Undergraduate President’s Report -Mina Para ’17
Dearest Ivy Alumni,
Salutations, again! It has been a busy fall at Ivy, indeed! With a few new faces in the Club, cool-butnot-cold weather, and an Ivy League championshipwinning football team (including Nico Bayless ’18), it has made for a great autumn at the Ivy Club.
Among the new faces is our new Executive Chef, Jean Giunta. Jean has been cooking up some incredible stuff in her short time at the Club. My personal favorite is her hearty, not-to-beunderestimated lentil soup. It’s unstoppable. Her jovial presence and enthusiasm for cooking have been an enormous addition to the Club, and we are all so glad to have her.
We also added seven new members through our fall Bicker process. They are all juniors and have seamlessly made themselves part of the Club since their initiation in early October. Fall Bicker continues to provide an excellent opportunity for the Club to come together early in the year and make some great additions to our membership.
Perhaps the greatest addition to the club, however, is Beatrice. Using an Ivy tie-dye t-shirt sale as a fundraiser, the Club raised over $800 for The Cow Sanctuary, a non-profit organization in nearby Shiloh, NJ that provides an animal sanctuary on their 77-acre farm. In return for our donation, we received a “cowch” (a portmanteau of cow & couch)—a life-size, fluffy orange floor pillow made to the likeness of a real cow that we’ve named Beatrice. Embroidered with the Ivy crest on its side, Beatrice is sure to be a great lounge item for Ivy members present and future.
As I begin the final leg of my time at Princeton, I find myself reflecting about my time here, the people I have met, the experiences we’ve shared, and the institutions we will leave. I believe much of this sentimentality has been spurred by you, our alumni. One thing about being Undergraduate President here is that I more frequently interact with our alumni than most members. Hearing stories from our alumni about their undergraduate experience and how Ivy was an integral part of that has forced perspective on my last year here. I brace, knowing that a “real world” outside of this place awaits, but am more excited than ever to enjoy my dwindling time at Ivy—a place that despite an everchanging university and world, remains a special place to all its members and alumni. I look forward to seeing you all around. Don’t hesitate to stop by for a meal!
Sincerely,
Mina Para