The Greek Panhellenic Association held its annual election for the 2007 executive board in Kaufman Auditorium of Goldwin Smith Hall yesterday.
Members of the 12 chapters were in attendance to vote on the proposed slate for the new Panhellenic board.
The newly elected Panhellenic officers are: Kappa Alpha Theta’s Pooja Shendure ’08, president; Alpha Chi Omega’s Jessica Intravia ’08, executive vice president; Delta Delta Delta’s Laura Connelly ’08, vice president of communication; Delta Gamma’s Barbara Borozan ’09, vice president of judicial affairs; Delta Gamma’s Katherine Foley ’08, vice president of formal membership recruitment; Alpha Chi Omega’s Alexandra Jeffrey ’08, vice president of recruitment, publicity and extension; Alpha Phi’s Nicole Mangiere ’08, vice president of university and community relations; Delta Delta Delta’s Kristen Gravani ’08, vice president of programming and Alpha Xi Delta’s Katie O’Neil ’09, vice president of finance.
All eligible candidates were interviewed last week by outgoing members of the executive board as well as the Panhellenic delegates from each of the 12 chapters. The proposed board was presented to the general body of sorority members and those who were not slated were able to contest the position.
Opal Hammer ’08, vice president of judicial affairs, ran the election. She explained that these women were slated by the election committee because they would be excellent leaders by “foster[ing] close relationships between the chapters.”
Ten members from each sorority were required to be present in the voting room yesterday in order to have their chapter’s vote count if a position was contested. Five out of the nine positions were challenged.
Any member of the Panhellenic Association could run for any of the positions other than the president. In order to run for Panhellenic president, a candidate must have been the president of their chapter or on the executive board in the past.
Pooja Shendure ’08, slated as the president for the Panhellenic Association, said, “I am really excited to be the next president because of my passion for Cornell’s Greek system. … It is my top priority to serve the women of our Greek community to the best of my ability.”
The recurring issue of Greek unity will be Shendure’s top priority while in office.
“I want to work with the Inter Fraternity Council and the Multicultural Greek Letter Council to make sure there is a solid relationship between the three councils on campus,” she said. “I will also make certain that each chapter within the Panhellenic Association has a voice and feels they are a part of the larger picture within our Greek community too.”
“There are a lot of changes, both with the recruitment process and social life, that I would like to see change over the next year. I will work hard to make sure we have the most complete and fair recruitment process so every potential new member has a chance to see how strong our Panhellenic Association is,” Shendure added. She was the vice president of finance on this past year’s Panhellenic Association’s executive board.
“I think it is important that I have seen the cooperation and dedication that is required to make a cohesive board,” Shendure said. “I have worked with every one of the newly slated members before in some capacity and I can already see that we will be a very strong group.”
Katie Seeley ’07, the outgoing president of the Panhellenic Association, is certain that the slate is comprised of a “talented, capable group who will bring our Greek system to new heights.”
“All of my board members that I’ve worked with over the past year are so great at their jobs and have made vast improvements in our Greek life. I know they will help train our new board to make great changes for our community next year,” she said.
“The slate made excellent choices as to who should be the new executive board members. I am both relieved to move on from my presidency but sad because it was a wonderful experience running the Panhellenic Association this year,” Seeley said. “We had a very productive year and I hope to remain very active in the Greek system because I think it is a terrific aspect to Cornell’s student life.”
Although sad that her term is coming to an end, Seeley is confident that the Panhellenic Association’s relationship with the other councils and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs will thrive with its new leaders.
“Pooja will make a great president because she has terrific insight into the roles and responsibilities of being the president of our association. She will have to move forward and keep our vision on the right path for the future of the women in our Greek system,” Seeley said. “I can’t wait to see what these ladies accomplish over the next year.”
Intravia, the incoming executive vice president, also said, “I am very excited for the 2007 board. The slating committee has done a wonderful job selecting a well-qualified group of women. … I look forward toward chapter unity when we start our term in January next year.”