Stepping, strolling, chanting, doing your organization’s call, participating in educational or cultural events, giving and showing respect to each organization – can this sum up what Black and Latino Greeks are about?
Not necessarily, yet, what I can say is that each organization on this campus has not only grown in numbers, but has excelled beyond all norms in fulfilling the missions of not only their own organizations, but of the university, as well.
The Multicultural Greek Council has grown in numbers that both amaze and excite me. I was not really interested in pursuing Greek Life when I first came to UR. However, one of the first things that caught my attention on this campus my freshman year was the lack of Black or Latino Greek women.
The existence of these sororities was not well publicized. Who would have known that these types of organizations were out there, and each focused on unique philanthropies and causes.
This past spring semester, the MGC not only welcomed many new members, but has also benefited in more ways than one. Even though we are a small body of members – compared to both the Fraternity Presidents’ Council and the Panhellenic Association – we put in an immense amount of our time and hard work making each educational, cultural or social program a success.
These last couple of weeks, the organizations in MGC have come together to support each other in the various efforts to raise money for Hurricane Katrina. Since the beginning of classes, a number of organizations have already held events, given back to the Rochester community and given their time to support many other college functions.
The fraternities and sororities that are a part of MGC not only provide opportunities for students to form lifelong bonds of sisterhood or brotherhood in their own respective chapters, but across the nation.
Each MGC organization offers its own unique and personal experience, but some of the things we all strive for includes the importance of maintaining high academic standards, serving the campus and the community and being active in campus life.
Do any of these goals appeal to you? Some of you may think “I have my friends what do I need Greek life for?”
The Greek community, as a whole, has not only stepped up their level of commitment not only to the UR community but has also demonstrated that there is Greek Unity. The real challenge is up to you to find out more about Greek life.
Peralta can be reached at aperalta@campustimes.org.
