Meet the Greeks, held in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union’s Royal Cotillion Ballroom Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m., is an annual fall semester program open to the general student body. The program is hosted by the Southern University chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, or the joint collaboration of the nine historically black Greek lettered organizations, and serves as a brief introduction of the histories and missions of each organization.
Beryl Davis, the Council’s president, said that the program is not strictly for freshman, rather, “It’s geared towards everyone, although sometimes mainly freshmen attend. It gives them a chance to experience Greek life.”
The organizations in attendance were Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated.
“It’s not about Greek unity,” said Bobbye Mathews. Mathews, a senior mechanical engineer major from New Mexico, and a member of the council, “It’s about supporting and respecting each other.”
Twayna Cain, coordinator of the Office of Student Programs, agrees.
“It’s the most effective way for perspective members to learn organizations requirements, and for organizations to meet perspective members,” said Cain.
Brittni Allen, a 2007 initiate of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, said that meeting the Greeks proved to be beneficial to her.
“Obviously I’ve been to Meet the Greeks before,” said Allen, a recruiter for the Office of Admissions.
“I believe it’s very informative, so all Greeks can showcase themselves. The program allows for some perspective; therefore everyone should go to all tables, especially the organization that you’re interested in.”
This year’s program had an added feature for attendees: voter registration. The keynote speaker for the event, Edward “Ted” James, an alum of Southern University, as well as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, encouraged in state and out of state students to register to vote in Louisiana.
“I don’t like what I hear when I talk to people about Southern students,” said James. “They say you don’t care about the political process. Voter turnout at the F.G. Clark Activity Center was the lowest in the state for the last election.”
James encouraged all students to embrace their right to vote, especially in the upcoming presidential elections, something that Davis said ties in to both Meet the Greeks as well as being a student.
“We have the opportunity to be apart of a key election,” she said. “We need to join in as a Jaguar Nation and vote, and not just for national elections either—there are local representatives running for office that need to be put in office.”
James spoke on the importance of community service, a uniting factor in all of the organizations present, and how being chosen for any organization should change their members. “You’re supposed to change once you cross,” he said. “It should make you a better person.”
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