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Student Log-in
by Jessie Hellmann
University of Southern Indiana
Last fall, the University of Southern Indiana's Student Government Association voted to include sorority and fraternity at-large memberships to SGA ranks, adding to the already strong Greek influence in the government. Of the SGA members, 12 are members of Greek life, making 35 percent of SGA members Greek. But only about 486 students — 4.5 percent of the student body — are Greek life members.
Some argue that it can be simple for Greek students to become SGA president if elected by a strong, supportive Greek community, and having several members of one group in SGA can blur lines between the two and cause problems when running the government.
For example, on April 14, 2011, SGA President Jordan Whitledge motioned at a Student Government Association meeting to give $550 to his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. At the time, he was the academic affairs administrative vice president (AVP).
Now he said he should not have voted for the funding, which was used for an event his fraternity hosted that included a giant obstacle course on campus.
Campus Coverage Project's Jessie Hellmann takes a look at the intersection between Greek life and student government at the university.
