November 10, 2008
Greek students discuss the impact of the US election on Middle Eastern relations at Cornell University.
With both presidential campaigns blanketing college campuses around the country in an attempt to get out the youth vote for the 2008 election, students had many opportunities to become politically active and engage both their peers and their communities in the political process. In addition to shaping the social environment on their campuses, fraternity and sorority members played an active role in designing and participating in pre-election events to broaden voter awareness of candidates and their policies, as well as jumping on board to assist candidates and elected politicians with phone calls and door-to-door efforts.
At Cornell University, Greek students in the campus bipartisan pro-Israel group took center stage in providing opportunities for the student body to get hands-on experience on the campaign trail. Working with both Democratic and Republican teams, students in Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Chi Omega and Sigma Delta Tau spent two weekends on the trail with Chris Shays (R, CT) and Eric Massa (D, NY), working phone banks and knocking on doors for each campaign.
Three brothers of Sigma Alpha Mu at Cornell also hold positions as the president of the pro-Israel group, the former editor-in-chief of the conservative newspaper and the president of the Cornell Democrats, and together they helped to organize a political forum on October 27th. The panel discussed Barak Obama and John McCain’s policy differences in terms of the United States, Israel and the Middle East. Beginning with a presentation by Ross Brann, the Milton R. Konvitz Professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies, the event offered student perspectives from representatives of the Jewish student body and the Muslim Students Association, as well as a liberal and a conservative viewpoint. With the exception of the Muslim representative, all panelists were members of a fraternity or sorority, and the campus newspaper quoted attendees saying that the panel was “a great event to bring together groups from both sides of the aisle and both sets of views where a respected professor could moderate a constructive talk.” (Cornell Daily Sun, 10/28/2008)
Students at the University of Michigan organized a similar event through their American Movement for Israel group. Their panel, which also discussed the upcoming Israeli elections, was organized in part by fraternity and sorority students as well as their campus’s Grinspoon Israel Advocacy Intern.
Just as fraternity and sorority students tend to be overrepresented in positions of leadership on campus, they similarly take the lead in bringing civic engagement to other students at their schools. Although the politically charged atmosphere has eased up with the close of this year’s election season, Greek students will continue to play an active role in the political process throughout the United States. Due to the generosity of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the ICC’s new Greek Outreach Initiative continues to expand, as does the awareness of this initiative within the Greek community. And thanks to this effort, members of fraternities and sororities have more tools than ever at their disposal to carry out pro-Israel programming for their peers, particularly in the exciting environment of a new political administration.
For more information about the ICC’s Greek Outreach Initiative, please contact Alex Shapero at 202-449-6508.