Panhel welcomes incoming board and new sisters

It was a bittersweet evening for the outgoing board of the Panhellenic Council last night, who passed their positions onto incoming members.

The annual event, called “Circle of Sisters,” took place in Dhirubhai Ambani Auditorium in Huntsman Hall Sunday evening, and drew hundreds of new sorority members, current sorority sisters and the incoming and outgoing boards of Panhel.

College senior Rachel Abeles, Panhel’s outgoing president, looked to both the past and future during her speech.

“You have the satisfaction of knowing you have fulfilled your duties well,” Abeles told the outgoing Panhel board.

Abeles also congratulated the new members on getting through the “cold, long, crazy week of recruitment” — which came to a close with sorority bid night on Thursday. She also admitted that she was “incredibly jealous” of the freshmen who were just offered bids and the four years that lay ahead of them.

Before handing over the podium to Panhel’s incoming president, College junior Jill Wang, Abeles noted that her board had “met and exceeded” every goal it had set last year.

Wang, as her first official order of business, joined Abeles in welcoming the new members.

“You are now joining a strong, engaging and diverse family,” Wang said.

As the incoming board was announced, women in the audience cheered for the board members who were part of their sororities while waving handmade posters. Women, both on the board and in the audience, were then asked to repeat the “Panhellenic Creed.”

The Creed, which instructs the girls to serve their organizations to the best of their abilities and seek “service through the development of character,” has been a tradition that has run for many years, said College junior Alyssa Drobatz, incoming vice president of public relations for Panhel.

“The Panhellenic experience is a core part of the college experience,” Drobatz said. “We think new members should realize the importance of it, and the creed outlines this importance.”

Drobatz also noted that the incoming board would be keen to follow in the footsteps of the previous board.

“The previous board was so strong,” she said. “We want to continue some of the initiatives, particularly their philanthropic ones.”

Wang agreed with Drobatz, adding that she is keen to promote “a more positive image of Greek life” around campus.

“We want to make our presence stronger,” Drobatz said. “We are a big group, and we’re here to do good.”

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