The Interfraternity Council (IFC) completed the last of its elections for the executive board last night in the Straight Memorial Room. Members of all fraternities met to support those running for one of the eight positions.
The newly-elected IFC executive officers include Delta Phi’s David Bean ’07, president; Phi Gamma Delta’s Sameer Mittal ’07, executive vice president; Sigma Pi’s Lance Fraenkel ’07, vice president for judicial affairs; Seal and Serpent’s Ben Eschenheimer ’08, vice president of recruitment; Psi Upsilon’s Jonathan Feldman ’08, vice president of University and community relations; Kappa Sigma’s Joe Legato ’07, vice president of finance; Delta Upsilon’s Lance Polivy ’08, vice president of programming; and Phi Kappa Tau’s Dan Shamir ’08, vice president of communications.
In order to run for a position on the executive board, students must be members of a fraternity on campus. Candidates for president must have either been on the IFC executive board previously, a chapter president or an appointed director of a chapter.
Candidates for all eight positions spoke about their personal leadership qualities, why they are best fit for the job and their goals for the position. The general body commented on each of the candidates after the speeches were completed.
Members of the voting body commented on how each candidate would handle the various social, judicial, recruitment and programming issues.
Alex Deyle ’06, outgoing president of the IFC, was pleased with the results of the elections.
“Each candidate who ran for a position was very qualified,” Deyle said. “A bunch of the guys on the new board have worked with each other already in other fraternity-related instances and have a great chemistry. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do next year.”
“I hope that the new board continues to challanege and strengthen our programs and events. They must make sure our money is being spent the best way and that everything is run efficiently,” Deyle said.
“My role as IFC president has been incredibly rewarding and I have learned so much from the people whom I have had the opportunity to work with,” Deyle said. “I look forward to seeing what the next board can do for the Greek system and Cornell as a whole.”
“I hope that the new board will bring a new sense of excitement and enthusiasm to their positions,” he said.
He recognizes some of the larger issues facing the new board including the roll out of the Chapters of Excellence program and the continuation of the new event management guidelines.
“I hope the new board will continue to challenge the chapters, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the faculty and our alumni in an effort to continually strengthen the Greek community,” Deyle said.
Bean said, “I’m very excited about being elected to lead the IFC for the next year and I’m eager to get working with the new board. It’s quite an honor because Alex Deyle has been such a dominant figure in the Greek community and I have such big shoes to fill.”
“It’s very rare that a member of a smaller house gets such big representation on the IFC board, so being elected president was a tremendous surprise. It’s been several years since a mid-sized house has claimed the presidency of the IFC,” Bean said. “There was excitement that one of their own was elected and the chance that for all of the mid-sized houses to make some changes.”
Bean believes his presidency will end a lot of apathy within the Greek system.
“They’ll see that there is a chance for every house to be represented on the IFC board and play a role,” he said.
Bean is confident that, with the help of the executive board, he will be able to accomplish his substantial goals.
“This year, I hope to concentrate on the recruitment process, increasing chapter funding and increasing the presence of the IFC in the community. We must spread awareness of the Greek community on Cornell’s campus and show that we are a united group of intelligent, dedicated leaders,” Bean said.
“By creating more community involvement through philanthropy and service events, we’ll be able to show that we do appreciate the community in which we live,” Bean said. “Also, the changes to the social guidelines have proven to be a huge success thus far. I hope to continue working with both the Ithaca and C.U. Police, emphasizing the need for a safe and secure fraternal atmosphere.” Bean asserted that the IFC president must know all of the chapter presidents and be aware of the needs of every chapter.
“This way, I can help out with individual chapters in any way I can,” Bean said. “I hope to make the council more of a distinct resource in helping all chapters, regardless of size. I want to help them maintain the minimum level of members that they need.”
Fraenkel commented on the strength of the new executive board.
“The best thing about this executive board is the fact that almost all of us have worked together before in some capacity. I am confident that we are going to get a lot accomplished together,” he said.
“We have a great working reputation together. We’ve all been dedicated and involved in the IFC for the last year. It’s a great group of guys that will make up a very cohesive board,” he said.
“In terms of my position, I will make judicial decisions case by case in a fair way. I will do the best I can to make sure all decisions are fair and that our system stays strong and alive. It is my job to actively work with the board to make decisions that will help our community,” Fraenkel said.
The newly-elected IFC executive board will transition into their new positions at the start of the next semester.
Archived article by Allison Markowitz
Sun Staff Writer