E-mail urges Greeks to run for UA seats

IFC leader Mark Metzl sent the e-mail, which stressed funding issues. In an attempt to once again secure a significant Greek representation on the Undergraduate Assembly next year, InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl sent an e-mail last week to members of the Greek community, urging them to run for the UA. The move comes after a recent UA decision to no longer directly allocate funds from a UA discretionary fund to the IFC, but instead make that money available to all student groups. This year's discretionary fund will contain $32,500, up slightly from last year's $30,000. Two years ago, the IFC and the Panhellenic Council began urging their members to seek UA seats to allow the Greek community access to UA-dispersed funds. Greeks have secured a majority in the UA since that time. Metzl, a College junior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother, stated in the e-mail that "without representation? it is likely that [Greeks] will not receive even a majority of [the discretionary] funding." He urged members of the IFC, Panhellenic Council and BiCultural InterGreek Council to "continue a precedent" of Greek representation on the UA. The e-mail went on to say that if the three Greek umbrella organizations do not receive UA money, "the translation will mean higher dues for our members and decreased programming and events for the whole system and University community." Metzl denied that he wrote the e-mail solely as a strategy to get funding for Greek events, stressing that his motive was to continue a tradition of the UA and the IFC sponsoring events together. He said he wrote the e-mail in part because "there are students that don't believe that Greeks are a positive influence and would not support [the UA's] co-sponsorship [of IFC events]" such as Greek Week, the IFC basketball tournament and alcohol education programs. "In the last year we have co-sponsored a good number of events with the UA," Metzl added. "[I] would like to see that continue." Through the e-mail, Metzl tried to coordinate an informational session last night for Greeks interested in running for the UA, but the meeting was cancelled due to a time conflict with the UA budgetary meeting. UA Chairperson Bill Conway, a Phi Kappa Psi brother, said that encouraging Greeks to run for the UA solely to obtain money from the discretionary fund would be an unfair move. "It discredits the UA as a whole if people who only care about the single issue get elected," the Wharton junior said. UA Greek Life Committee Chairperson Andrew Mandelbaum -- a College sophomore and Alpha Chi Rho brother -- said Metzl's e-mail was not simply an attempt to secure funding for the IFC, stressing that "every umbrella organization encourages its members to run [for the UA]." Newly elected Student Activities Chairperson Jared Susco said he supports Metzl if his motive in urging Greeks to run for UA is to get them "more involved with student life at Penn." But the Wharton sophomore stressed that he would have "a problem" with Metzl encouraging a Greek majority "to control UA discretionary funding." Susco added that "the opportunity to obtain a [UA] co-sponsorship should not be limited to the IFC" but there should be "a formalized process within the UA for all groups on campus [to obtain discretionary funding]." Last year, the UA voted for the first time ever to place $30,000 into a UA discretionary fund which gave the IFC primary access. The plan drew criticism from those who called it unconstitutional to directly allocate funds to the Greeks. SAC has criticized the UA's recent decision to change the plan, arguing that it is SAC's responsibility -- and not the UA's -- to allocate funds to student groups.

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