Two outstanding leaders were among the individuals recently honored during Monmouth College’s Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards ceremony.
Nominated by three different chapters, Zeta Beta Tau’s Corey Pevitz ’24 of Naperville, Illinois, received the Greek President award, and he was also named Greek Man of Year.
The Greek Woman of the Year honor went to Alpha Xi Delta’s Tori Cook ’24 of Joliet, Illinois, who was a past recipient of the Emerging Female Leader award. This year’s Emerging Female Leader was also a member of AXD, Kamea Graham ’26 of Chicago, while ZBT member Cameron Shook ’25 of Morton, Illinois, received the Emerging Male Leader award.
Pevitz was a big winner on the night, and so was his ZBT fraternity, which took home the Chapter Program award for its Wellness Fair, as well as the awards for Involvement & Leadership Development, Chapter Education & Programming, and Philanthropic Programming. ZBT chapter adviser Mark Tupper ’94 won the Greek Adviser award.
Pevitz did it all
Pevitz received glowing praise from across the College’s Greek Life community, and one of his accomplishments that drew the most praise was helping ZBT bring in a recruiting class last fall of 14 new members, nearly doubling the size of the fraternity. It was also the largest incoming Greek life class across campus. At the end of the fall semester, nearly half the chapter made the Dean’s List, in part due to the new academic plan that he co-wrote.
“Corey’s main goals as president focused on awareness of Jewish heritage, strengthening brotherhood bonds across the chapter, and serving as a mentor to underclassmen members,” wrote one nominator. “He facilitated a program on combating antisemitism on college campuses, with attendees ranging from students, faculty and staff to community members.”
Pevitz has also successfully taken on the stigma often associated with Greek life, “showing what we as members of fraternity and sorority life should strive for,” wrote another nominator. “Even before he was president, he worked hard to educate members of our campus on ways to prevent hazing and stop sexual assault, harassment and violence, which are prevalent problems in Greek life nationwide. Corey is constantly showing brothers how to rise above and be the best.”
Since his involvement on the executive board, Monmouth has been named the best in the nation among ZBT chapters and the second best. At ZBT’s international convention last summer, the chapter received the Outstanding Programming and Outstanding Philanthropy awards. They were also the first chapter to be officially accredited by ZBT. Last summer, Pevitz also received a $17,500 scholarship, the largest given out in ZBT’s history.
Through ZBT’s national office, Pevitz was selected for a committee that evaluated the effectiveness of the fraternity’s officer structure and determined what changes may be necessary. He also served on ZBT’s national mental health committee.
His list of campus involvements are many. Pevitz has served as vice president of Scots Student Senate, as well as a sports information assistant, speech tutor, house manager for Founders Village, lead first-year mentor, and lead writing tutor. He is a member of Stockdale Fellows, Teachers Allied with Rural Towns and Neighborhood Schools, and Golden Apple. He has also served as the treasurer for the Chorale and president of local Illinois Educators Association organization, all while earning a perfect 4.0 GPA in six of his seven semesters.
“ZBT and Monmouth wouldn’t be the same without him, and he is entirely irreplaceable,” wrote a nominator.
Cook a valuable VP
Cook has held several positions on the AXD Executive Board, bringing success to each sector of the chapter she’s led as vice president, which include Finance and Operations, Chapter Life and Membership.
“She is a natural-born leader and took on her first role as the lead of the financial team her freshman year, showing incredible initiative and promise as a budding force in our chapter,” wrote her nominator. “She tactfully handled the sensitive financial situations of members as we returned to normal functioning after the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Dean’s List student majoring in physics, Cook was also touted as being “the most knowledgeable person in our chapter when it comes to rules, policies and proceedings.” In her Membership role, “recruitment was the most organized and prolific we’ve experienced, all thanks to her meticulous planning and perfect execution.”
Cook has served as a tutor for the physics department, as well as a mentor for SOFIA students for two years, leading research projects for incoming freshmen. She is the student manager for the women’s soccer team, a Scots Ambassador, president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the prestigious Stockdale Fellows program.
Alongside her successful AXD endeavors, Cook has served as president of Order of Omega and hosted its first philanthropic event in several years, raising funds for the Monmouth-Roseville Education Foundation.
“She is innately so self-motivated and driven that no matter the task given to her, she produces results that other people dream of achieving,” wrote her nominator. “She is the living, breathing embodiment of our core values – courage, graciousness and peace.”
Other award recipients
Pi Beta Phi member Lillian Hucke ’24 of Aledo, Illinois, received the Doc Kieft Award, and Pi Phi was also the winner of the Academic Excellence award. The Chapter Operations award went to Sigma Phi Epsilon, while Phi Delta Theta was honored for Community Service.
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
