The Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council recently elected College junior and Daily Pennsylvanian editor Alissa Eisenberg and Wharton junior Shawn Woodhull as presidents for the upcoming year.
Eisenberg, who is in Delta Delta Delta, and Woodhull, who is in Phi Kappa Sigma sat down with the DP last night to discuss their plans for Penn's fraternities and sororities.
Daily Pennsylvanian: Why did you decide to run for Panhellenic president?
Alissa Eisenberg: I'm really interested in working with the greater Greek community at Penn and have seen some of the great projects that Panhel has been involved in this year, like Operation Warm.
I think it will be a great opportunity to get to know girls in sororities across campus.
DP: What kind of agenda do you have for Panhel over the next year?
AE: I'd like to continue a lot of [former president Drew Tye's] initiatives from this year, such as continuing the health speaker series, as well as expanding the new Panhel Due scholarship.
Additionally, I'd like to promote a positive image of sorority life on campus and highlight the philanthropic pursuits and leadership skills that many of the sisters embody.
I'd also like to continue relations with the Interfraterntiy Council and the Multicultural Greek Council. This year we worked closer with MGC during Greek Week, and I would like to continue that relation for Greek Weekend in the spring.
DP: What do you think about the recent initiative to urge the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs to modify the current ban on chapter activities hosted by chapters under administrative warning?
AE: I think that chapters should be allowed to hold their philanthropic events during administrative holding because I think it encourages the sorority to continue to be involved in the positive aspects of Greek life. A lot of the money that's raised from these philanthropy events goes to incredible causes and helps make differences in lives of others across the nation.
DP: How do you view the relationships among sororities on campus?
AE: This semester all of the sororities banded together to help out with Operation Warm and the Rena Rowan Ribbon Run and I think the success of the system as a whole will encourage sisters to be involved and work with each other in a cooperative manner.
* * *
DP: Why did you run for the position of president of the IFC?
Shawn Woodhull: I've sereved on the IFC board for the past year . and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I just wanted to continue that and play a more active role in driving the Greek system forward at Penn.
DP: What kind of agenda do you have for the IFC over the next year?
SW: My primary goal is to try and enhance the connections that the IFC has . with Panhel, MGC, non-Greek organizations and the rest of the University.
DP: What do you think about IFC's initiative to push for the University to repeal its ban on registered fraternity parties during New Student Orientation?
SW: I am fully in support of it. I think that it's one of the best ways we have right now to make NSO a safer time for everyone at the University.
DP: How do you view the relations among fraternities on campus?
SW: I think it's improved a lot since I pledged freshman year. I've been told stories of historical fraternity wars, but that has really subsided in the past year.
DP: What else would you improve about the Greek community at Penn?
SW: In addition to trying to reach out to non-Greek organizations on campus, I think that we can try to build our image and the Greek experience within the community itself.
