National Honors Continue For Jamie Wolf - Clarion University

Greeks
Fraternities, Sororities Recognized At NGLA
Representatives of Clarion University’s fraternity
and sorority community left the 2008 Northeast
Greek Leadership Association Annual Conference in
Hartford, Conn., with more than just programming
ideas, new organizational management models
and possible change initiatives. This year, they left
with four awards recognizing the community’s
accomplishments in various aspects of operation and
one individual was recognized as a Greek Leader of
Distinction.
The fraternity and sorority community received
Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Academic
Honor Society’s Academic Excellence Award for
Spring 2007. This award is presented to the Greek
Community whose GPA is the highest above their
campus undergraduate GPA.
The Panhellenic Council (PHC) received three
Division II Programming Excellence Awards for
Academic Achievement, Continuous Open Bidding
and Philanthropy and Community Service.
“I was very excited that we received these awards,
they are result of a lot of people doing a lot of hard
work,” said Maria D’Ascenzo, PHC President.
“It’s been close to 10 years since Clarion’s Greek
community has received this kind of recognition. I’m
very proud of all we have done.”
Ariel Weaver, immediate past PHC Vice-
President of Recruitment & Public Relations and a
member of Phi Sigma Sigma, was one of 10 students
in the Northeast recognized as a Greek Leader of
Distinction. The Greek Leader of Distinction Award
seeks to recognize outstanding students whom
exemplify the ideals of sorority and/or fraternity
membership in their daily lives. Additional recipients
were from Bryant University, Gannon University,
Lehigh University, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, New York University, the University of
Rhode Island and William Paterson University.
Reacting to her selection, Weaver said “I was so
proud that the Council won awards, I was totally
surprised when my name was called. I had no idea.
I originally joined Phi Sigma Sigma for the more
social aspects and to make friends, but it has become
so much more and provided me with so many
opportunities I never thought I would have. I’m just
very thankful for my experiences.”
Two members of the Office of Campus Life’s staff
were involved with this year’s conference.
Michelle Marchand, Office of Campus Life
Graduate Assistant, was selected to serve as a member
of the conference’s graduate staff and Shawn Hoke,
assistant director of Campus Life, served as a Values
Institute facilitator.
Marchand was also selected to present two
programs, one on the Millennial Generation and one
on recruitment with Weaver.
“I am just so proud of our fraternities and
sororities right now,” said Hoke. “During my
tenure as Greek advisor, the fraternity and sorority
community has faced more than its fair share of
challenges. But the students never gave up and they’ve
never stopped trying to make things better. It’s nice
to see their hard work recognized among the best in
the Northeast.”
NGLA was created in August of 2000 as a result
of a merger between the Northeast Interfraternity
Conference and the Northeast Panhellenic
Conference. NGLA exists to promote the founding
principles and positive traditions of all Greek letter
organizations through opportunities that encourage
learning and leadership for the Northeast region.
Greek Alumni To Work For Headquarters
In a span of just under three months, two
Clarion University alumni have gone to work for
their respective fraternity and sorority headquarters.
Justin Dandoy (’08) is one of the newest Leadership
Consultants for Phi Delta Theta and Jennifer Feicht
(’96) is Phi Sigma Sigma’s first Alumnae Relations
Consultant.
Dandoy recently made a two-year commitment
to Phi Delta Theta and currently serves chapters in
the western United States and Canada. Thus far, he
has visited the University of Kentucky, the University
of Texas El Paso, the University of New Mexico,
Northern Arizona University and California State
University, Northridge.
smith
“I wanted to join staff because Phi Delta Theta
has done a lot for me and I wanted to give something
back,” said Dandoy. “Despite the 24-hour drive from
Oxford, Ohio, to El Paso, Texas, I’m having a great
time. But even then, I was able to learn Spanish and
Japanese from a 10-disc CD set.”
As an undergraduate, Dandoy served as president,
secretary, warden and new member educator in his
chapter and was president, vice president of risk
management & member education and secretary
of the Interfraternity Council. Additionally, he was
Student Senate President, Mr. CU 2004, and was
recognized as both the Greek Man of the Year and a
Northeast Greek Leadership Association Greek Leader
of Distinction in 2006.
“The experiences I had at Clarion in my chapter,
with the Interfraternity Council and in the classroom
made my transition into this position easy,” said
Dandoy. “But I do miss Clarion and my chapter
brothers.”
Feicht’s new position was created to forge
even stronger ties between Phi Sigma Sigma and its
alumnae membership.
“We are 100 percent committed to providing our
alumnae with a meaningful membership experience
that transcends the college years,” said Michelle
Ardren, Phi Sigma Sigma Executive Director.
“Sisterhood in Phi Sigma Sigma is meant to be
enjoyed at every stage of a woman’s life. That’s why
this new position was created, to help our alumnae
stay connected and take advantage of the man benefit
we have to offer.”
Dandoy
“Alumnae are the foundation upon which Phi
Sigma Sigma is built and I am honored to work
on their behalf,” said Feicht. In addition to her
employment with Phi Sigma Sigma, Feicht also serves
the Chapter Key Advisor for the Gamma Gamma
chapter at Clarion and she currently serves a member
of the University’s Greek Alumni Committee.
“I am thrilled to accept this new role,” she said.
“I welcome suggestions on ways Phi Sigma Sigma can
best serve its alumnae members and ways for Clarion’s
Greek Alumni Committee to get other fraternity and
sorority alumni engaged with the Greek community.”
Dandoy and Feicht join Lisa Bria (’04), Delta
Zeta; Michael Carey (’92), Phi Sigma Kappa; Shawn
Hoke (’95), Kappa Delta Rho; Scott Johnson (’95),
Kappa Delta Rho; Bill Russo (’02), Theta Chi; and
James Spencer (’81), Alpha Chi Rho, as Clarion
University alumni who have worked, or currently
work, for their fraternity or sorority headquarters.
12 | April ’08