With involvement from close to forty percent of all University students and around fifty percent of those eligible–sophomores, juniors and seniors–the Greek Life community has consistently made its presence known at the University. With seven recognized fraternities, and nine sororities, six of the fraternities are affiliated nationally with the North American Interfraternity Conference and seven of the sororities have affiliation with the National Panhellenic Conference. Other Greek organizations on campus are affiliated with the Multicultural Greek organization and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. 

While events and philanthropy of individual chapters are typically at the forefront of Greek Life discussions, the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils (IFC) work tirelessly behind the scenes. With the planning of many large events including recruitment, and ensuring that all chapters are always in line with set rules and regulations, Panhel and IFC are crucial for the continuing success of Greek Life at the University. 

Each year IFC and Panhel collaborate together in the planning of Greek Week. Greek Week is a time in which every chapter and its members get to showcase their dedication to being involved in Greek Life and participating in events that serve our University and community. The winner of the 2022 Greek Week will be announced at the conclusion of the week and the winning chapter is awarded free transportation or food for any event up to $1,000.

Panhel

On the 2022 Panhellenic Council currently sits eight women each with set roles for their term from December of 2021 until December of 2022. Eleanor Geno ’23 is the current President, Amanda Mangano ’24 is Vice President of Community Standards, Noelle Nezolosky ’23 is Vice President of Recruitment, Hannah Egan ’24 is Vice President of Public Relations and Recruitment Counselors, Tori Casquarelli ’24 is Vice President of Philanthropy, Jackie Silvers ’23 is Vice President of Programming, Noelia Vargas ‘24 as Vice President of Education, Activism, and Advocacy and myself, Juliana Rodrigues ’24, as Vice President of Administration. 

For me being a part of the Panhel Council has been such a rewarding experience. Getting to make real connections with women in other sororities and participating in all the events that members of the council work so hard to plan. Panhel has definitely enhanced my experience being a part of Greek Life and I can only hope that for the remainder of our terms we continue to work to make University Greek Life better. 

Each woman is affiliated with a chapter on campus and also sets aside time each week to dedicate to their Panhellenic duties. Thus far the council has already been successful with the planning of many events. The Vice President of Philanthropy set up participation from Greek Life at the Lewisburg Polar Bear Plunge, organized a yoga class for Be Kind month and is always making service opportunities on campus and in the community known. Vice President of Recruitment has already begun the planning of recruitment for the fall but has also held interest sessions for first-year potential new members (PNMS), and worked to plan a Meet the Greeks event. Vice President of Public Relations and Recruitment Counselors is constantly keeping the Panhel Instagram up to date and just recently completed the selection of recruitment counselors for the fall. The Vice President of Programming in combination with the IFC Vice President of Programming worked to plan Greek Week that went on this past week beginning on March 27. The week featured various events including trivia, a guest speaker, kickball, penny wars, a canned food drive and more. Vice President of Education, Activism, and Advocacy has worked with Transitions of Lewisburg and other organizations on campus to plan events this semester and is also always working to encourage participation at diversity events we can find on campus. Vice President of Community Standards heads the judicial board with members from all chapters and is in charge of their organization and training. While this is just a small glimpse into the role of Panhel in the Greek community, there are various more activities and administrative duties they carry out each week. 

Geno as President of the Panhellenic council holds the most responsibility and without doubt the busiest schedule. Having held the role of Vice President of Community Standards on the 2021 Panhellenic Council she has vast experience of being involved in both a chapter on campus and Panhel. When asked about her experience on Panhel she shared, “My experience on Panhel these past two years has been extremely fulfilling. I have had the opportunity to meet so many different women across multiple organizations, and have been able to work on building bridges between our different chapters. I still think there is a lot of work to be done in terms of rectifying the history of many of our chapters, but I have found that an increasing number of people are willing to begin having these conversations even if we still have a long way to go.” She continued, “My goal for the remainder of my time on Panhel centers largely around encouraging each chapter to be the best version of itself it can be. Whether this is becoming more involved in philanthropy, educating themselves on our campus and national climate or engaging more with other organizations, I want to help each chapter reach its fullest potential and leave it in a better position for those who come after us.” She also discussed Greek Life in general, “One of my hopes and goals for the rest of Greek life is to increase our fraternal relationships. I have found a lot of the time that people tend to become absorbed in their own chapters, and they forget about other Greek organizations on campus. I think that unity and support of one another are some of the pillars of Greek life, and that is something I really hope chapters will start to recognize and work on,” Geno said.

Casquarelli took time to share her experiences on Panhel, “Being on Panhel has helped me become involved in Greek Life through ways beyond my own chapter. Getting to see and appreciate all the planning and discussions that go into keeping Greek life running has led me to develop an even greater appreciation for all the individuals that make up the community. On top of this, I have been so lucky to develop relationships with the rest of the Panhel exec members and am really going to miss our Monday exec meetings!” Casquarelli said.