Greek community forms Junior Panhel for freshmen

Penn’s Panhellenic Council is opening its doors to the newest members of the Greek community.

Panhel recently announced the launch of Junior Panhel, a group of eight representatives, one from each sorority’s freshman pledge class.

According to College junior Alex Gradwohl, the executive vice president of Panhel, the initiative is the first of its kind at Penn.

“Each sorority sends one girl from its pledge class to represent them, and the girls will work alongside Panhel in accomplishing their objectives,” Gradwohl said. “It is really a way for our current girls to have more of a connection to the new members in each sorority.”

College junior Alyssa Drobatz, Panhel’s vice president of public relations, agreed with Gradwohl, adding that the new program will serve to provide stronger connections between seniors and freshmen.

“When I was a freshman, I thought Panhel was a really disconnected entity,” she said. “They were these really cool girls, but I didn’t know who they were or what they did, apart from the fact that they ran rush.”

Drobatz, who described the initiative as a sort of “training,” added that Junior Panhel is a way to prepare new recruits for future leadership positions in the organization.

Junior Panhel will have its first meeting on Sunday, during which time the eight newly inducted members will have the opportunity to meet the eight current Panhel members.

College freshman Becca Friedemann, the Junior Panhel representative from Sigma Kappa, said she applied because she wanted to take a more active role in Greek life at Penn.

“I’ve grown up hearing about how amazing Greek life is,” Friedemann said. “I really love my sorority, so I wanted to contribute in a bigger way.”

For some, however, the program was not such an attractive option.

College freshman Tina Hsu, who is Chi Omega’s Junior Panhel representative, said that “to be honest, no one really wanted to apply, and the people who wanted to do it didn’t have the time.”

Hsu explained that this reluctance to apply was due to the fact that the girls were pledging and had other time commitments.

On the other hand, Hsu added, she “really wanted to have the chance to meet the girls on Panhel and participate in fundraisers, which is why I applied.”

While Drobatz said the time commitment of being involved in Junior Panhel is “not as extensive” as being a regular Panhel member, the girls on Junior Panhel will be expected to organize around one event every month, according to Gradwohl.

The money raised from these events will go toward Panhel’s scholarship fund, which will provide money for girls who are financially unable to pay their sorority dues.

“It is something [that] Panhel is very interested in expanding this year,” Drobatz said. “No girl should be unable to join a sorority because [she] cannot afford it.”

Both Friedemann and Hsu said that the goal of expanding the scholarship program was one of the main reasons they wanted to join Junior Panhel.

“I can definitely relate to the girls who want financial help from the scholarship fund, because I had some doubts about the dues,” Hsu said.

Overall, Gradwohl is looking forward to seeing what Junior Panhel will accomplish in the year ahead.

“I think Junior Panhel is another way for the older girls to connect with the younger girls,” she said. “We think that this initiative can form that bridge.”

This story has been updated to clarify that College junior Alex Gradwohl was quoted about the initiative, not College junior Alex Enny.

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