Director looks at relations
By Nyshicka Jordan
Staff Reporter

Tiffany Abbott, director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said sorority life was her fondest college experience. She said being a sorority member first led her to a career choice and then to an opportunity to become a Horned Frog.

“If I hadn’t joined my sorority, I wouldn’t be here today ,” Abbott said.
Abbott began her duties as director Jan. 6 after replacing former director Tom Sullivan who left in September to take a position at a different university, said Mike Russel, associate dean of Campus Life.
Abbott said she was previously assistant director of campus activities and orientation at Binghamton University in New York. She said she came to TCU to further her career.

As an undergraduate, Abbott said she was initiated into Phi Sigma Sigma at Eastern Illinois University. She said her sorority experience was wonderful and looks forward to making her experience a reality for TCU’s fraternity and sorority students.

“That’s why I’m doing this job,” Abbott said. “I want other people to have a great experience too.”

For more than five years, she said she has been working with fraternities and sororities.

Her goal is to establish great relationships with students, faculty and staff and is confident in her ability to do her job, Abbott said. Through her sorority experiences, she said she has learned time management, interview skills, public speaking, how to work with large groups and how to be political which are skills she said gave her the ability to do this job.

“I’m confident in what I can do because I’ve had the experience both as a collegiate member and a alumna member,” she said.

Abbott said she is waiting to make decisions about anything that may need to be changed because she said she is still becoming accustomed to her new environment.

As director, Abbott said her responsibilities include overseeing the 29 fraternities and sororities on campus, Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council, as well as the local organizations Eta Iota Sigma, Brothers Under Christ, Lambda Kappa Kappa and Sigma Lambda Alpha.

Delta Sigma Theta president Jamie White, a senior marketing and fashion promotions major, said she would like Abbott to make it a priority to communicate with the councils and make it a priority to encourage communication between members of different councils.

“Tom (Sullivan) always looked out for us, and his door was always open,” White said. “I hope this new director will have the same open-door policy.”

Abbott said she wants students to know that her door is open and that she wants to teach students how to better collaborate. She said the responsibility for councils to communicate with one another belongs to the councils’ members and will do her part to facilitate and encourage communication.

Panhellenic Council president Emily Marriott, a junior accounting and finance major, said she would like to see more co-programming between the Greek councils.

“(Abbott) will bring in more ideas,” Marriott said. “She’s been in a university where they had great communication. We need some fresh ideas on how to co-program.”

Nyshicka Jordan
n.d.jordan@tcu.edu

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2003