by Cheryl Smithem
Leaders from College of Charleston sororities are taking a leadership role in the Southeastern Panhellenic Association. One sorority member presented at the annual conference and another both presented and was chosen to lead planning for the 2014 annual conference.
Kathleen Anderson, VP Recruitment for the College’s Panhellenic Council, spoke to more than 1,000 conference attendees at the philanthropy luncheon about the Council’s involvement with the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation was established in 2010. The organization strives to leverage the collective wisdom and influence of sorority women to uplift girls and women from poverty and oppression through education.
College of Charleston Assistant Director of Greek Life, Katherine Pezzella, said, “I have been so proud to see the women of the Panhellenic Council adopt the Circle of Sisterhood as their philanthropic partner. They truly believe in the cause – not only in their collective ability to change the lives of women worldwide — but they believe in the organization’s impact made by thousands of sorority women coming together to stand up for women’s rights. By rallying their peers to support this cause, they are also unifying our College sorority community and making connections between members of different chapters who might not normally reach out to one another. The Panhellenic Executive Council has taken up the Circle of Sisterhood initiative and has spread this message globally and locally, so that those on campuses may have an impact as a community, not just as individual organizations.”
Lauren Pelts, current College of Charleston Panhellenic President, is a member of the 2014 conference planning team. According to the SEPC, “This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with Panhellenic women across the Southeast … while developing personal and professional skills.”
“I was incredibly impressed by our Greek leaders,” Pezzella says. “They stood out as leaders in the southeastern region and made themselves available as resources to representatives from other campuses which really put the College on the map and gave us a presence throughout the weekend. I was most pleased to see that the women were willing to share their unvarnished stories in their presentations — flaws included. It took a lot of maturity for them to talk about not only their successes, but their challenges, so others might learn from their experiences and make positive changes on their campuses.”
To learn more about sororities at the College, visit the webpage for sorority recruitment [http://greeks.cofc.edu/how-to-join/index.php].
