Brager finds purpose through student leadership and involvement in Greek Week.
Corinne Brager ’23 studied abroad during her junior year in Israel and returned with a desire to lead and a belief in uplifting the community. That mindset is what propelled Brager to become the president of Elon’s Panhellenic Association.
She said she owes learning how to delegate and work with diverse leadership styles to the job as president. Brager takes pride in the ways that her team has come back from COVID-19. Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives were a positive outcome of the pandemic for Brager and the Panhellenic Association. The team is aiming to establish affinity and identity groups among Greek organizations, and give chapters the resources to connect with offices on campus such as the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education as well as the Gender + LGBTQIA Center located upstairs in the Moseley Center.
Brager feels that her role as the association president has helped her find a great place at Elon. She doesn’t feel limited to interactions with her Sigma Kappa sisters or her friend group because the position has presented opportunities to interact with people from different areas of the university. Brager is grateful to Alexis Swider, director of student involvement for fraternities and sororities. Her relationship with Swider has given her experience with understanding the relationships she’d like to have with future supervisors and colleagues.
Brager and Swider along with others from the National Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Student Government Association, Elon News Network and other student organizations came together to host Greek Dance during Greek Week. Brager began planning for Greek Week in the spring of 2022 and took the lead on communication among chapters about what could be expected for the Greek Dance and other events during Greek Week. Neither Greek Week nor Greek Dance had occurred since 2016 and 2019, respectively, so these were highly anticipated events. Brager first ensured that affiliated students participated in field day and philanthropy day.
Field day consisted of games such as a water balloon toss, three-legged-race and tug-of-war. On philanthropy day, Greek organizations partnered with the Kernodle Center for Civic Life to participate in a blood drive and a school and hygiene supply drive. Chapters exceeded their goal by raising over $36,000 from Elon’s sponsored Habitat for Humanity house, which was double their initial goal.
Furthermore, Brager worked to advertise the Greek Dance. The Greek Dance was an opportunity for sororities and fraternities to participate in a thematic dance competition. This year’s Greek Dance was sponsored by SGA which allowed the Panhellenic Association to make it a non-ticketed event for the first time. Brager says, “37% of attendees at the event were unaffiliated. While the event was put on by the Panhellenic Association, it was open to the Elon Community, not just Greek members. That’s how every event should be.”
Field day, philanthropy day and Greek Dance came together to form a meaningful Greek Week.
“Organizations got the chance to team up, strengthen bonds, and get excited for one another which is especially helpful as we head into spring recruitment,” says Brager.
While she has been involved as a Tour Guide, a member of the Board at Hillel and Elonthon, Brager has grown as she’s managed groups of 2,500 women. She is thrilled to see who takes over her position as president and trusts that her decision to take this role was the best she’s made. Students can find purpose through organizations like those that Brager was involved in by visiting PhoenixConnect or by speaking with a Student Involvement Ambassador.