In May Temple will graduate one of it’s most active leaders: Jonathan Alexander, a Political Science and Jewish Studies major from Syracuse, NY. In his first semester as a freshman, Jonathan co-founded, with 13 other students, the Temple University Student Alumni Association (TUSAA), of which he is now president. He soon joined the fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), and became vice president in his sophomore year, and president in his junior year. Jonathan didn’t stop there, he is now President of the Eta Psi Chapter (Temple’s) of the Order of Omega, an organization that recognizes and honors Greek leaders. At the same time, Jonathan interns at the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History, and sits on the panel of the University Disciplinary Committee.

What did you have to do to become involved with the Order of Omega?
Order of Omega accepts members based on an application that is available for all Greeks to fill out. Additionally, there is a minimum GPA required to get in. The application consists of criteria such as awards/honors both academically and within the community, community service involvement, chapter involvement and Greek community involvement, other organizations the applicant is involved in as well as a few other things…It was something I just wanted to do. You can only be in Order of Omega as a Junior or Senior, so I applied when I was eligible.

What different things do you have to do as a leader in each of these organizations?
Within AEPi, my role is somewhat like the patriarch. I am often sought out for advice on issues, since I have experienced many of them the previous year. Within TUSAA, my role is largely to coordinate with the General Alumni Association of Temple University who oversees the group’s activities. I also act as a liaison between the student members and the faculty in charge. Within Order of Omega, I am responsible for corresponding with the national headquarters in Texas and making sure operations within the chapter run smoothly. Within all of them, I preside over the executive board, or have at some point and it is my responsibility to make sure the operations of the organization are running smoothly. It is also important to realize that as president, you are the face of the organization and you must represent the group in the highest manner.

What have been your challenges as a leader in each?
The greatest challenge I have within my respective organizations is motivating people to work and inspiring them to do what is best for the whole. All of my organizations require people to give up their time for things they may not necessarily want to give it up for. It is my job to show them why the work they do is important, inspire them to do it, and make sure it gets done, because ultimately if the work does not get done it falls on me. It is important to realize that the members of my organization are not getting paid and are not in receipt of many rewards for their efforts. While they can be recognized with a certificate for member of the month or something similar to that, a huge challenge is finding the middle ground where you can enforce things and force volunteers to work for you without upsetting hem to the point where they will not do anything for you or the organization.

What’s your favorite part about being a leader? Where do you get your drive?
I love seeing what progress I can make with an organization. I love seeing people who do not think their efforts are substantial become wowed by the results they produce. I love inspiring people and making them proud of what they accomplish. As president of AEPi, the chapter won the AEPI International Chapter progress award, the Temple University Greek Chapter of the Year Award and a few other awards. As president of TUSAA and Order of Omega, I will be largely responsible as president for seeing the membership numbers increase significantly in a time of membership need. My drive comes simply from the desire to see an organization or group of people that have the potential to be great and making them reach that greatness.

How do you incorporate Judaism into your life?
Judaism is a huge part of my life. It was a major reason for me joining AEPi and it is incorporated into my life in much of what I do. I have been to Israel 3 times. I make sure to balance my meetings and events that my organizations hold around the Jewish holidays to make sure that they do not interfere. I try to make sure that people are proud that AEPi is a Jewish fraternity and make sure that they realize how important it is. Many of my morals and beliefs are based off of Judaism and without being Jewish it is safe to say that I would likely be a completely different person.