Forum will unite Panhellenic, IFC and MGC
A new organization that will include all three Greek governing bodies is in the preliminary stages of becoming an official forum.
Delegates held the first unofficial meeting last week to begin discussions on how the organization will bring together the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic sororities and the Multicultural Greek Council.
Ryan Zent, a senior finance major who serves as the UCSU liason to the Greek Community, said that there has been an extreme lack of communication between these groups in the past.
Zent said the forum is intended to improve connections between the three Greek organizations and facilitate an open forum to discuss issues and strengthen the community.
“(The purpose is) to use ideas to better the system,” Zent said.
Director of Greek Life, John Henderson said the forum will allow the communities to find some common ground.
“(The All-Greek Forum) will provide student leaders from each community opportunities to build a better understanding of their common values, as well as finding authentic and exciting ways for members from the different communities to potentially support one another,” Henderson said.
The unofficial meeting on Feb. 13 was held solely to discuss what the projected goals of an All-Greek Forum would be, as well as to lay out an agenda for the first official meeting.
“It was more or less just discussing the details,” said Victoria Garcia, a junior communications and anthropology major who serves as president of the Panhellenic Executive Board.
The All-Greek Forum is expected to operate with two leaders from each community.
“(The forum will have) one who is well-versed in the decision making process, and another who is up-and-coming in the community,” Zent said.
The choice of leadership will be left up to the individual organizations.
Garcia said that Deb Coffin, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs, has agreed to facilitate the forums.
There will be no voting in the forum because the it is intended to be an a place where each organization can share ideas, compare successes or struggles and address issues. It will not be a forum for decision making, which the IFC, MGC and Panhellenic organizations will continue to do individually.
Zent said the All-Greek Forum would not only benefit the organizations involved, the rest of CU as well.
“(It) will greatly benefit other organizations and the entire CU community and provide knowledge to CU students about Greek events,” Zent said.
There is no word on when the IFC, MGC and Panhellenic will host their first official forum, but Garcia said it will be a big step for the Greek organizations.
“This is a tremendous stride to bring together the leadership of similar groups (because) many share similar values and characteristics,” said Garcia.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Alex Reiner at
reiner@colorado.edu
