New ASU fraternity and sorority presidents connect as leaders

This spring, ASU fraternities and sororities are mapping out ambitious philanthropy and service goals for the year while building community among the organizations by leveraging connections made at an annual leadership retreat for newly elected chapter presidents.

Sixty-five ASU fraternity and sorority leaders started 2019 at a retreat center next door to Prescott National Forest to focus on how to build up themselves and each other as Greek leaders.

The participants in the second annual Presidents’ Enrichment and Empowerment Retreat (PEER) Jan 4–6 included many newly elected presidents of ASU fraternity and sorority chapters as well as other executive board leadership from all five Greek councils: Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Panhellenic Association. They attended sessions about the state of Greek Life at ASU, how to personalize their leadership, available wellness and sexual violence prevention programming and more.

A group exercise at the 2019 presidents' retreat for ASU fraternity and sorority leaders

One of the concepts that emerged from the retreat was developing an all-Greek philanthropy initiative that would include student organizations and clubs. The leaders are hoping to add this idea to their fall 2019 calendar, said Gary Ballinger, director of ASU Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Junior biomedical engineering major Bat-El Shabtai said she enjoyed representing her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, there. Shabtai joined AEPhi in November 2017 and said her favorite memory of Greek life at ASU so far was the retreat.

“I met so many incredible people there. Even though my sorority is small, people didn't care about the number of women in my chapter. They just wanted to make connections for the future and everyone respected one another,” she said. “I'm friends with so many presidents now, and we all keep in touch.”

More than 5,000 students participate in Greek life at ASU, and the 75 chapters attract a diverse population of Sun Devils. The PEER event helped foster community among the organizations, which all emphasize scholarship, leadership, philanthropy and service.

Junior business law major Cristianne Scherrer said she loved building a sense of Greek unity at the fall open house events in her first year in the Lambda Chapter of Kappa Delta Chi, and she enjoyed getting to know more leaders at the retreat as well.

“My favorite part about PEER was the opportunity to connect with leaders from all different councils and organizations to see some of the commonalities we all encounter in our organizations all around,” she said. “Being involved in Greek life has developed me as a leader, because I am constantly working with a group of individuals who share a common goal.”

The retreat provided a space for networking and goal-setting to start the year off effectively.

“It is a great way to have all leaders regroup and gain that focus for the upcoming semester and year,” said senior Brianna Diaz, a global health and science of health care delivery major.

Diaz has been a member of Sigma Lambda Gamma since 2016, and she said the skills she has learned from being in her sorority and serving on the Multicultural Greek Council are invaluable.

“The amount of professional skills I've developed are endless, the way I can now carry myself when handling criticism and failures,” she said. “Learning when to step back and listen, when to lead, and even learning how to speak in front of 10,000 people, it has all been thanks to Greek life.”

Learn more about ASU’s New American Fraternity and Sorority Community and upcoming Greek life events at ASU Fraternity and Sorority Life.