Look out QU, there’s a new Panhellenic President in town! Junior and Alpha Chi Omega sister Christie Tasca has recently taken over for Alpha Delta Pi senior sister Cara Gilmartin. She is this week’s Campus Celebrity! I was able to chat with the new Madame President about Greek life on campus, as well as her goals for being the new President.
SAMI MOORE, HER CAMPUS: How does it feel to be Panhellenic President?
CHRISTIE TASCA: During the past year, being a part of the Panhellenic Executive board, I never realized I would find something that I would become so passionate about and so devoted to. Originally I was a sophomore when first elected while also having never had a leadership position on campus. Within this time the 7 women of our board have helped me to grow as a leader and as a woman and are the reason why I had ever even given a though to running for Panhellenic President. Now, finally being transitioned as the Panhellenic President I hold so much pride and passion for our community. I feel extremely honored to be given such an incredible opportunity to represent and lead the women that make up our Quinnipiac Panhellenic community.
SM: What made you want to run for President?
CT: If I had to make a guess, a few months into my term as the Panhellenic VP of Philanthropy & Service, I knew that being a part of the executive board was something that I wanted for longer than just one term.
I had found something I truly loved and I wanted to keep giving back to our Panhellenic community that had given me so much already. It wasn’t until the beginning of the Fall 2013 semester that I had considered running for President over other positions on the board. I knew that I loved each aspect of every position on the board, and I knew that I wanted to represent such an amazing community of women here at Quinnipiac. I had learned so much during my term, and I also had the support of my executive board to guide me to where I needed to be, and that was Panhellenic President.
SM: What was your previous position on the Board? What made you run for that position?
CT: My previous position on the board was the VP of Philanthropy & Service. The funny story about what made me run for this position was that I actually intended to run for VP of Programming(now member development) and I had been nominated from the floor for the philanthropy and service position. Standing in front of a room filled with all my peers, not being prepared to make a speech seems intimidating but in that moment I realized that VP of Philanthropy & Service was exactly the position for me. Through high school I had worked with countless non-profit organizations and also volunteered my time to many volunteer programs and hospitals, so I had a lot of experience with the philanthropy and service aspects of that position.
SM: What are some of your goals for this year as President?
CT: Some of my goals as of right now for the next year are to firstly change the image and purpose of our Panhellenic meetings, and to collaborate with the Interfraternity Council to change the image of our Fraternity and Sorority life community on and off of our Quinnipiac campus to better represent what our community stands for.
SM: Why did you choose to get involved with Panhellenic?
CT: I chose to get involved with Panhellenic because during my sophomore year I did not run for any leadership positions in my chapter but I heard about Panhellenic elections. I had been to many Panhellenic meetings during my time as a member of this community and I always admired the women who represented our community in such a beautiful light. I had always been someone who was extremely involved in high school, and after joining Sorority life I was looking for a bigger way to remain involved.
SM: What made you choose to join a sorority?
CT: During my time at orientation the summer before attending Quinnipiac, I had heard a lot of great feedback from women who were already part of the Panhellenic community as upperclassmen. As soon as I arrived to Quinnipiac, I was eager to learn all about the different chapters, and about sorority life in general. I was super excited when formal recruitment came around because I could not wait to find the chapter in which I would call my own. I really admired that sorority life was so much bigger than anything I had ever been involved in before
SM: What made you decide to accept a bid from Alpha Chi Omega? (Side note: do you have positions within your sorority?)
CT: I knew from the first day of recruitment that Alpha Chi Omega was the perfect fit for me. I really admired that each woman in the chapter knew each other so well and I could immediately feel the strong bond that all of them shared. Our philanthropy, the fight against domestic violence was something that I was also super passionate about.
I have served on our Ritual and Fraternity appreciation committee as the alumni chair and I currently hold the warden position and I am also on the risk committee as the junior risk rep.
SM: What do you like most about being involved with Greek Life at Quinnipiac University?
CT: The part I like most about being involved in Fraternity and Sorority life is the amount of opportunities that it allows members to have. I also love the type of Greek community that we have on our campus because everyone is extremely supportive of one another while establishing brotherhood and sisterhood beyond our own chapters.
SM: What other organizations are you involved in on campus?
CT: I am also involved in CAP (community action project) because I love doing community and volunteer work and I am also part of the QTHON management team!
SM: Is there anything else you would like to say?
CT: I am looking forward to working with my newly elected officers and all of the Fraternity and Sorority community in the year ahead!
Her Campus Quinnipiac wishes you the best of luck to you Christie and to all of the Panhellenic E-Board in your adventures this year!