Sikka ’13 elected Panhel president
Joseph Maurer—The Tech
The Panhellenic Association released the names of its new executive board Sunday, elected earlier this month. Denzil Sikka ’13 of Alpha Phi, Panhel’s current vice president for finance and administration, will take over as president on Dec. 10. Panhel’s new officers were elected by a majority vote of the six Panhel delegates from their respective sororities. Topping Sikka’s priority list for Panhel is a revamped website and increased sharing of information among sororities, specifically regarding events and scholarships. She also wants to continue to ensure smooth sorority recruitment periods and “inspire Panhellenic spirit.”
But Sikka also has broader goals for MIT’s sororities. “I want to do something that hasn’t been done before and leave a positive mark on the community,” she said. “I want to see what ways I can individually contribute.”
Sikka added, “I’ll be actively looking for opportunities for the Panhellenic community to do something good [for the rest of campus].”
Sikka may take office amidst major changes to the Undergraduate Association. The UA published draft documents outlining an entirely new government over the weekend after months of committee work. Under the new UA structure, the Panhel president — along with two representatives — will represent sorority members on a UA Council. The Council will replace the current UA Senate.
It is still unclear if and when the new UA structure will be implemented, but UA President Allan E. Miramonti ’13 is shooting for an IAP government transition. The UA has said that response to the proposed changes is generally positive, in the UA itself and among other interested campus stakeholders.
Under the new government, Sikka would be the first Panhel president to have a substantially more powerful — and potentially more time-consuming — role. Sitting on the UA Council, Sikka and the Panhel representatives will be able to cast votes towards the allocation of UA funds and on constitutional amendments, according to the UA’s draft constitution.
“If that is what my position will entail, then I will try to do the best that I can,” said Sikka. “I want to be a good representative and I will do the best I can in my position.”
The president-elect added that she “has faith” that Panhel’s representation on the committee responsible for UA restructuring was sufficient to warrant the increased powers the Panhel president would hold.
President: Denzil Sikka (Alpha Phi ’13)
Executive Vice President: Christine S. Lai (Alpha Chi Omega ’13)
Vice President of Recruitment: Lauren M. Allen (Kappa Alpha theta ’13)
Vice President of Recruitment Programming: Lia R. DiGiovanna (Alpha Chi Omega ’13)
Vice President of Programming: Olivia J. Papa (Alpha Phi ’14)
Vice President of Public Relations: Katherine L. Chasins (Sigma Kappa ’14)
Vice President of Finance and Administration: Philine F. Huizing (Sigma Kappa ’14)