Following changes to the Greek Leadership Council's system for allocating funds, the Panhellenic Council received only $3,000 this year, a dramatic decrease from the tens of thousands it was allotted in previous years. The administrative change resulted from a recent budget cut by the Undergraduate Financial Committee, according to GLC public relations chair Ali Essey '13.
Whereas GLC divisions including Panhell, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Coed Council, the National Association of Latino/a Fraternal organizations and the National Pan-Hellenic Council previously received funding on an event-by-event basis, the GLC used half of its funding to award a lump sum of $3,000 to each division at the start of this year, Essey said.
Essey said that the former system of funding was flawed and that the GLC took this year's decrease in funding as an opportunity to change distribution methods in order to discourage unnecessary spending while still providing money for events. Should a GLC division run out of funds, it can revert back to the former system and apply for more funding for specific events.
While the shift in funding may cause Panhell to be more careful about spending, it should not prevent the council from holding events, Panhell President Sarah Wildes '13 said. Due to the budget decrease, Panhell may be forced to host more co-sponsored events and request funds from non-Greek organizations, according to Wildes.
Panhell treasurer Jennifer Jaco '13 said that she has been working to identify alternative sources of funding, such as the Special Programs and Events Committee, to continue Panhell programming.
"We may have to decrease some of the programs we fund, but I am aiming to still provide funding to things, even though it may not be as much as it originally was," Jaco said. "I am trying to turn people to other sources of funding on campus that are not traditionally thought of."
The new funding system ensures equality across Greek organizations, including "mainstream" fraternities and sororities as well as coed and minority Greek organizations, Jaco said. While she was initially shocked and upset by the drop in Panhell's budget, she said she understands the purpose of the new system.
"I do see the fairness that it provides to non-mainstream Greek organizations that will allow them to put on events and get their names out on campus," she said. "I hope that in the future, we are all allocated more funding."
GLC Moderator Duncan Hall '13 said he considers the new system to be a positive change and thinks that the policy will likely continue in the future.
"Now councils can control a portion of their own respective budget," Hall said. "In terms of looking forward, we don't see why this new system should change. Of course, it's still in the early stages, and if things don't turn out as expected, we'd have to reevaluate."
In order to calculate a reasonable amount to award each council, GLC examined councils' spending in past years, according to Essey.
"We didn't want to give more money than any council had previously used because we didn't want to incentivize frivolous spending," Essey said.
According to Alpha Xi Delta sorority public relations vice president Julia Campbell '13, the reductions in Panhell funding will likely decrease programming capabilities. As a result, individual Greek organizations will look to other sources of support in an attempt to facilitate and maintain their events.
