The results are in, and a new group of appointed Greek Senate Executive Board members were officially sworn into their new leadership roles via an announcement on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Eight positions that had been previously occupied before the election were filled by eight new members of the Greek Senate for the semesters to come, including the roles of president, vice president of programming, vice president, and five other vacant spots.
The newly-elected Greek Senate Executive Board members are listed as follows:
- Victor Benlice, President of Greek Senate
- Gabriella Lapointe, Vice President of Programming
- Shay Gomez, Vice President
- Nina Romano, Vice President of Conduct
- Roshorn Shivers, Vice President of Multicultural Affairs
- Marius Price, Public Relations
- Maria Camila Aponte, Treasurer
- Tiffany Osoria, Secretary
The Greek Senate's responsibilities range from acting as an overseer of Greek life on campus and planning meetings and events with equal collaboration with representatives from all Greek organizations to fundraising for the Kean community, especially before and during the Kean Dance Marathon, a fundraising event that supports the Children's Specialized Hospital.
Greek life empowers members of these Greek-letter organizations to promote and preserve the characteristics of scholarship, campus involvement, service, brotherhood and sisterhood. Moreover, the Greek Senate at Kean University encourages a sense of community among the diverse 14 Greek sororities, one co-ed organization and 15 fraternities across the campus. The senate itself serves as the governing body to Greek life and develops standards, policies and procedures that all relate to Greek affairs.
These standards could apply to different aspects of Greek life, such as the code of conduct necessary for a group's service responsibilities and new member guidelines. Its office is located in Room 9, in the Miron Student Center (MSC), known as the Greek Lounge, but members can also be reached via the Center of Leadership and Service, whose office is located in Room 219 inside of the MSC.
A majority of the new appointees have been members of the Greek Senate ever since they joined their respective organizations and are excited to bring their innovative minds and inquisitive personalities to the table to not only sustain the good name of the Greek Senate on campus, but to Greek life at Kean as a whole.
Gabriella Lapointe—a junior majoring in special education and history, a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority and the new vice president of Programming for the Greek Senate—is ready, willing and able to take on any responsibility that her new position will hold. She also plans to act as a reliable figure for inspiration.
"I am thrilled to be able to accept this position on Greek Senate. I am looking forward to taking what I learned at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) conference [this past February] and implementing it into our Greek community here at Kean to plan exciting and impactful programs for everyone to enjoy," Lapointe said.
Lapointe continued, "Personally, my overall goal for next year is to hold programs that will benefit the students in all areas of interest. This will be my first year on Greek Senate Executive Board starting in the fall. Students can look forward to having a well-rounded group full of excited leaders like myself, leading the Greek community to grow stronger together."
The drive and determination to sustain the good name of the Greek Senate into upcoming school years is prevalent in all of the new members of the e-board. Tiffany Osoria, a junior majoring in psychology, a member of the Omega Sigma Psi sorority and the newly-elected secretary of Greek Senate, spoke on how she will do her very best to uphold the good name of the Greek Senate, with some additional motivation from her sorority sisters.
"I'm really excited to meet more Greeks and be able to contribute my skills to the board, especially since my sorority sister [Stephanie Cardenas] was also on the Greek Senate e- board," Osoria said. "It makes me proud to follow in her footsteps. I am looking forward to participate the most in programs, and I hope to make it a goal to increase Greek unity."
Surely, with new ambitious members such as these, the future of the Greek governing body as well as the good reputation of Greek life on this campus is in good hands. For more information on the Greek Senate, visit its official Cougar Link site. Also, contact the Center for Leadership and Service at its email, cls@kean.edu for any additional questions about the Greek governing body.
