Nam elected MGC president

Last Night, the Multicultural Greek Council elected 10 new Executive Board members. Incoming MGC President and College junior Agnes Nam is the first Asian-American student elected to this position. Nam, who has been a member of Sigma Psi Zeta since 2008, sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to discuss her election and plans for next year.

The Daily Pennsylvanian: How are MGC chapters different from Panhellenic and IFC chapters? Agnes Nam: The most important thing is that you don’t just have sisterhood and brotherhood because you came together for a set of values. You also have the shared background, or interest in the same background.

DP: Do you have plans to encourage dialogue between MGC and the Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council? AN: I think the outgoing president Valentino Kim did a great job with Greek Week. For the first time, MGC was featured on Team Sober shirts and we were a big part of what was going on. For next year’s Greek Week I’d like to have an event that is sponsored by the MGC … to highlight the strength of being a multicultural Greek.

DP: A lot of students at Penn don’t know what MGC chapters do. How will you make MGC a bigger presence on campus? AN: In two weeks we will be holding our first-ever MGC Week. … Secondly, I know that Panhellenic during NSO this year did a sorority showcase … The opportunity certainly exists for MGC to host a similar event. I’d like to work with NSO coordinators to host NSO late-night activities, showing that being ethnic Greek is not about self-segregation. It’s just about feeling comfortable with people who share your culture.

DP: Have you worked with MGC Advisor Larry Moses in the past? AN: Yes, I have … I think Larry is a sweetheart.

DP: What are your main goals this year as president of MGC? AN: I want to improve the efficiency of the Multicultural Greek Council. … I’d like to start a monthly president summit for MGC fraternity and sorority presidents .

DP: Have you communicated with IFC President Christian Lunoe and Panhel President Darby Nelson? Do you plan on meeting with them soon? AN: I absolutely want to work with them. I think one of the things that makes me different as the incoming president of MGC is that I have a lot of ties to IFC and Panhel. A lot of my friends are in Christian’s fraternity … and a lot of my close friends are in Darby’s sorority.

DP: Is there anything else you’d like DP readers to know about you or your plans? AN: I just want to get the idea out there that you don’t have to be really active in your ethnic community to be a Multicultural Greek. It’s an experience that lets you explore the pride of what it means to be in your specific culture without mandating that you only have friends in it. I think that without being in my sorority, I wouldn’t have had the same Asian awareness. But that by no means alienates me from other people. I’d like other potentially interested MGC Greeks to know that as well.

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