Students from greek chapters around campus came
together last week to compete in Greek Week, an annual event
organized by the four greek councils to unify the campus..
C THAMBUNDIT / THE DEPAUW
Just under 70 percent of DePauw University’s student body is greek.
That means that 70 percent of the student body belongs to a fraternity or sorority. Yet many students do not seem to know much about organizations outside of the ones in their councils.
DePauw’s campus consists of four councils and a local sorority: Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), Interfraternity Council (IFC), National PanHellenic Council (NPHC), Panhellenic Council and Psi Lambda Xi
Jacob Dickey, a junior member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, part of IFC, expressed his lack of awareness about the other greek organizations.
“Usually on campus they advertise greek, and that just means IFC and Panhel[lenic],” Dickey said.
For the past two years, Greek Week, or Unity Week, has become an opportunity for the different greek organizations to cooperate by holding events together.
Senior Dione Gordon, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., part of NPHC, has contributed to the efforts aimed at having the different councils cooperate based on shared principles.
“We’re all greek organizations, and a lot of the things we stand for are the same,” Gordon said.
Junior Asucena Lopez, a member of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, part of MGC, said she has noticed the efforts toward more cooperative greeks.
“There has been a change,” Lopez said. “Every council is trying to be inclusive of each other when doing events and participating in them.”
As Greek Week draws to a close, however, this could mean the end to these interactions, at least until next year.
Junior Shakira Gibson, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., part of NPHC, is concerned with the continuation of these efforts in the long run.
“I’ve been working on a step show with members of IFC and Panhel, and the relationship seems genuine,” Gibson said. “But I don’t know if they’ll last beyond this week.”
This brings up the question of why these different organizations are normally so separated.
Junior Connor Gordon, a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, part of IFC, has noticed this.
“I think there is a lot of fragmentation about it—not a lot of awareness going back and forth,” Gordon said.
Seniors Jonathan Reyes and John Yates, members of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Fraternity, part of MGC, also commented on the lack of awareness of other greeks.
“I think there’s a miseducation and kind of a silencing of our types of organizations,” Reyes said.
Many chapters are making an effort to try to bridge the gap between the councils. Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, part of the Panhellenic Council, has created a cultural chair to get more involved and is teaming up with Sigma Lambda Gamma, part of MGC, for the Greek God and Goddess show.
“Our organizations don’t decide the goings on of the campus because DePauw is historically IFC and Panhel[lenic],” Yates said.
Senior Stephanie Aanenson of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, also part of the Panhellenic Council, thinks it is important that this is now being recognized and has made an effort to reach out to the MGC and NPHC chapter.
“We tried to get all of them to come over to dinner,” Aanenson said. “And we ended up doing a lot with Omega Phi Beta Sorority and Sigma Lambda Gamma Fraternity.”
All in all, senior Krizza Jimenez, a member of Omega Phi Beta Sorority Inc., is optimistic that these relations will persist.
“I don’t know if this will continue,” Jimenez said, “but I’m staying hopeful.”