1 A Building

Essential to the work of any organization is the space in which it conducts its business. DKG is no different. Members, through a portion of their dues, support the maintenance and operation of the DKG Headquarters Building. The building was built in 1956 and is approximately 12,500 sq. ft. For the work of the Society to be carried out at headquarters, building expenses must be paid such as utilities, telephone, taxes, security, landscaping, and cleaning---everything that any member who owns a home might expect to pay to provide a secure and safe place to live.

Bang #2 Staff

Equally essential to an association is the staff that is employed to work on behalf of its members and to assist in executing its mission. Members, through another portion of their dues, pay salaries and benefits for 17 full time staff members who work in the Headquarters Building. These staff members are organized into four teams: Executive Services, Accounting, Technology, and Membership Services. They maintain membership data, process member dues, answer member questions, manage the website, disburse payments for Society programs and expenses, ensure regulatory compliance for non-profit status, coordinate conferences and conventions, process contributions to society funds, produce and distribute society publications, ship society materials and so much more!

Bang #3 Volunteers

Member dues support one more group of individuals that are essential to DKG fulfilling its purposes and goals. They are the members who volunteer, or are elected, to serve on DKG International Boards and Committees. Member dues provide reimbursement of expenses, as specified in the governing documents, for these boards and committees. They plan and provide training to our state organization leaders including state organization presidents, treasurers, membership chairs and EEC chairs. They manage the Society’s funds, prepare the budget for approval, propose nominees for International offices, seek non-dues revenue, plan workshop and takeaway sessions at conferences and conventions, plan the DKG Ignite: Leaders Empowering Leaders Program, award scholarships, issue fellowship grants, and the list continues.

Adding it all up, a single member’s dues, in combination with all dues paid, supports a building, staff, and volunteers while maintaining a cash reserve and investments. Now that’s really “More Bang for Your Bucks”!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

 

    UNICEF USA and DKG are celebrating 10 years of partnership in 2020. Our shared vision for children has resulted in $450,000 in contributions for Schools for Africa. See what these investments have provided by watching Whitney Simon, Manager of Global Cause Partnership for UNICEF, who presented a session in July at our DKG Virtual Event.

    This inspiring and informative session, DKG and UNICEF, is available on the DKG website under 2020 Virtual Event. This is a must see to be shared with members and chapters. Planning virtual meetings? This topic is certain to focus everyone on this meaningful international project.

    Check back to this blog site in the future as we highlight links to additional videos that show how DKG and UNICEF have transformed the lives of children in Africa through educational opportunities realized through our partnership.

Fact or Fiction?

 

The process by which educators teach their students in developing skills to determine fact from fiction must always begin with verification. What is verification? It is the steps by which we gather, assess, confirm and weigh evidence in search of truth.

 New School & Old School Strategies

 How Do We Recognize A Fake News Story?

1)   Who is the author

2)   Check what news outlet published it

3)   Look at what links and sources were used

4)   Check the publish date and time

5)   Look out for suspicious quotes and photos

6)   Beware of confirmation bias

Old School? Take a trip down the rabbit hole when researching authors and their publications. Always begin by researching primary sources of information, such as public documentation cited by author. Research all footnotes and links. Locate what else might have been published by the author with regard to topic, either through abstracts or journals. If in a book format, look to see who might have contributed to the foreword and research their publications.

 Resources for Spotting Fake News

Snopes.com

Factcheck.org

Tin Eye Reverse Image & Search

Washington Post Fact Checker

On The Media Fake News Handbook

Below is a glossary of “The Language of News Literacy” from the School of Journalism; Stony Brook University, LI, NY 

1) Accountability – Taking direct responsibility, by name, for the truthfulness and the reliability of the report. Examples include bylines in print and digital journalism and signoffs in audio and video reports.

2) Actionable Information – Information that empowers a news consumer to make active choices about matters of both public and personal importance. Examples include which candidate to vote for or making career or personal health choices. 

3) Balance – Equality between the totals of the two (or more) sides of the account. Balance is a more technical term than fairness. It’s a quantitative measurement that can be used as a tool to achieve fairness, especially in cases where the facts are in dispute or the truth is still developing. 

4) Bias – A predisposition that distorts your ability to fairly weigh the evidence and prevents you from reaching a fair or accurate judgment. Here’s how to spot bias: Look for evidence of unfairness over time; compare a variety of news outlets, especially to search for bias by omission; take note of the self-interest of those alleging bias. 

5) Cognitive Dissonance – A psychological theory that people who are so powerfully motivated to reduce their discomfort that they will dismiss, block or warp incoming information that does not conform with their beliefs, viewpoint or understanding of the truth. 

6) Context – Background or ancillary information that is necessary to understand the scope, impact, magnitude or meaning of new facts reported as news. 

7) Direct Evidence – Anything that was captured firsthand or on the scene (i.e. video, recordings, photographs, documents, records, eyewitness accounts). 

8) Entertainment – Something affording pleasure, diversion or amusement. 

9) Fair Comment – Protects your right to criticize and comment on matters of public interest without being liable for defamation, provided that the comment is an honest expression of opinion and free of malice. 

10) Fourth Estate – An old European phrase used to describe the     press and its role as a watchdog. In America, the four estates of   power are the three branches of government and the citizens to   counterbalance them. 

11) Independence – Freedom from the control, influence or support of interested parties. Journalists are expected to avoid reporting on matters in which they may have a financial stake, personal/familial ties, or intellectual prejudice by virtue of declarations of allegiance. 

12) Information Neighborhoods – News Literacy students are taught a taxonomy that allows them to quickly navigate information neighborhood: News, Entertainment, Advertising, Promotion, Propaganda and Raw Information. 

13) Journalist – A journalist’s primary mission is to inform the public while employing journalistic methods such as verification to uphold journalistic values in order to maintain independence and accountability. 

14) Scientific Truth – A statement of probability proportional to the evidence, which will change over time, as further research changes our understanding daily (covid19). 

15) Propaganda – Information, ideas or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution or nation. It is often biased and misleading, in order to promote an ideology or point of view. 

16) No Prior Restraint – The government and courts cannot stop something from being published, broadcast or posted on the Internet, except in rare instances. 

17) Privilege – Protects your right to publish court testimony, police reports or other public documents, even if they contain falsehoods. This is because the public has the privilege to review the contents of government files as a means of ensuring police, courts and other agencies are conducting themselves correctly. 

18) News Literacy – The ability to use critical thinking skills to judge the reliability and credibility of news reports, whether the come via print, television or the Internet. 

19) Truth – Events as they actually happened, phenomena as they actually exist. 

20) Verification – The investigative process by which a news organization gathers, assesses, confirms and weighs evidence in search for truth. 

Disciplines of Verification

Gather, assess and weigh evidence

Place facts in the big picture (context)

Be fair when appropriate, adjust balance

Maintain transparency 

21) VIA – Acronym used in the course to stand for Verification, Independence, and Accountability. Reliable information has all three of these characteristics.

Find more info on checking for facts, bias, and fake news here: https://tacomacc.libguides.com/c.php?g=599051&p=4147190

 

Helping Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

   The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people of all walks of life.  With many systems returning to school already or in the near future, teachers are facing a great deal of uncertainty.  There are concerns for the safety of their students and themselves.  There is new technology to learn in order to best connect with their students virtually.  Added to these challenges is the need to prepare students for the ever-present state tests.  Classroom teachers, regardless of their years of experience, need the support of Delta Kappa Gamma members more than ever.  Unfortunately, members cannot enter the schools to assist in the classroom but there are ways that DKG members can show teachers their love and support.

• Write encouraging notes.  Personal hand-written notes from others let teachers know that they aren’t in this alone.

• Share inspirational quotes from well-known leaders.

• Consider asking the chapter’s “resident poet” to write a short poem to thank the teachers for their service.

• To up the ante, gift small school items with a note attached.  Highlighters, pens/pencils, glue sticks, etc. are inexpensive items that can bring a smile to a teacher’s face.

• Food is always a good choice!  Perhaps a piece of candy or a couple of other treats could be attached to a note.  (Be sure to check with the school administration before preparing the treats.)

• Post signs of thanks and encouragement along the school driveway so teachers can see those on their way to school.  Such action would help jumpstart a teacher’s day!

• If it’s a small community, perhaps the chapter could put an ad in the local paper to thank teachers for their dedication.

Here’s the bottom line: Teachers need to know that they are appreciated and loved.  Any action which a chapter takes to achieve that goal would be well received.

GAPP Digital Communication Policy Changes

Among our DKG governing documents is a set of files called Guidelines and Policies/Procedures (GAPP). One of those outlines the policies for digital communications, which was recently updated.

The file says, “Digital communication resources, as defined by the Society, include but are not limited to the Internet, World Wide Web, digital mail, facsimile, landline and cell phones, databases, audio and visual recordings, graphics, photographs, CD, DVD, digitized information and social media.”

So, basically, all forms of communications are impacted since most newsletters are posted on the web!

Among the eight purposes of this policy is one that deals with privacy, confidentiality, and security in digital communications. Because of the increasing problems of phishing and scamming, the update to the policy includes this paragraph:

An individual’s email address is personal information. For this reason, use of BCC (blind carbon copy; normally found under the CC address line) is recommended for mailings to groups. This will protect email addresses of those in the group from being shared unnecessarily or improperly. The Society will not publish the personal email of any member in any publication without her express written permission. Wherever possible and practical, the Society will use contact forms rather than emails to facilitate member communication with Society personnel and leaders. All lists of contact information will be password protected. Chapter and state organization may not link to contact information lists without providing password protection. The Society will establish procedures to hide/disguise emails on websites.

Take particular note of the use of blind carbon copy (BCC) for group emails and the use of forms instead of email addresses. This is DKG policy.

The entire Policy for Digital Communications can be found at https://www.dkg.org/DKGMember/Resources/GAPP.aspx?GAPP_Documents=16#GAPP_Documents.

DKG Member Lisa Olson Serves as City Alderman

One of the goals of the EEC is to empower women to impact policy and people worldwide. DKG member Lisa Olson has certainly taken that goal to heart. She was recently spotlighted on a local TV station’s feature on Remarkable Women for her work as an alderman for the city of Minot, ND. In the article, Lisa relates her disappointment when she lost her first race for city council. She turned the loss into an opportunity to teach her young daughter that one could lose with dignity and could still persevere. Lisa had this message for women: “They can do it. You don’t have to have a great background; you don’t have to have the answers to everything.” The important message from the article is that women can certainly share their voice in their local communities and make a difference in our world. We applaud Lisa for her service to her community and to DKG.

Want to know more? The full article is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.nylander.olson)

(This information was taken from a KXNET.com feature re: Remarkable Women.
The story was then shared on Facebook.))

Ways to Spot Spam or Phishing Emails

 Many spam or phishing emails look like legitimate emails to the unsuspecting. A healthy dose of skepticism goes well with the adage “better safe than sorry” but there are definite tell-tale signs for which to watch. There is no single fool-proof way to avoid phishing attacks, but watch for these:

• Check the spelling or grammar. If a message is poorly written or contains grammatical errors or misspellings, it might have been translated from a foreign language. Often a phisher will change one or two letters to mimic a trusted source.
• Request for personal information. Never give out personal information through email. Refer to the sender’s website if you have questions on the legitimacy of the request.
• Discrepancies between the language of links and the URLs they direct to. Mouse over a link before clicking on it to see where the URL is directing you. The name listed might be different from the actual web address.
• Forms within emails. Phishers try to gather personal information this way.
• A sense of urgency, scare tactics, or highly emotional or charged language. “There’s a problem with your charge card that needs resolving immediately.” “I lost my pocketbook and need you to loan me some money.”

“Phishing” via SMS (text) messaging, called smishing, is gaining strength. Watch many of the same signs plus unusual numbers or references to the last 4 digits of a credit card number. Voice phishing, called vishing, has been around for years. Callers posing as IRS agents is the most common form and has scammed individuals out of millions of dollars. Watch for fear tactics, masked phone numbers, use of personal data that could be gained from social media accounts, or “too good to be true” tactics.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that people lost $57 million to phishing schemes in one year. 

If you think a scammer has your information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, go to IdentityTheft.gov. There you will see the specific steps to take based on the information that you lost.

Be vigilant. When in doubt, don’t.

Consider Membership in DKG During this Time

Although many of us are still sheltering-in-place, don’t think this isn’t a good time to look for new members! Have you had the unique opportunity to sit in on a lesson your child or grandchild has had virtually with their teacher(s)? Is there someone that you think is doing a fantastic job and would be a great member? In this time when people are not running out to events outside the home and may have more time to consider membership in DKG consider calling or emailing prospective members and sharing information on the Society.
Everything you need to explain about the Society can be found on the website under the Resources tab https://tinyurl.com/ybbhxhpf

Tips for Avoiding Phishing

Phishing is email designed to harm an individual or company by obtaining sensitive or personal information. It is created to look like a legitimate email from a trusted sender, such as recent emails claiming to be from state or international officers. Two common phishing emails using DKG officers’ names asked for gift cards or if the recipient had an Amazon account. Phishing scams have recently involved Covid-19-related requests.

Members can protect themselves from phishing emails by following these tips:
• Know the common signs of spam and phishing emails.
• Not providing personal information via email.
• Not opening emails from unknown senders.
• Check the email address if it says it is from an officer but asks for money or personal information.
• Use varying passwords.
• Keep anti-virus software up to date.
• Avoid clicking on pop-ups

Bottom line regarding phishing emails is for the recipient to be careful and vigilant about knowing the sender and not clicking on or responding to anything questionable. When in doubt, don’t!

Tips for Avoiding Spam

Spam and phishing are inbox nuisances and both have the potential to create problems if the emails are opened or links are clicked.

Spam is generally junk mail, sent to thousands of email address at one time. They include, but are not limited to, coupons, donation solicitations, unwanted newsletters, product information and advertisements. Cybercriminals may use innocent-looking junk mail to distribute malicious software and link to potentially harmful websites. Spam can be a part of a phishing scam.

Here are three quick hints to avoiding spam.

•  Enable filters on email programs. Check to see how the filters are set on your email program and if you receive repetitive spam, increase the level on the spam filters. Check the junk mail folder occasionally to see if the filters are working.

• Report spam. Most email programs offer a way to mark an email as junk or to report instances of spam. Reporting spam helps keep it from returning to your inbox.

•  Limit access to your email address. Consider hiding your email from online profiles and social networking sites. Allow only certain people to view your personal information.

Spam can also be found in social networking sites. Remember--when in doubt, don’t. Stay safe!

Transferring membership

Did you know when you move across the state or country; you can take your DKG membership with you? All a member needs to do is go on the international website click on the About Us tab and then go to Chapter Locator to find a chapter in your new area. There you will find contact information for that state organization’s president who will put you in touch with the chapter. You can also contact International and they will find a chapter in your new area.  Once a chapter is located the chapter treasurer will transfer the member in the dues portal and membership will be transferred.  There’s nothing too difficult about that! We want to make this move as easy as possible and keep you connected with all your DKG membership benefits.