Students debate ASG members' representation of campus
Bailey McBride
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: News
More than half of the members in Associated Student Government are or were Greek. Half of the 41 sitting members of the ASG senate, nine of the 19 ASG Cabinet members and the entire ASG executive branch have Greek affiliations.
"To be honest, a lot of the time Greeks are just more involved," said Dayna Wolek, assistant director for the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement and the ASG primary adviser.
"[The] ASG is really diligent in reaching out beyond the Greek community. Honestly, our efforts at the beginning of the year are really concentrated on those students our message normally doesn't get to," she said.
Some students are concerned about this representation of Greeks in the ASG, but other students and faculty members don't see a problem.
"Greeks are some of very few organizations on campus to have housing on campus for their members, which helps increase involvement," said Phillip Long, a junior finance major and treasurer of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.
The university houses around 4,600 on-campus students and is home to 27 fraternities and sororities, most of which have on-campus houses where between 10 and 150 members live.
"Although only a small percentage of the student body is actually Greek, they have a much more powerful presence than the rest of the student body," said Chris Milligan, a senior criminal justice and sociology major. "Most other students go to class and have their own outside social lives, away from campus. On the other hand, Greeks have their respective houses on campus and do most of their affairs on campus."
Jaime Nelson, a junior biochemistry major and non-Greek ASG Cabinet member, said students who want to get involved will get involved, regardless of whether they are Greek.
"There are non-Greeks that are involved and there are Greeks that are involved," Nelson said. "There is a spread from really involved to not involved in the non-Greek population, and I'm sure that same spread exists in the Greek population."
"To be honest, a lot of the time Greeks are just more involved," said Dayna Wolek, assistant director for the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement and the ASG primary adviser.
"[The] ASG is really diligent in reaching out beyond the Greek community. Honestly, our efforts at the beginning of the year are really concentrated on those students our message normally doesn't get to," she said.
Some students are concerned about this representation of Greeks in the ASG, but other students and faculty members don't see a problem.
"Greeks are some of very few organizations on campus to have housing on campus for their members, which helps increase involvement," said Phillip Long, a junior finance major and treasurer of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.
The university houses around 4,600 on-campus students and is home to 27 fraternities and sororities, most of which have on-campus houses where between 10 and 150 members live.
"Although only a small percentage of the student body is actually Greek, they have a much more powerful presence than the rest of the student body," said Chris Milligan, a senior criminal justice and sociology major. "Most other students go to class and have their own outside social lives, away from campus. On the other hand, Greeks have their respective houses on campus and do most of their affairs on campus."
Jaime Nelson, a junior biochemistry major and non-Greek ASG Cabinet member, said students who want to get involved will get involved, regardless of whether they are Greek.
"There are non-Greeks that are involved and there are Greeks that are involved," Nelson said. "There is a spread from really involved to not involved in the non-Greek population, and I'm sure that same spread exists in the Greek population."
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