After having actively responded to the Social and Residential Life Initiative during the Winter and Spring terms, the Coed Fraternity Sorority Council sees unifying the campus and bringing Greek and non-Greek students together as its main goal for the Summer term, newly-elected CFSC Summer President Jojo Adofo-Mensah '01 said yesterday.
While plans for the Summer term are not yet concrete, Adofo-Mensah said the CFSC hopes to strengthen the connections between all sophomores on campus, and to make all students - affiliated and unaffiliated - feel comfortable at Greek events.
He said he thinks strengthening the bond between all sophomores should be easier, since fewer students are on campus during the Summer term.
In his speech at the CFSC election on Sunday night, Adofo-Mensah said he does not believe this summer is particularly important with regard to the Initiative.
"It's much more about people than about big events," he said.
Alex Wilson '01, elected Sunday as the CFSC's summer vice president, said that as the organization is waiting for the Trustees' response to its proposal, which he expects in the fall, the CFSC will focus on intangible improvements to the Greek system.
"There's not a lot of solid stuff we can do now in response to the Initiative," Wilson said. The CFSC's aim is to show the best of the Greek system, he added.
The smaller number of students on campus will also facilitate more unified and all-inclusive events sponsored by the Greek houses, such as last term's Block Party, Wilson said. While the Block Party required considerable planning and preparation, he said he thinks organizing similar events this summer will be less complicated, with fewer people participating.
Wilson said the CFSC intends to create a more stable bond with the Class Council and the Student Assembly, since the Assembly's focus this summer will be largely on student services and programming.
"There's been a gap here in the past," he said.
Wilson himself previously served as Student Assembly secretary and was instrumental in vetoing working group suggestions that hoped to reduce the scope of the Greek system.
He said he hopes Greek houses will support and cooperate with events planned by the Assembly and the Class Council, as was the case during this past weekend's Summer Carnival.
Adofo-Mensah said he does not think the role of the summer house presidents has significantly changed in comparison to past summers as a result of the Initiative. The presidents should continue what has been going on in the past few terms and make the summer fun for students, he said.
Wilson added that while the house presidents' roles remain basically unchanged, the importance of their function as a physical caretakers for the houses will be increased this summer.
"The stakes are a lot higher on the caretaker end," he said.
Stephanie Fish '01, summer president of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, said she believes the goal for this summer should be integrating the Greek system with other campus organizations, especially coed ones. Her house will offer more inclusive programming events that are open to everyone and do not involve alcohol, she said.
While concrete events are still in the planning stages, she said, summer programming could include barbecues and an all-woman programming day, which might involve professors and the Women's Resource Center as well as students.
In addition, Fish said, she hopes to make an effort to involve all the members of her sorority in the house, to more fully represent the principles on which the house was founded.
"We want to show how good the Greek system can be," Fish said.
Similar to Wilson, President of Chi Heorot fraternity Jeff Davidson '01 said he thinks this summer will be a "waiting game."
Davidson said he thinks it is important for the Greek system to make an effort to program events and attempt to dispel rumors and stereotypes about the Greek system by behaving responsibly. Davidson strongly emphasized the need for displaying more sensitivity to and awareness of public opinion, and the importance of acting in a responsible and mature way.
"There won't be a lot of big-time decisions," he said. "It's the little stuff."
Rather than letting things slide this summer, Davidson said, the Greek system has to assume a progressive and aware attitude.
"We have to be more on top of things," Davidson said. "We need to pick up the slack."
