"A Circle of Sisters" eagerly packed Meyerson Hall Sunday evening to witness the formal transition to the new Panhellenic Council executive board.
The 349 new sisters often erupted into celebratory cheers.
"You're joining a 150-year tradition at Penn," said Lea Shafer, associate director of programming for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. "You will remember the first girl you met pledging ... the cheesy stuff you're going to go through during the next three years. ... Those will be your best memories."
Symbolic gifts, representative of each board member's role, were passed down to the incoming board. Consisting of a light bulb, shield, candle, lamp, scroll, sword, evergreen branch and gavel, the gifts were complemented with a brief explanation of their significance and an exchange of flowers.
The following Greek pledge ceremony found all the new sisters standing to repeat an oath of commitment to Greek life and the community at large.
Incoming Panhel President Erica Shmerler then called on the sisters to recite the Greek Responsibility Statement with her.
Directly addressing outgoing Panhel President Elizabeth Kimmelman, Shmerler said, "I've never seen you without a smile on your face, and you never type without exclamation points. ... It's going to be hard to fill your shoes."
Shafer thought the incoming board had wonderful potential to do great things for the Greek community. Shmerler "was an excellent choice. ... She has the balance between leadership, patience and integrity," Shafer said.
Kimmelman agreed, saying Shmerler "was a delegate for her sorority and she had the ability to accomplish things. ... It's a sad feeling to leave something that has taken over my life, but it's a good feeling to know that I'm leaving the council in such good hands."
Shmerler already has big plans for the upcoming year.
"I think it's important to show Greek life in a positive light and keep it safe," Shmerler said. "Last year, lots of bad things happened ... but a lot of the good things -- philanthropy, bringing people together -- aren't recognized as often."
Community building and education were also the focus of Shmerler's agenda.
"I don't think any house can be strong if the community isn't strong," Shmerler said. "It's a huge challenge to prepare [the new members] for what's to come ... to educate them and ensure that past mistakes aren't made in the future."
