Phi Senators

The Philanthropic Assembly proudly continues the rebellious tradition of Society father David Gillespie, who led the organization to break away from the Debating Society just twenty-nine days after its foundation. The Phis follow the ideal of libertas (hinting at a long-standing point of disagreement between the two Societies) in addition to the old Di values of virtus and scientia. Phi Speaker William “Stormy” Epley currently leads the Phis in the continual search for self-betterment. Find a list of current active Philanthropic Senators below. The Philanthropic Constitution may be viewed here.

Alex Rhinehalt, Senator

Senior | Political Science
Joined: November 15th, 2021

“Horses have no morality, they live by godless horse rules.”

– Cody Johnson

Maddox Addy, Senator

Senior | Sociology and Political Science
Joined: February 28th, 2022

“I comprehended that it was my task: to make difficulties everywhere.”

– Søren Kierkegaard

Andrew Forbes, Senator

Junior | Public Policy and Economics
Joined: September 12th, 2022

“Not TV or illegal drugs but the automobile has been the chief destroyer of American communities.”

– Jane Jacobs

Dillon Page, Ambassador to the Italian Republic

Junior | History and Anthropology
Joined: October 10th, 2022

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

– Soren Kierkegaard

Zenith Jarrett, Senator

Junior | Psychology
Joined: October 17th, 2022

“If you should see a man walking down a crowded street, talking aloud to himself… don’t run in the opposite direction, but run towards him. For he is a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet but the truth.”

– Ted Joans

Maximilian Alexander Peklo, Senator

Senior | Psychology
Joined: March 20th, 2023

“Record Maker. Speed runner. Fastest modern day petition? Definitely most clutch speech ever written!”

– Senator Maximilian Alexander Peklo

Ethan Crook, Senator

Senior | Computer Science and Physics
Joined: March 20th, 2023

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”

– Neil deGrasse Tyson

Bennett Lasater, Senator

Senior | History
Joined: October 23rd, 2023

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.”

– Sylvia Plath

Ziqi Deng, Senator

Sophomore | Political Science
Joined: November 6th, 2023

“. . .my dreams are the single unpredictable factor in my zoned days and nights. Nobody allots them, or censors them. Dreams are all I have ever truly owned.”

– David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas”

Zihan Wu, Senator

Sophomore | Philosophy and Economics
Joined: February 19th, 2024

Isabel Ebin, Senator

Sophomore | Music and Economics
Joined: February 26th, 2024

“You might think that. I couldn’t possibly comment.”

– Francis Urquhart

Neah Trempé, Senator

Sophomore | English and Comparative Literature
Joined: March 4th, 2024

“In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.”

– Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Joseph Kledis, Senator

Sophomore | Economics
Joined: March 4th, 2024

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

– Albert Einstein

William “Stormy” Epley, Phi Speaker

Senior | Political Science and English
Joined: March 18th, 2024

“In a world too often governed by corruption and arrogance, it can be difficult to stay true to one’s philosophical and literary principles.”

– Lemony Snickets

Cristina Matlock, Senator

Senior | Art and Geology
Joined: September 9th, 2024

“I wondered how it was possible to fall so quickly into conversation with a stranger. There was something thrilling in it, risky and dramatic.”

– Joyce Carol Oates

Jack Barr, Senator

Freshman | Peace, War, and Defense
Joined: September 30th, 2024

“We lose—because we win—Gamblers—recollecting which Toss their dice again!”

– Emily Dickinson

Aakash Palathra, Senator

Freshman | Global Studies and Public Policy
Joined: September 30th, 2024

“?”

– ?

Gray Ryan, Senator

Freshman | Biology
Joined: October 7th, 2024

“I know how I live my life. i have a little magnet brain that attracts the kind of things that obsess me”

– Sophie Calle

Cassius Khan, Historian

Freshman | Classics and Journalism
Joined: October 14th, 2024

“Our curiosity goes with you on your journey. You walk in the footsteps of those who came before you, and your path guides those who will follow later.”

– Outer Wilds