IFC does not fear warnings of an LCE presence at Fling

In an e-mail distributed to Greek chapters over the weekend, InterFraternity Council President Matt Baker and Panhellenic Council President Jessica Lennon encouraged members to support Greek candidates in the upcoming Undergraduate Assembly election. Baker referred to tomorrow and Wednesday's voting as "the last stage of our plan" to elect Greeks to the UA. "This is our best opportunity to receive funding for parties," Baker wrote in the e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. "So get out there and vote." Lennon added that "if the slate mentioned [in the e-mail] gets voted in, the Greeks will have control of the UA. This will be very beneficial to us if it works out so please ask all of your sisters to vote." But last night, Baker denied that the IFC or Panhel have any plot to control student government. "The goal is not to take over and wreak havoc and mess everything up," the College and Engineering junior in Alpha Chi Rho said. But he added that the Greeks have "the means and the numbers" to protect their interests. Compared to recent elections, a record number of Greeks appear on this year's UA ballot. Baker attributed the overwhelming Greek interest in student government to the failure of UA Vice Chairperson Larry Kamin's proposal to provide the Greeks with $20,000 in matching funds for next year's fraternity parties. Pennsylvania law bars fraternities from charging door fees at parties, and the University has informed IFC chapters that they must comply with the statute. IFC leaders say they cannot afford to throw open parties without door charges or some other source of funds. "The main issue is money for parties," Baker said. "We're looking for a solution." The e-mail lists 28 Greek candidates by school -- 27 from IFC and one from Panhel -- with their respective ballot numbers and chapter affiliation. Nursing students are also asked to support Rebecca Pisano because of her friends' affiliation with the Greek system. College freshman Sara Shenkan was inadvertently left off the list, though she is pledging Alpha Chi Omega. Because the UA Nominating and Elections Committee's rules forbid candidates or constituent organizations from handing out fliers soliciting votes, the Greek members were asked to "print this out off of e-mail and take it to the polls with you." If the efforts pay off, a majority-Greek UA could vote to overturn the earlier decision and pass Kamin's failed initiative. And although the UA cannot directly give the IFC money, Baker said the IFC is "looking at some different options which [he has] been told need to go through the UA." He added that the $180,000 former IFC President Josh Gottheimer quoted as the funds needed to support next year's social system would come "not necessarily from the UA money, but basically it would come through similar channels that that money comes through." Baker said the Greeks do not intend to take money away from the other 100 organizations the Student Activities Council represents -- and which count many fraternity and sorority members among their participants. But UA Chair Tal Golomb said the Greeks haven't sufficiently thought this issue through. He explained that the UA's money is allotted from the general fee attached to undergraduate tuition. The Greeks could only receive part of that money if the general fee were raised or if less money were granted to SAC and other branches of student government. College junior and Chi Omega sister Meredith Hertz -- the only sorority member running for the UA, and this year's UA representative to the Steering Committee of University Council -- said Greeks' acquiring a majority of UA chairs would pose no problem, since the candidates should remain reflective of the interests of the entire student body. "We were Penn students as a whole before we were Greeks," she said. And she added that using the UA to secure party funds for the IFC would affect all students by sustaining campus life. UA Treasurer and Wharton sophomore Steve Schorr, who is not affiliated with a Greek chapter, said he would be glad to see many Greeks on the ballot "if they have the best interest of the students in mind." "Student government should be something a lot of people want to do," he added. By sheer numbers, any Greek-led effort to capture UA seats would have a good chance of success. About 30 percent of undergraduates belong to a Greek chapter. With voter turnout in the last few UA elections hovering well below 20 percent, if a large portion of Greeks follow Baker's e-mail advice, the Greek candidates could be elected handily.