In light of the new school year, Rensselaer has appointed a new Associate Dean of the Greek Life Commons. Meredith Bielaska joined the Rensselaer community this fall after the position sat vacant for nearly a year. The previous Greek Dean, Rafael Matos, was removed from his position for unclear reasons after serving only six weeks at RPI.

Typically, the Dean of Greek Life Commons serves as the liaison between RPI’s 34 Greek houses and the administration, in an effort to promote the interests of both student life and Rensselaer tradition on campus. The Rensselaer Greek Life Mission statement states that “the Associate Dean for Greek Life Commons works closely in collaboration with the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils to assure that each member of the Greek student community works hand-in-hand with each other and the administration.” Given that nearly 30 percent of the Rensselaer community is Greek affiliated, the position has often served as an important point of interaction for RPI students and administrators.

Bielaska came to RPI from Kent State University, where she served as the Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life. Additionally, Bielaska has held positions at various universities regarding Greek Life since 2004.