Top Greek Men Graduating
Cameron Warner plans a career in student affairs in order to improve student involvement and engagement on campus. (Photo courtesy of Arizona Student Unions)
Mark L. Herchold, a history major, plans to attend law school.
Cameron Warner and Mark L. Herchold each spent much of their time at the UA working to improve the academic and social lives of fraternity and sorority members.
The University of Arizona's fraternity and sorority programs typically hands out one "Greek Man of the Year" award each spring.
But Cameron Warner and Mark L. Herchold were so closely tied that the selection committee opted to grant both of them the honor, said Johanne Jensen, coordinator of the UA's fraternity and sorority programs.
Both are known for efforts to improve safety, academic involvement and leadership within the Greek community while also boosting its reputation, said Jensen, who has worked with both students.
"The committee felt that there was really no way to choose between Mark and Cameron," she said. "Both of them feel invested in really making a change in the community and leaving it in a better place."
The two graduating seniors were recognized at a banquet at the end of April.
Warner began his undergraduate career at George Washington University in a program that was the equivalent of three majors and four minors.
It didn’t work out the way he had intended.
Warner said he was looking for a more reasonably priced university with high quality, and one that would afford him the same opportunities for involvement that he would have had he stayed in Washington, D.C. So, the Scottsdale native transferred to The University of Arizona.
The political science major will graduate Saturday alongside Herchold, a history major.
Herchold, a member of Phi Gamma Delta, served as his fraternity's philanthropy chair before taking a position with the Greek Judicial Board.
He served as a justice before becoming chief justice of the board, which mediates disciplinary actions against fraterntieis and sororities, Herchold said.
"A lot of us Greek members pride ourselves on being leaders and having strong academics," said Herchold, also a member of the Mortar Board National Senior Honorary. "But you’ve been hearing negative trends throughout the country and also about what happened at San Diego State."
Numerous news agencies reported in May that nearly 100 people, many of them San Diego State University students, were arrested for being involved in a suspected drug ring. A number of fraternities are also being investigated on allegations that they had ties to the ring.
Herchold said instances of drug and alcohol abuse among some fraternity and sorority members breeds misconceptions about the entire community.
"People think we're all about partying," said Herchold, also a member of the Greek academic honorary Gamma Sigma Alpha.
"It’s been my goal to advocate how productive we are in the community," he added.
Warner seems to exeplify just that, having been involved in about one dozen different clubs, organizations and programswhile at the UA.
“A lot of what I do is trying to be the best student that I possibly can by being actively involved,” said Warner, a Beta Theta Pi fraternity member.
During his time at the UA, Warner served as an Interfraternity Council vice president and as marketing director for the Associated Students of the UA, where he also served on the Appropriations Board.
Warner was also president of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science academic honorary, and also the Order of Omega, a national Greek leadership honorary organization. He was also president of Gamma Sigma Alpha, a national academic honor society.
Having served as vice chair for the fraternity and sorority risk management review committee at the UA, Warner was among those who evaluated and recommended policy changes to help reduce the number of sexual assault and alcohol poisoning cases reported during “bid night,” when fraternities hold simultaneous parties and inform would-be recruits if they have been accepted. Herchold also served on the committee.
“I’m really passionate about these things because I know there are values that we set forward for ourselves – service, academics, leadership and brotherhood,” said Warner, who also studied psychology and Spanish.
He also served on the search committees for administrative hires and as co-chair of the 2007 CATwalk, an annual event fraternities and sororities participate in to raise money for cancer research.
Even though his undergraduate studies focused on international relations and politics in the United States and the Middle East, Warner said that given his involvement at the UA, he intends to pursue a career in student affairs after completing his graduate studies.
“Everything I’ve done here has motivated me to go into the field,” he said, “so I can help others to have the same experience that I had."