Kent State’s Panhellenic President is near the end of her term as the community gathered to elect the new president on Nov. 5.

“Being president is a lot of delegating jobs and planning events,” Katie Beatty said. “(The naked man) was a situation I was not expecting to deal with, as Panhellenic President or as a member of Alpha Phi.” 

In late September, Steven Franzreb, 43, was caught on video exposing and touching himself inappropriately on Alpha Phi’s front porch. Following a series of incidents, Franzreb was arrested and charged with two counts of menacing by stalking and two counts of public indecency. 

“It was a horrible situation,” Beatty said. “You don’t expect to have to deal with that when you come into your presidency.”

“Katie has done a great job at making the council a resource for the community, instead of something scary,” Taylor Robinson, vice president of communications for the Panhellenic Council, wrote in an email. “She wants to bring the community together and has made a lot of progress toward making that happen.” 

Beatty thinks being in Alpha Phi and being Panhellenic President was “the best case scenario” for the community.

“I was able to relay information quickly to my president and my advisors,” she said. 

Beatty said being president came with a lot of responsibility, such as choosing who would make up her Panhellenic Council and executing her goals in the community. 

“One of my biggest goals was to unify our whole community,” Beatty said. “I feel like I have achieved that goal.” 

Beatty wanted the women in the community to view Panhellenic Council as friends, not the enemy. She wanted to avoid the idea that her job was to hand out punishments or infractions, and encourage cohesion between the community and the council. 

Beatty told KentWired at the beginning of her term she was “excited about working with the IFC (The Interfraternity Council) and InterGreek Council presidents in order to strengthen the relationships between the three organizations.” 

Robinson served on Beatty’s council the entire 2018-2019 term. “She cares about our community being connected as Panhellenic chapters as well as connecting more with IFC and IGC (Integrated Greek Council),” Robinson wrote in an email. 

Beatty was scared of Kent State being “the next name on the news” for hazing and negative stereotypes. To combat that, she worked closely with IFC and IGC to make sure members of the Fraternity and Sorority Life community are safe.

“Katie’s been an incredible president and leader and I’ve had an amazing time serving with her,” Robinson said. “She is the glue that holds us together, she is a great example of a sorority woman.”

To be elected president, a woman must have been on Panhellenic Council, held an executive position in her chapter or have been a Panhellenic delegate, someone who represents her chapter in all Faternity and Sorority Life activities. Beatty was Alpha Phi’s president last year before her term began. 

The eight Panhellenic chapters vote for the president, who will begin her term in January, after working with the acting president and her board to construct the new Panhellenic Council. 

The chapters will vote and the new president will be announced Tuesday. Beatty and her council will work closely with the new president to choose a new council and prepare them for their upcoming term.

Contact Samantha Simcox at [email protected].