Maggie Darden

As the first week of school slowly winds down for most students on campus, life for Maggie Darden as newly appointed Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at ETSU stays rather eventful as she guides students to success this semester.

Shortly after graduating ETSU, Darden worked as an Operations Specialist for two years at Sigma Kappa National Headquarters. When Darden was hired by ETSU, she worked as an admissions counselor helping to recruit and talk with new, adult, and transfer students to see if they make a good fit on campus.

“The best thing I could do would be to follow my passion of working with the type of students who go to regional schools — the hardworking, passionate, and dedicated students who find barriers going to regional schools,” Darden said. “I wanted to get back to ETSU where I was lucky to get a position as an admissions counselor for two years. My approach as an admissions counselor was to see the student in front of me as trying to find the best fit for his or her needs and whether they feel ETSU would make a great fit for them. Helping people in this field helped me transition into the position as Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life.”

The most exciting time of the year for fraternity and sorority members starts now with recruitment of members in chapters on campus and it is most often the busiest time of the year for the faculty of this organization.

“The goal is to have a vision for Fraternity and Sorority Life because right now our vision on the universities’ website is blank in that section; so once I have more experience with our community, we will be working on our vision for what we want our community to look like,” said Darden. “The values that come with these communities are like a meaningful compass for people and having the opportunity to help people connect with those values and connect with themselves is just the best thing to see.”

Darden went on to say that there is a lot going on in the community and a lot of places to be at one time, but that she also wants to make sure to give careful consideration to the programs that are happening so that each student’s request has careful consideration and no one is left behind.

“We are lucky to have so much support for Fraternity and Sorority Life here at ETSU… the people who see the benefit and get behind that is something not everybody has so we are lucky to have that and I am thankful to be a part of such an astonishing organization,” said Darden.

Students who are interested in joining the organization are encouraged to apply to any of the four chapters on campus by going to etsufsl.etsu.edu or stop by the Student Organization Resource Center (SORC Suite A, Room 118) where you can speak with a President of Counsels to see if joining a chapter is right for you.

“We have a variety of organizations to consider so I urge anyone interested to apply now not only to make lifelong friends and build relationships, but also for the scholarship opportunities, leadership, service, and spiritual development that a chapter can do for you as a student,” said Darden.

Deadlines to apply for Panhellenic recruitment is Sept. 9. Panhellenic Sorority recruitment is Sept. 14-17. IFC Rush is Sept. 18-27.

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