The Basics
Name: Kate Elken
Class Year: 2019
Hometown: Berwyn, PA
Major: Early Childhood Education
Your favorite…
Class at Bucknell: Multiculturalism and Education
Spot on Campus: 4th floor of Olin
Place You’ve traveled: Bosnia! I got to visit family friends and experience their new lifestyle.
Restaurant on Market Street: Pizza Phi always
Food: Nachos and grilled cheese
Song: When I’m With You by Ben Rector
Movie: Zero Dark Thirty
Book: No Greatness without Goodness by Randy Lewis
How did you get involved with the Panhellenic Council?
“My interest in Panhellenic Council was sparked by an older member in my sorority. She was the VP of Programming and continually talked about how she found it to be her favorite part of Greek life. On a whim, I decided to apply in an effort to meet more women across campus and change parts of the culture of Greek life. While interviewing, I felt the warm and encouragement that previous members exuded. They all seemed empowered, genuine and confident– I knew I wanted to join that.”
What exactly was your role in recruitment and why did you want it?
“My role on the Panhel was the VP of Recruitment. It wasn’t a position that I applied for and honestly, the last position that I would have wanted. However, with some coaxing from the previous VP of Recruitment, I decided to give it a try. In the spring semester, I was primarily responsible for Sorority 101s. I worked closely with faculty in the Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Office to develop a curriculum that would be the most impactful, including topics such as mental health and viewing the Piazza talk. At the end of the semester, I was able to facilitate Open Suites for the PNMs that wanted a “practice” round of formal recruitment. In the fall, I oversaw Formal Recruitment with the help of Dean Jones and the lovely women on Panhel. I worked extremely close with each chapter’s recruitment chair to make it the most successful for their chapter. While it was stressful, it was incredible to see everything come together on Bid Day and finally have a time to celebrate. Without the chapter’s Recruitment chairs and the Gamma chis, recruitment wouldn’t have been possible.”
What do you think is the best thing new members can gain from being apart of their Greek organizations?
“I joined a Greek organization to meet more people. My major is pretty small, and while I love my fellow education people, I wanted to get to know other women. It ultimately worked out really well as I now live with 3 other people in my sorority and there are 4 more ADPis right across the hall! I love finding different communities across campus and this was one that allowed me to meet lots of new friends. The women in my chapter have expanded my view of campus, whether it be on my walk to class, studying together or joining new organizations because of them.”
What was your favorite memory from recruitment?
“When I was going through recruitment, I put a lot of time and effort into my name tag. At the time, I really really loved Zumba, so I decided to represent my love in the form of a Keith Haring person. However, he is a real artist and I am not. I got a lot of strange expressions from members of sororities when they scanned over my name tag, but it ultimately led to some funny conversations. This year, I loved getting to know and work with the Gamma Chis. All of the Gamma Chis were seniors and I hadn’t interacted with them prior to this experience. At the end, I feel like I gained 23 new friends!”