Memoirs of a Panhel Exec Member!

Fourth Year Jenny Schmidt, Panhel's Vice President of Membership Development and AST’s representative on Panhel exec, shares the memories that led her to apply to be on JMU’s Panhellenic Council. As sorority officer elections approach, keep in mind that so does Panhel’s! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to make a difference in the greek community!

As a freshman going through recruitment, I had no concept of what “Panhellenic” was besides it being written on yelling girls’ shirts. Although I didn’t know why certain girls had on “PANHEL” shirts, I knew that they had to be important because for some reason, everyone asked them questions and listened to their instructions. Instantly I was envious of them and before I even knew which sorority I was going to be in, I knew that I wanted to be one of those important girls.

Jenny in her Panhel shirt ;) and FSL Coordinator Taylor during Bid Cel!

Two years and two AST exec positions later, I finally decided to apply for Panhel. Through my experiences up to that point I had a much bigger grasp on the council; I had attended Panhel events such as “Trick-or-Treat on the Row,” met with the advisor of Panhel multiple times, and had been acquainted with several Panhel officers, especially after working with the VP of Membership Development on Panhel to bring David Stollman, a public speaker, to campus.

By this time I had also realized what being “panhellenically minded,” meant. As a new member in a sorority, it’s natural to be obsessed with your chapter. You don’t have time to recognize the good things every other chapter does because you are still trying to learn about your own; that’s certainly the way I felt. Yet as I got more acquainted with sorority life and realized what my membership meant, I started to pay attention to other sorority-sponsored events. Between 5Ks, kickball tournaments, and proceeds nights, I realized how fun it was to help out other chapters’ philanthropies. Realizing the good qualities about other chapters makes you appreciate the sororities at JMU as a whole, rather than just your own.

Jenny and Junior Panhel at New Member Cookout!

When it came to decide what I wanted to do after I ended my term as AST president, I thought that doing something for the Greek community as a whole rather than my own chapter would be perfect. After the application and interview process, I was slated as the “Vice President of Membership Development.” My position required me to advise new member educators, Junior Panhellenic, and to promote the education of our panhellenic members in general. During my term I have overseen the first Junior Panhellenic Council, which is made up of delegates from each sorority, a President and Vice President. Upon application, each delegate was a new member in her sorority. The purpose of Junior Panhellenic is to cultivate young leaders, promote relationships of new members across all chapters. It has been so fun to see these delegates become leaders within their sorority and in the community as a whole.

I’ve had a lot of fun being on the Panhellenic Executive Board because it has allowed me to become friends with women from other chapters and to gain new experiences. Running recruitment, for example, was a ton of fun and much less painful (no high heels) than being inside the house. I got to relive the excitement of being a PNM and I got to blow a whistle… so obviously that’s great. Being disaffiliated was tough, but running to AST during bid-cel was so much fun that it made the whole experience worth it.

Panhel during Pref Night!

As a freshman I wanted to be on Panhel because the girls seemed cool. What I didn’t realize was that those women were leaders in the community who are role models for new members to look up to; that was the reason that as a junior I knew I wanted to be on Panhel.

I could probably write ten more pages on my experiences through Panhellenic, but long story short I’m so glad that I applied and encourage everyone to look into getting involved in some way. If you’re a new member – apply to be on junior panhellenic! If you’re a sister – apply to be on panhellenic! Also, follow us on twitter @JMUpanhellenic and @JuniorPanhelJMU.