The Interfraternity Council (IFC) completed its second round of elections for the executive board last night. Members of all fraternities on campus met to support those running for positions in the WSH Memorial Room.
The four IFC executive officers elected include: Lambda Chi Alpha’s Steve Grossman ’07, finance; Psi Upsilon’s Rick Griffith ’06, University and community relations; Phi Gamma Delta’s Sameer Mittal ’07, programming; and Pi Kappa Alpha’s Brian Rosenberg ’06, communication.
Candidates spoke on why they are the best person for the position. They shared information about their personal experiences in the Greek system, their passions for leadership and their desire to make changes next year.
The voting delegates and public body commented on each of the candidates after the speeches. The position was appointed to the candidate who received the majority of the votes.
Jeffrey Massa ’05, outgoing president of the IFC, was thrilled with the results of the election. “I am excited for the newly elected board. They are a strong group and I know they will be very productive and work well together,” Massa said. “The competition was tough, but I feel we have elected the board that will best lead the IFC next semester,” he added.
Alex Deyle ’06, is the newly elected president of the IFC. “The guys elected tonight are hard working and will be dedicated to their positions. I know we will be able to tackle all of the obstacles that are put in front of us,” Deyle said.
Deyle is anxious to start working with the board to see the dynamic of the group. “We are going to have to wait and see how the officer transition goes and how relationships form. I’m confident that we will be able to be a cohesive group and make important decisions that we are proud of,” he said.
Deyle is already working on issues that will come up in the beginning of next semester. “We are going to have to handle many social policy issues such as bringing catering companies to the campus next semester. We’re starting work on Greek social policy reforms now so we can come back in January with less problems to deal with,” Deyle said.
“The new board members must be committed to carry on the old ideas from the outgoing board and be ready to implement new projects and ideas immediately,” he added. “If they do that, we will be in good shape.”
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. Rick Griffith ’06 was elected to be in charge of University and community relations for the IFC.
“I am really excited because this is a good opportunity for me to improve the relationship between the Cornell community and the Greek system on campus,” Griffith said. “I am pretty positive that we will be able to strengthen our ties and allow the community to see us in the most positive light.”
He is confident that he will be able to help the board with any community and University problems that may ensue.
There are several fraternities represented on the newly elected board. “The biggest strength of this board is the diversity,” Griffith said. “It is good to see that we have different houses on board so we can get first-hand views on how our policies affect the chapters individually.”
Specifically, Griffith plans to revive the “adopt-a-block” program as soon as his term begins.
“This program will allow both sororities and fraternities to adopt a street in collegetown to clean the surrounding areas about once per week,” Griffith explained. “This way, we can help keep our streets clean and show everyone that we care about our community.”
Archived article by Allison Markowitz
Sun Staff Writer