BLOG: Elections

‘Tis the election y’all. You might think I’m talking Mittens versus Bama-lama, but hold up, I’m not. Greek elections are happening right and left!

Every house at the University of South Dakota goes about holding elections differently. Some elect officials with an election committee, while some have a more literal voting fashion.

There are the front-running positions such as president, vice presidents, secretary and treasurer. Meanwhile there are other positions like ritualist, historian, alumni liaisons, social chairs, philanthropy directors and risk managers. For an independent’s that has no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain to you what these “side show” people really do.

The ritualist is in charge of the secretive initiation ceremonies. They are meant to be very secretive people who hold their house’s secrets. The historian is similar in that they are responsible for knowing their chapter’s history as well as the whole fraternity or sorority’s history as well.

There are also the old people lovers, the alumni liaisons. They take care of keeping the past members informed about the current haps of the house.

Then come the fun positions for those who are craving some stress and fun in their lives.

Social chairs are in charge of the mixers and formals that each house hosts. They have to plan a theme, DJ, location and are in charge of making sure everything goes according to plan. For sorority houses, this normally means taking control of the ever-problematic excess of glitter. It’s literally the herpes of all crafts. As we’ve all heard, Greeks have enough to worry about when it comes to special events, like formals. Yikes. So, it’s the Social Chair’s job to make sure everything runs smoothly.

The next position I want to talk about is the philanthropy director. This person is in charge of charitable events put on by sororities and fraternities, so they have a lot of work to do. I mean … we all do it for the kids!

Finally, risk managers, one of the most important positions. Risk managers are in charge of managing the house’s risk. Literally. They prepare the house for socials and events by reading the rules and regulations of expected behaviors and they practice fire drills. Basically, they save Greek lives.

There is a difference between just being in a Greek house, and representing your Greek house by holding a position. To some, it sounds silly to be social chair or an alumni liaison, it is truly is an honor for these kids. So, here is to Greek election week, may the odds be ever in your favor.