The University of Oregon’s Fraternity and Sorority Life hired two new staff members to serve as assistant directors. Previously, FSL only had three staff members for 16 fraternities and 11 sororities.
The director of FSL since 2017, Caitlin Roberts has spent four months searching for new hires to fill these positions, she said.
Assistant directors counter day-to-day challenges, teach about responsibility and work with each executive board of chapters and improve the function of FSL, Roberts said.
Previously, two members of FSL’s had left, and it had to cut back on some programming, Roberts said.
“We were unable to do some things that we typically do. It was a new adventure, but I was able to refocus and establish my vision for the community, and where we want to take UO FSL,” Roberts said.
Throughout the summer, Roberts conducted interviews for potential delegates. Eventually, she decided to hire Leo Serrato and Drelin Julkes at the end of July.
Serrato is coming from Indiana University, where he worked as assistant director of conduct and compliance in FSL. Serrato will be in charge of the Interfraternity Council and honorary society. IFC is the body of all fraternities on campus.
“Wherever I go, I want my community that I’m working with to be the best. We are going to work to get this community to be premier in the fraternity and sorority realm,” Serrato said. “I’m so happy I get to work with IFC because my goal is to make them absolutely amazing.”
Julkes worked as a graduate assistant for the diversity center prior to working as a graduate assistant to FSL at Mississippi State University. Julkes will be focusing on the Panhellenic Association, Multicultural Greek Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council — which are historically Black fraternities and sororities.
“I’m huge on diversity, equity and inclusion and justice, so making sure that people are accepted into the different places that typically you wouldn’t see happen,” Julkes said. “I just want to make sure as a community, we are staying accessible to different people that may not think [FSL] is a forefront for student involvement.”
Serrato and Julkes hope to work on alumni outreach, recruitment structuring and academic support to the students involved.
“Both of them are just so positive and enthusiastic, and share my vision for making us the best community in the country, and are really ready to put in the work to do that,” Roberts said. “We don’t want to have to say, ‘No we can’t do that.’ We want to say, ‘Let’s explore that idea.’”
Fall IFC recruitment is taking place Sept. 27 to Oct. 9. Fall PHC recruitment is from Oct. 6 to 11. All three staff members believe UO will see record numbers of involvement in Greek life this year, they said.
“As fraternity and sorority advisors, we are not only there to help support you in the social aspect that you typically see with fraternities and sororities, but also there to support you through your personal professional journey as well,” Julkes said.
