Greek Life Leadership On Campus

Four Agribusiness students are leaving a positive impact on Purdue Greek Life. Seth Ariens (Junior; Roachdale, IN), Jenna Kelsay (Junior; Franklin, IN), Seth Plummer (Junior; Otterbein, IN) and Dylan Wischmeier (May 26 Graduate; Brownstown, IN) have been demonstrating their leadership skills by serving as fraternity and sorority presidents.

Wischmeier first served the Interfraternity Council (IFC) as Vice President of Finance. IFC is the governing body of the 39 fraternity houses on the Purdue campus. He then moved into the role of FarmHouse President. Wischmeier shared, “Living in a house gives you a built-in community, leadership opportunities and daily accountability that traditional housing does not provide. It pushes you to grow personally and professionally while building lifelong friendships.” Some of his favorite campus memories are attending Purdue basketball games with the FarmHouse Paint Crew in Mackey Arena. He added, “As VP of Finance, I learned financial responsibility and transparency. As President, I learned how to lead a large group, communicate effectively, and represent the chapter professionally.”

Wischmeier handed the FarmHouse leadership over to Ariens, who had already served FarmHouse as Vice President of Recruitment. As current FarmHouse President, Ariens explained, “I grew up as an only child, so gaining over 100 brothers has been one of the most impactful things in my life. I can say that being in such a tight-knit group of people at the start of college made me feel instantly integrated into campus life. Having an immediate network of people who I could trust and were concerned with my success as a person is invaluable in a college career.” One of his favorite FarmHouse memories is traveling to Nashville for the annual formal event. Ariens stated, “I feel the real importance of a leader, especially the President’s role, is to give those around you the tools they need to complete their tasks and do what they feel is best for the organization.”

Current Alpha Gamma Rho President, Seth Plummer, said, “Serving in this leadership role has shown me how well I can connect with others, no matter our differences. When connecting with others, I have learned I can lead and move them all in positive directions. The thing I enjoy the most is meeting people all over campus, in different houses, clubs, etc.” His favorite memory is starting the Alpha Gamma Rho Golf Outing; he hopes this philanthropy continues as a tradition. Plummer summarized, “Living in Alpha Gamma Rho has given me 100 brothers to go to whenever I am in need of something. Living in a house involves more social aspects, structure, expectations and shared accountability. I believe these are skills that will lead you to a successful life.”

Former Delta Gamma President Jenna Kelsay expressed, “I really enjoyed the ability to give back to an organization that has provided so much during my college experience. This position pushed me to grow in my leadership, management and delegation skills, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from my sisters!” She shared one of her favorite memories is doing a “fountain run” with her 100 sisters that concluded with a snow cone truck sitting in front of their house. Kelsay concluded, “I have loved my Panhellenic experience! I love the support system it builds on campus, throughout majors and colleges. I also love the ability to jump from room to room to hang out with friends, and that there is always someone willing to do anything, regardless of the time!