Daniel Green

Award for Outstanding Fraternity and Sorority Leadership

Presented by John DiSarro, director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs

Pro tip: If you ever need a traveling companion on a long road trip, I highly recommend Dan Green! To provide some context, I’m John DiSarro, the unnaturally tall person pictured here and director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at the University of Rochester. The more normal looking guy on the right is Dan Green, this year’s recipient of the Award for Outstanding Fraternity and Sorority Leadership. This February I drove with Dan to the Northeast Greek Leadership Association (NGLA) annual conference in Baltimore (where we took this awesome and completely unstaged photo). Dan had been selected to serve as a student staff member for NGLA, a role where he helped lead a conference for 1,000 participants and which he earned based on his strong fraternal leadership during his four years at Rochester. That day, Dan excelled at being a road trip wingman, serving as an expert navigator, not complaining about my ‘90s music selection, and only falling asleep once. But truthfully, I’ve seen Dan excel at many things during his four years as a student leader. During the time I’ve known him, I’ve been grateful to witness how Dan has grown through his fraternity experience and leveraged his passion and talent to make our campus a better place.

Through his leadership at the University of Rochester, Dan has demonstrated loyalty, adaptability, ability to build teams, and desire to leave a positive legacy. He frequently steps up to exhibit strong judgment and collaborative leadership in areas such as the Standards Subcommittee, Gender Exclusivity Waiver Working Group, and mental health awareness campaign for the IFC community. Dan became president of Sigma Phi Epsilon as a sophomore and helped his chapter become the first in NYS to achieve Learning Community status for their house, pass substance free housing policies, and create new philanthropic and community engagement programs. After concluding his term as president, Dan joined the interfraternity council as its vice chairman. Halfway through his term, Dan realized the community needed him in an enhanced role and took on the chairman position. Additionally, as an Order of Omega honor society member, Dan has helped lead workshops at the New Member Orientation program and played a central role in the Greek or Treat community after-school program.

This award isn’t intended just to recognize the top fraternity or sorority leader (though Dan would be a strong contender!); it’s true purpose is to recognize someone who has led with integrity while also making significant contributions to the greater campus community. That certainly describes Dan Green. As a campus Meridian (tour guide), Dan developed customer service skills by welcoming prospective students and special groups to campus. He worked as a volunteer-in-training coordinator and teacher at the Youth Education Program at Temple Beth El, where he was responsible for teaching teen volunteers child education, conflict management, and leadership skills. As a Unit Supervisor at Camp Seneca Lake, Dan was responsible for overseeing the safety and well-being of nearly a hundred 12-14 year olds, providing guidance to 24 adult staff members, coordinating and executing programs for campus and staff, and cultivating an environment that used positive language and respect to help young individuals grow and mature is a supportive environment. Finally, Dan spent two years working with children in the city of Rochester, tutoring 3^rd-8^th graders in spelling to help them participate in an annual spelling bee hosted by his fraternity. In each of these roles, Dan has exemplified passion, responsibility, and a team-oriented approach to leadership. It’s worth noting, too, that through it all Dan has not lost sight of his academics; he maintained a strong GPA in Biomedical engineering, served as a BME peer advisor, was a teaching assistant for multiple courses, and participated in research and volunteer experiences at the medical center.

Dan, thank you for the leadership you’ve shown during your four years as a Rochester student. Thank you for always stepping up to help others, especially when sometimes it felt like you were standing alone. Thank you for using positions of leadership to care for the people in our community. And thank you especially for not mocking me when I couldn’t find a way out of the Brooks Crossing parking lot 20 seconds into our road trip—that was awfully nice of you! You truly exemplify the highest ideals of a fraternity member, and you are the perfect recipient of this year’s award. Congratulations!

About the Award

The Award for Outstanding Fraternity and Sorority Leadership recognizes the positive contributions fraternities and sororities make to the campus community. It is awarded to a fraternity or sorority member who has led with integrity within their fraternal organization while also making significant contributions to the greater campus community.