Interfraternity Council President Max Wendkos sent out a statement Sunday evening summarizing his views on THON’s removal of its official name from canning materials, a story we reported Thursday evening.

There is no question that we are disappointed that the “Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic” name is no longer featured on the canning materials for the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. THON is the proudest shared tradition of the Penn State Greek community – a community of organizations that hold their traditions above all else. We share a very special bond with the members of our fraternities and sororities that founded and first participated in THON and the “Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic” namesake is its most sacred manifestation.

In response to our concerns, some have suggested that Greeks feel that they “own” THON, but that is simply not the case. We fully recognize that THON has grown significantly larger than the Greek community and we wouldn’t have it any other way; without such a large level of participation from the entire Penn State student body, THON could not have grown to its current level of success. We appreciate and admire every student, regardless of affiliation, that has joined in the fight against pediatric cancer.

We fully understand the reasons that THON’s current leaders have cited for omitting the event’s full name on the new canning materials. They make sense. Our only interest here is in preserving the “Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic” namesake out of respect to THON’s founders and to maintain the 37-year-old tradition that binds the Penn State Greek community.

What do you think about the Greek community’s reaction to the change in THON canning materials? Will we see IFC-Panhellenic dropped entirely from the organization’s name in the future? Let’s hear it out in the comments.