Last night, the Interfraternity Council held the first of two nights of elections for the executive board. Members of all fraternities met in the Straight’s Memorial Room to support those running for four of the eight positions.
The newly elected IFC executive officers include: Sigma Pi’s Alex Deyle ’06, president; Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Chase Nielsen ’06, executive vice president; Chi Phi’s Matt Salerno ’07, vice president of recruitment; and Michael Hirschfield ’06, vice president for judicial affairs. The remaining four positions will be appointed next Wednesday.
In order to run for the position of president, one must have either been on the executive board, a chapter president or an appointed director of a chapter. Those interested in holding an executive position, besides that of the president, must be a member of a fraternity in order to run for a position.
Each candidate spoke about their personal qualities, why they are the best fit for the position and their plans for the future of the IFC.
The general body commented on each of the candidates after the speech. Members of the public then commented on how each candidate would handle situations involving changes to social policies, enforcing judicial rulings and advertising recruitment in the spring. The candidate who received the majority of the votes was appointed the position. Jeffrey Massa ’05, outgoing president of the IFC, was pleased with the results from the first night of the election.
“With three to seven people usually running for each position; this process can take a very long time so we split it up into two nights,” Massa said.
“I feel that we had extremely qualified and motivated candidates who ran for the four positions that were contested. Each member has been extremely involved with the Greek system in one form or another. It was a very competitive set of elections,” said Massa. Candidates met with current officers to discuss the positions in order to gain a clear understanding of what each job entails.
“They developed ideas for their platform and wrote a letter of intent to the IFC. Candidates received feedback from all of the chapters and then presented himself to the voting delegates,” Massa said.
Massa offered some of his visions for the future of the IFC executive board. “I am very pleased with the new board. As for advice, I would like them to take both a visionary and practical approach to their term. It’s important that they continue to address the issues that are facing our system today, such as Greek unity, community perceptions and social-related issues,” Massa said. “At the same time, they must keep the big picture in mind to ensure that we are on the right path to achieve our long-term objectives.”
“We are planning an in-depth transition with the new board members to provide the guidance and support they need to take over the reigns of the IFC. I expect great things to come from the next executive board,” Massa said.
Mark Pincus ’05, the outgoing vice president of recruitment said, “I am extremely happy with the way this past year has gone. The executive board has done a great job in putting in a tremendous amount of time and effort to making the Greek system stand strong.”
“I know the entire outgoing executive board is very satisfied with the newly elected members,” Pincus said. “They are all great leaders who have such confidence and drive that I know they will be successful next semester.”
Alex Deyle ’06, is the newly elected president of the IFC. He expressed his excitement and enthusiasm for his term in the spring.
“I already knew most of the guys who were chosen to be a part of my board and I am thrilled because I know they have some unique and constructive ideas that will really show the Cornell community how united we are as the Greek community,” Deyle said. “I would like to spend the first few months of my term focusing on increasing the number of members of the Greek system, increasing participation in Greek-life events and increasing communication between all of the Greek councils on campus,” Deyle said.
Deyle will spend next fall working on strengthening community relations.
“This new board is ready and wiling to dedicate their time to the future of the IFC,” Deyle said “He is confident that the newly elected board will work hard to show the community how Greek life at Cornell can be a rewarding, positive experience.”
Archived article by Allison Markowitz
Sun Staff Writer