Greek life at NSU builds leaders and forever friendships

By Brielle Aguayo •

The Panhellenic Council, the Collegiate Fraternal Council and the Unified Greek Council represent Greek life at NSU. These different councils make up sororities and fraternities. They are either defined as social-based or cultural groups.

Gerard Wheeler, assistant dean of Student Engagement, said that there is a misconception about people paying for brothers and sisters in Greek life.

“I hear that all the time. I think that fraternities and sororities develop you way more, [and there should be more emphasis] on being able to connect with alumni that are in your job field, and being able to get different scholarships,” Wheeler said.

There are opportunities in the Greek community to earn scholarships. For example, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. has given students up to $10,000 worth of scholarships. These organizations can provide professional development by being a part of them.

Wheeler said that what is portrayed on television about Greek life is not always accurate, including that hazing is shown unrealistically. On television, hazing is portrayed as over-dramatized events, while it can be the simplest things like making a new member do something or making them uncomfortable. While hazing has happened at universities, NSU takes precautions and has the tools to identify what hazing is and how it can be prevented.

“First is identifying what it is. Oftentimes people don’t know that they’re being hazed and don’t know what it is. So that’s why we started last year, ‘Greek Code’,’’ Wheeler said.

Greek Code is a seminar where students interested in joining can learn what Greek life is like at NSU and the anti-hazing policy. Greek Code will now be called Road to Olympia, and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life will continue to educate the community on hazing, by explaining what it is and helping prevent it.

The Panhellenic Council has three sororities: Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma and Sigma Delta Tau. In the fall, it hosts primary recruitment, a week-long process in which students get the chance to meet each sorority. This recruitment week will take place from Sept. 4-8.

Morgan Anderson, senior environmental science major and Panhellenic president, said the council focuses on National Panhellenic sororities and the emphasis they have on sisterhood.

Sisterhood is one of the main values of the council, and through recruitment, there are opportunities to explore the different elements of each sorority. There are multiple days of recruitment, such as a welcome round, philanthropy round and a preference round where students are invited back. When potential new members are invited back to the preference round, they experience a special ceremony and have the ability to connect more with members. It’s the last chance to see if they really fit and connect with that specific sorority. During this process, the potential new members will be able to learn about each sorority and see where they have the best connection.

Recruitment can be overwhelming and an intimidating experience, but Anderson said that shouldn’t stop people from going through the process.

“Just do it. If any inkling of you has the smallest part of wanting to go through recruitment, do it. You meet a lot of new people, you gain a lot of friends, you gain a lot of experiences and if you decide that it isn’t for you, that’s OK. But you might find something that surprises you along the way,” Anderson said.

When joining a sorority students not only form friendships but can grow their leadership skills.

Rylee West, junior business management major and vice president of programming, said she never thought that she could come to love an organization so much.

“DPhiE has truly changed my time here at NSU. It has given me countless leadership opportunities and friends that will last a lifetime. I am forever grateful for DPhiE,” West said.

The Collegiate Fraternal Council has two fraternities: Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Inc. and Kappa Sigma Fraternity. This council has week-long events that make up Rush Week, in which students interested in its fraternities meet. During Rush Week, it focuses on bonding and seeing if potential members are interested in being a part of a brotherhood.

After these week-long events, the fraternities will potentially offer a bid to students interested, and then there is an option to either accept or decline. Members have been able to connect and form lasting relationships in these brotherhoods.

“I love Kappa Sigma because of the friendships I have made over the past few years. Kappa Sigma provided me with great opportunities to explore leadership, organization rebuilding and collaboration, skills that I will definitely rely on and continue to grow in the future,” Hunter Halstead, alumnus from Kappa Sigma Fraternity Inc, said.

The Unified Greek Council has seven organizations in its council that consist of multicultural Greek organizations encompassing men and women. They are Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc and Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity.

The Unified Greek Council begins its intake process season in the winter semester.

“That means that you want to show interest in the organization, and so they’ll give you their list of requirements,” Wheeler said. “You turn in the application, you do an interview and then from there, you’re selected to start their membership process.”

Taylen Jones, junior psychology major, said his favorite part about  being in Phi Beta Sigma is the brotherhood.

“I was kind of a loner [before] I joined my organization. The fact that I have a close knit of people that I can rely on always brightens up my day,” Jones said. “They’re always open to listen and even help me with school and my classes.”

Niah Johnson, alumnus of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, said the Greek life community creates bonds within the organizations.

“It’s rewarding to see that the work you’re putting in and the time and effort to help someone else,” Johnson said. “Also, with the service that we do, we have philanthropies that are more toward our local community. When you give back, it helps you physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Wheeler said research is the best way to figure out if these organizations are a fit for students who are interested.

“All the organizations kind of do the same thing when it comes to impacting the community, community service and scholarship. Each one has their own thing that’s very important to them,” Wheeler said.

He added that people who are considering joining Greek life should get to know the organizations.

“Greek life is a lifetime commitment and members are part of these organizations for life,” Wheeler said

Anne Sylvie Jean Louis, junior psychology major, agrees.

“It goes back to our principles, especially our cultural awareness piece. It’s really important to me to be a part of a group of diverse individuals and the community because the Gammas are all over the place. I love being able to travel and get to meet new people,” Jean Louis said.

For more information:

Students who are interested in the PanHellenic Council can email pc@nova.edu

Students who are interested in the Collegiate Fraternal Council can email cfc@nova.edu

Students who are interested in the Unified Greek Council can email ugc@nova.edu

Nicole Shaker, NSU graduate and alumna, contributed to this report.