Meet Monika Buska New PHA Pres

Name: Monika Buska
Year: 2014
Hometown: Edina, MN
Major: Economics, Minor in BIP and Pursuing Kellogg Certificate in Financial Economics  

What made you want to run for President?
I think that my year on the board we accomplished so many great things: inter-sorority collaboration, transparency of our executive board, a positive shift in the alcohol culture, and more attention to our community values.  We made so many positive changes that I felt I could build on in the coming year and I am already up-to-date with all of the resources and individuals to make that happen so I felt I had the experience to accomplish a lot.

What did you learn from your previous position as VP of Risk Management?
I gained insight into how our community functions and I met so many different people in the community. Being in chapter leadership, you are very focused on your own chapter, but in Panhellenic leadership you have a broader perspective of how the Panhellenic community fits into the larger Northwestern community. Through my position as VP of Risk Management I got really close to the administration and made a lot of connections. I liked being in the know and having the opportunity to build community and have campus impact, which is why I wanted to continue my involvement this year.  

What made you go Greek in the first place?
In addition to both my mother and grandmother being Greek, I saw a lot of upperclassmen that I met either in high school or throughout fall quarter freshman year really enjoying their Greek experiences at Northwestern. We had a lot of the same values academically, socially and philanthropically and I wanted to be a part of this network.  There was no way to not consider it.

What’s your favorite aspect about being part of the Panhellenic and Greek community and what do you feel can be improved upon moving forward?

I think the advantage of Northwestern’s Greek community is that we are so big- 32 percent of undergraduate women are Greek. This is because Greek life at Northwestern complements your undergraduate experience, it doesn’t define it. Everyone is so busy and academically oriented, so the people that are involved really want to make the most of their experiences, and everything that we do has a purpose.  It’s hard when people have so many other commitments, but the fact that so many women choose to be Greek is a testament to our unique Greek community.  I think that we’re working on being more unified amongst the 12 chapters, and this is something that should be continued because understanding the values and personalities of other chapters will allow us to present a more united front. Outside of your own chapter your biggest support system should be other sorority women at Northwestern, we should be everyone’s best support resource, so working to become more unified promotes a greater cohesiveness and is something that we’ve gotten better at but can continue to improve upon.    The I am Greek campaign with PHA, IMC, MGC, MPHC was one way in which we enacted this, and I am looking forward to continuing council unity in the future, considering we have the potential to tap into so many people on this campus.

What are your goals for the next year? Any changes you hope to enact?
When I was running I talked to a lot of chapter presidents, and we did an officer retreat in the spring that they found really beneficial and the presidents found it really helpful because it eliminated one layer of communication, officers could speak to each other directly. We all face the same dilemmas in our community, so it’s good to bring everyone together. Capitalizing on my risk management experience, I also want to encourage more sober programming.  We saw a lot of success with this; a lot of chapters were able to enjoy events that didn’t involve alcohol and this is something I’d like to continue.

What else are you involved with on campus?
I am on the exec board for MARK, a subdivision of ISBE, and I am on the finance committee for Dance Marathon.  Through Panhellenic I have also had the opportunity to serve on the ASG Alcohol Policy Reform Group and the Campus Coalition Against Sexual Violence.