Savage reflects on term

Gordon Savage knows what it's like to be in a hot spot.

"I had to put out so many different fires that I had to put my attention to the crises," Savage, outgoing Interfraternity Council president, said when looking back on his term. "One thing I wish I could have done was work on more proactive approaches rather than reactive approaches."

Some of the "fires" Savage referred to are the four incidents in which the State College Police Department entered fraternities last semester and found underage drinking.

"I think we handled it levelly," Savage said. "It was extremely important to me that how we handled it included the input of all the fraternity presidents, the University administration and the chief of police."

Savage and the rest of the executive council did the right thing by changing IFC bylaws, said outgoing Board of Control Chair Sean Adler.

"Self-policing is a privilege given to us by the University," Adler said. "If we don't watch it, we may lose that privilege. The University put a lot of faith in us but they also watch us pretty closely."

Last semester, IFC changed its bylaws to make all social functions involving non-Greeks alcohol-free.

Incoming IFC President Brad Nestico said Savage was a good and strong leader.

"I feel Gordon was a great leader because he faced a number of different challenges and he stepped up to them," Nestico said.

Savage's term will officially end March 2 at the induction of the new IFC executive council members. He said he feels he has concluded his term with the University's IFC still being one of the strongest fraternity councils in the nation.

"We self-police and represent," Savage said. "You can't have a strong IFC without self-policing and representing."

Of all the organizations and activities he has been involved in, his position as IFC president has been the most special, he said.

"I will always look at it as, very simply, a badge of pride," Savage said. "One of the things I've learned while here is that we need to promote the tradition and perpetuate the beliefs of the Penn State ideal."