Katie Trebisovsky has plans to build a stronger sense of community among all campus sororities.
As the new leader of the Panhellenic Council — the governing body of many of the University of Minnesota’s sororities — Trebisovsky said she wants to create closer ties not only among all sororities but also within the school’s entire greek community.
The marketing and finance junior said she will work to foster tighter bonds between the four greek councils.
“When people think greek life, I want them to think of all four councils, not just the PHC and the [Interfraternity Council],” said Trebisovsky, who is a member of Delta Gamma.
Though the PHC has made improvements on integrating the councils, Trebisovsky said, she plans to encourage them to work together to host and sponsor events around campus in the coming year.
Within the PHC, she said she will encourage constructive and open communication between individual sorority chapters and the council in order to form a closer-knit community of women.
“I want to have an environment where people aren’t afraid to bring up concerns,” Trebisovsky said. “I’d like the council to be a resource for individual chapters who are having problems.”
To help build that sense of community, she wants to implement programming following formal recruitment that will make new members feel like they’re joining a community rather than a single sorority.
Additionally, Trebisovsky said she plans to create activities, like resume and career workshops and group self-defense classes, to benefit individual members while they get to know others in the greek community.
Former PHC President Talia Saville said she’d like to see the council’s new members carry on some of the accomplishments of their predecessors, noting the new Sisters for Success program that aims to empower greek women and prepare them for life after graduation.
“I’m really excited to see where they take their passion for the community and their individual positions to come up with new creative ideas,” she said.
Saville said she also wants the new members on the council continue to work on the sexual assault and mental health task forces that she and former IFC President Cameron Schilling introduced to the greek community.
Because sexual assault is a large issue across campuses nationwide, Trebisovsky said, it’s important that the PHC continues to discuss it.
Matt Levine, program director for the Office for Fraternity and Sorority Life, said while he’s “incredibly proud” of the accomplishments of the last council’s members, he’s looking forward to seeing what this year’s executive board will do for the greek community.
Levine said at social events, he wants the new council to address issues like safety — a goal shared by the new IFC council — and making the formal recruitment process more efficient.
While Trebisovky said she has a lot of work to do this year, she’s looking forward to supporting and improving the organizations within the PHC.
“Being part of an organization that is so much bigger than yourself is really amazing,” she said.