Both Inter-Fraternity Council President Jason Siegel and Vice- President Kyle O’Keefe are very pleased with how Pan-Hel Week went, but acknowledge that there is still room for some improvement. From the onset, Siegel ’08 was impressed by the attendance. He cites events such as the bed races and the keg race as his favorite because ‘they bring so many people together.’
The camaraderie of Pan-Hel Week, not only for Greeks, is something that Siegel feels could be expanded.He says he’d like to see more coordination with other campus organizations such as Unido Por Sangre and the Senior Council. While the competition aspects of Pan-Hel will always lie with the fraternities, Siegel sees no reason the week should not be used to promote campus unity.
Sigma Chi was the victor overall in the competition this year with Lambda Chi coming in at second. There is a distinct feeling from both O’Keefe and Siegel that the events lost steam by Saturday night and that is an issue to be addressed in the future.
It does not always happen that the end of Pan-Hel coincides with the National Act Concert and the FIJI Island party. Siegel says in the future it may become policy. The making of Pan-Hel policy falls on the shoulders of the current IFC Vice-President, this year it is Kyle O’Keefe ’08.
He feels satisfied with the result as feedback that he has been given has been extremely positive, including that from the faculty committee who meets with the IFC regularly. It should be noted there were less instances of theft than in previous years, a testament to men taking responsibility and cooperating with the often ignored Gentlemen’s Rule.
If there is any negative feedback, it is a seeming lack of such responsibility at the bed races. To say the least, tactics for winning included more than simply running faster than the opposing team. Siegel says he has heard people talking of contentious brawls, but he found it worse in previous years, especially between non-participants.
The main controversy at the bed races was when the Betas threw hot sauce all over the Phi-Psi’s, resulting in the Phi-Psis experiencing pain during the event, yet still prevailing.
This raises the question of who is truly responsible for mishaps. Ultimately, both Siegel and O’Keefe are slow to speculate, for the issue has yet to arise.
On one level, the IFC may be accountable, but so far it has been, “faith in the guys and the Gentlemen’s Rule,” O’Keefe noted. Siegel concluded this is a point of interest in further events for the sake of safety.
As responsibility has been handled well in the past, Siegel introduces the idea of expanding it. He proposes including more philanthropic events, allowing the fraternities to take responsibility in affecting their environment in a positive way. There was one such event this year sponsored by the Sphinx Club, and he hopes for more.
This event is better known as the “Cornhole Tournament” which Siegel believes should soon become one of the events that take place during Pan-Hel. For those not aware of what “cornhole” is, it is the popular game where people try to throw beanbags into a hole on a wodden ramp. Siegel feels each year Pan-Hel Week becomes better, a trend he hopes continues for some time.