Extending a welcome to Greek life

The excitement was almost palpable last night as hundreds of women gathered in Houston Hall to mark the beginning of a journey through Penn's Greek system. The Circle of Sisters event marked the official transition of the Panhellenic Executive Board and welcomed new members to the sorority system at Penn. "You're beginning a journey that is a journey for a lifetime," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Associate Director for Programming Debra Bonaminio said in her opening remarks. "It's not going to end when you're walking down Locust Walk to Franklin Field to get your diploma. Your sisterhood lasts forever." "You're being given a gift," she continued. "You're being given the opportunity to call people 'sister.'" After opening remarks from Bonaminio, outgoing members of Panhel's Executive Board and a representative from the office of the Vice Provost of University Life, the transition ceremony took place. Former board members passed various objects with associated leadership abilities -- ranging from a lightbulb to a sword -- on to their new counterparts. Following this induction, outgoing Panhel President and College senior Jennifer Chanowitz, a Sigma Delta Tau sister, led the audience in a new member pledge ceremony, where the women stood and held hands while repeating a passage signifying their dedication to the Greek system. After new members promised to "devote [their] time and efforts to the betterment of inter-Greek relations," new Panhel President College junior, Kristen Buppert led the women in a Greek responsibility statement as the first official duty of her new position. "I challenge you to be leaders in the Greek community here at Penn," Bonaminio said to the new leaders. "I challenge you to take care of one another because we're only as strong as our weakest link." For the new board, last night marked the start of a term to be filled with optimism and hard work. "It is very exciting to see the enthusiasm of the new members," Buppert, an Alpha Chi Omega sister, said, adding that "the outgoing board will be greatly missed, but at the same time the new board will be amazing." New board members said that community-building is a key goal of the upcoming term. "The one goal we all have as a board is to turn the Greek system into a Greek community," Buppert said. These sentiments were echoed by new Executive Vice President Carrie Reilly. "I think I'd like to make sure that the interaction between the houses supports the Penn and Philadelphia communities in a positive way," said the Alpha Phi sister and Wharton junior. The new board thanked those who previously held their positions for providing them with a solid foundation from which to work. "We're really excited about working together, we have a lot of great ideas," new Vice President of publicity Ann Goldenberg, a College sophomore and SDT sister, said, "[but] we have huge shoes to fill."