By Denton Josey, Student Reporter

As social club rushes take place on campus and around Abilene, social clubs have seen for the first time what their new leadership looks like in action. Recent elections have put new officers in many clubs.

Frater Sodalis president Brady Hilton, junior electronic media major from Abilene, said he didn’t do much to campaign except give a two-minute speech.

“There wasn’t really much campaigning; we have nominations. We had nine good guys running this year,” Hilton said. “I was vice president last year. I guess they appreciated the way I handled my office last year.”

Hilton said he wanted to be president because he was nominated.

“If you are viewed as a leader, whether you want to or not you should step up and lead,” he said. “Club is bigger than one person. If they feel you’re the guy they want to lead, then you should lead them.”

Frater Sodalis’ president last year, Mac Leavell, senior management major from San Antonio, gave Hilton good advice.

“[He] told me you can’t take your position lightly, but you got to have fun with it, you’re not above anybody; you’re a servant for club,” Hilton said.

Already feeling the responsibility, Hilton said his duties have him busy.

“It’s been crazy, this week I’ve had four meetings,” he said. “And I think I’m halfway done.”

Unlike politicians that promise change, Hilton said he plans on continuing what is already taking place.

“I feel like we’ve done so well in the last three years that it would be hard for me to mess it up,” Hilton said. “It’ll be a good year next year and we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

A lot of the presidents next year are trying to better social clubs as a whole in the face of campus, get their club name out to freshmen and have a good reputation, Hilton said.

“We’ve tried to write up a constitution that would help social clubs be responsible for social clubs,” he said. “After what’s happened this year, we’re trying to up the incentives for social clubs.”

Shelbi Watten, junior broadcast journalism major from Coppell, is now the president of Ko Jo Kai.

“Ever since I’ve joined club, I’ve wanted to help make a difference in the way Ko Jo Kai is,” Watten said. “All the clubs have certain stereotypes and most of those are untrue. One of my goals is to make Ko Jo Kai a club that people respect and see as a club of Godly women over anything else.”

Like Hilton, Watten said she has already experienced the busy side of being president.

“Meg Goggin, our former president, told me I’d be getting lots of phone calls,” Watten said. “You don’t realize what an influx of voicemails, messages and phone calls you get with something as simple as being a social club president.”

Ko Jo Kai is already evaluating the way it handles pledging under their new president, she said.

“We want to make sure that everything we do is put into a Godly light and that when women pledge our club, they don’t feel like they are being wrong,” Watten said. “We want to improve our pledging to be more purposeful.”

Another area Watten said she is trying to improve is relationships between clubs. The Kojies and Sigma Theta Chi recently had a dual rush despite a long rivalry.

“Rivalries aside, God is first, service is first and that is what’s most important,” Watten said.