Greeks urged to vote for their own

In e-mails to Greeks, the InterFraternity Council president sought votes for a Greek agenda. In the world of Greek involvement in Penn student government politics, history just may be repeating itself. A year ago, then-InterFraternity Council President and now-College senior Matt Baker sent an e-mail to fraternity chapters urging members to vote for Greek candidates for the Undergraduate Assembly in the name of getting UA funding for IFC parties. This year, Baker's successor and fellow Alpha Chi Rho brother Josh Belinfante has issued a similar directive to Greek organizations -- calling on them to elect Greeks to the UA and reject the one referendum on the ballot, all in an effort to preserve funding allotted to the IFC by the UA one month ago. In an e-mail obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Belinfante provided fraternity presidents with a list of the 31 UA candidates who are members of fraternities -- but none of the sorority members or non-Greeks running for office. More than 60 percent of all candidates are in Greek organizations. "We need their support next year to allow us to have access to the $30,000 that was appropriated this year," he wrote. "It is vitally important that your brothers get out and vote." In another e-mail, Belinfante called upon all Greeks to vote against a referendum on the ballot mandating that $30,000 of the UA's $34,000 discretionary fund be used for Student Activities Council-approved functions. If approved, the referendum would overturn the UA's decision to spend up to $30,000 this year "in the spirit of funding Greek events" such as non-alcoholic social gatherings. The call-to-arms comes in the face of increasing support for the referendum from leaders of SAC-funded groups, who have attempted to mobilize their members through similar e-mail campaigns. Belinfante defended his decision to call on Greeks to elect their fraternity brothers, explaining that he sees "no problem in an organization helping its own members." Outgoing UA Chairperson and College junior Noah Bilenker, a Phi Kappa Psi brother, defended the lobbying as an integral part of the political process, saying that "organizations will endorse their members anyway." Panhellenic Council President Janelle Brodsky, a College and Engineering junior, also forwarded a list of Greek candidates to the presidents of the eight Panhel sororities. "Part of my job is to get information out to girls in the Greek system," the Pi Beta Phi sister said, adding that Greek status "should not be a reason to vote for a candidate." Many Greek leaders passed Belinfante's e-mail to chapter listservs. The message labels the arguments of referendum supporters as "false, disingenuous and childish." "Unfortunately, SAC has decided to use scare tactics and play politics with the UA initiative," Belinfante wrote in one e-mail. Belinfante indicated that his group may bring charges with the Nominations and Elections Committee against members of SAC for violating the Fair Practices Code, the rules governing student government elections. He said they gave inaccurate information to the student body in an attempt to force passage of the referendum. SAC Chairperson and Wharton junior Sang Cha, however, disputed Belinfante's frequent claim that SAC could tap into its six-figure reserve fund to make up for the lost funding. According to Cha, the reserve fund also belongs to the class boards and the Social Planning and Events Committee, and SAC cannot draw on the principal of the invested money.