Meet the Greeks and Round Robin Took Place for Students Interested in Greek Involvement
Meet the Greeks was held on Tuesday, September 18 at 9:30 pm in the Multipurpose Activity Center.
“Meet the Greeks is a chance for incoming freshmen, transfer students, and people interested in Greek life to come out and get to know the different fraternities and sororities we have on campus,” said Vic Nazario, Vice President of Theta Xi. Meet the Greeks is the first step in joining a fraternity or sorority.
Ten members are selected from the fraternities and sororities to tend the tables. “You pick people that are sociable, people that will go out of their way to get people to come out,” said Nazario. The tables are decorated with the fraternity and sorority letters, slideshows of pictures and banners. The students who are interested in a certain fraternity or sorority have to sign a sheet with their name, student ID number and GPA.
This year was the first time Meet the Greeks was held in the MAC instead of Anacon Hall. “We figured we’d put it here in the MAC instead of our previous spot, Anacon Hall, because of the constraints of Anacon,” said Nazario. “It’s so cramped, we figured we would put it here for potential new members to come and visit the MAC. It’s like a fair. Last year was very constricted. We want to grow it and diversify the community.”
The rain did not stop students from coming out to see the Greek organizations. Students crowded the tables to sign up for the fraternities and sororities.
The Greek Senate has been planning Meet the Greeks since the end of the spring semester. Many meetings with Tyler Havens and Amy Bellina have taken place to help to set up this event.
New Assistant Director of Student Activities for Fraternity and Sorority Life, Jon Buchalski said, “Fraternities and sororities are value-based organizations that offer real life experiences that are great for a student’s personal and professional development. Also, fraternities and sororities create a sense of community that enhances the out of the classroom learning opportunities associated with college life.”
Casey McCabe, junior and Chief Pan-Hellenic Officer, said fraternities and sororities are looking for people who are “hardworking, dedicated, personable and easy to get along with. We’re looking for someone that’s looking to just have a good experience here at Monmouth and be a part of something bigger.”
Some students went to Meet the Greeks with an interest in a certain sorority or fraternity, others were just interested in Greek life in general.
“It’s my last year and I have family members in the sorority I’m looking into,” said Jacklyn Renee Sweet, junior. “It’s legacy and tradition to join.”
The sorority Sweet is interested in is Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Some sisters of AKA put on a step performance for the Greek community at Meet the Greeks. The sisters came up with their own moves, drawing inspiration from previous step shows they have performed in.
Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority Incorporated put on the first performance of the night. It is tradition for the sisters of this sorority to “stroll.” LTA was founded in 1975, and the sisters have been incorporating their traditions ever since.
Both teams practiced their original routines for weeks before the event took place. The sisters of AKA and LTA will be performing in a step show in the residence quad in October.
Meet the Greeks always precedes Round Robin, which takes place the night after Meet the Greeks. Round Robin is the next mandatory step in the process of joining a fraternity or sorority.
“Round Robin is a process in which people who are interested in joining Greek life meet and essentially choose which organization they hope to be a part of,” said Ariana Tepedino, sophomore and sister of Phi Sigma Sigma.
“For girls it’s different than guys so I really can only tell you the sorority side of it. But they go to each room and are introduced to the sorority,” said Tepedino. They are then informed on what the philanthropy of the organization is and what the sorority stands for.
“A major part of Round Robin is that the person chooses the organization but the organization also chooses that person. In a sense, it’s a match like a matchmaker would make,” said Tepedino.
“To go Greek is a great thing, it’s a great community,” said Mc- Cabe.
PHOTO COURTESY of Victor Nazario
