Members of the UNM Inter-Fraternity and Panhellenic Councils will look to pick up new ideas for recruiting, programming and increasing diversity at the Western Regional Greek Leadership Conference April 4-5.
UNM will send a delegation made up of executive members from both councils, led by presidents Josh Parsons and Jennifer French, to the weekend conference in Burlingame, Calif.
Both presidents said they plan to come back to UNM with ideas that can be integrated into Greek life at UNM.
“It’s costing $6,000 for us to go to this conference,” Parsons said. “I hope and pray to not only get ideas, but ways we can implement them in our own community.”
Parsons added that about $1,000 will come from ASUNM and the rest will come from the fraternity council’s coffers.
French said she attended last year’s leadership conference, which featured fraternity and sorority improvement examples that had been successful at universities nationwide.
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She attended a bylaw revision seminar, which she described as very helpful.
One major focus area of the conference will be fraternity and sorority recruitment, which is of particular interest to Greek leaders at UNM, Parsons said.
“My expectations are primarily in recruitment, especially in high school outreach,” he said.
“I’m really hoping to come back with some new ideas because recruitment has been declining recently around here,” French added.
Diversity issues will also be on the conference agenda — highlighted by a keynote speech by former white supremacist T.J. Lyden, who will speak about overcoming hate in Greek communities.
“Greek life benefits from a more culturally diverse population, especially at a place like UNM,” Parsons said.
In December 2000, some members of the Sigma Chi fraternity vandalized and taped a swastika to the roof of black UNM student Candace Majedi’s car, which was parked illegally in the fraternity’s parking lot.
French said that such incidents, and others like it, could easily be avoided through education.
Delegates will also take in seminars on communication and leadership skills at the conference.
“It’s about back-to-basics leadership,” Parsons said. “For me, I want to set the stage for next year’s president.”
Parsons said a two-fold communication enhancement plan, which will be addressed at the conference, is another goal of the UNM contingent.
“It’s very important for us to communicate with groups external to the Greek system,” he said. “We’re a little more distant than I’d like us to be. Internally, we’re getting more culturally diverse — especially with Hispanics — at UNM.”
