Monmouth University is the home base for five Multicultural Greek Council chapters including, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc., Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc., Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
On Thursday Oct. 29, the organizations of MGC hosted a virtual event called, “Being Me in Greek Life.” The event was presented by Alexa Rodriguez, a junior psychology student, and a sister of Lambda Theta Alpha. She is also the events chair for Monmouth’s Multicultural Greek Council.
The event was an open discussion forum for members of MGC chapters to discuss their experiences in Greek life thus far. It touched on topics such as overcoming stigmas, the benefits of joining their organizations, and Greek unity.
Rodriguez opened up the event by asking what inspired participants to join an MGC organization. For many attendees of the event, it was the sense of community. Priya Telidevara, the President of MGC said, “Coming to Monmouth was definitely a culture shock for me.” Coming from a diverse hometown, she felt isolated from other cultures. She said the MGC organizations were always welcoming and gave her a “home away from home” feeling, that is often associated with joining a fraternity or sorority.
Yarleny Mejia, a junior communication student added, “I feel like MGC is really super close to each other. These are a group of people that get you. You can talk to them about anything and they just understand where you’re coming from.” Many other members of the community agreed that the support from their organizations is one of the best aspects.
Another topic of conversation was the negative stigma that Greek life often gets. Often, Greek life receives a bad reputation, especially in terms of partying and hazing. Members of the Monmouth MGC community denounced these stereotypes, saying that if anything, their organizations pushed them to become better members of the campus community. Vanessa Espino, a sister of Chi Upsilon Sigma said, “I feel like for me, it was definitely that I learned more about professionalism and time management.”
Many participants have also benefited from a leadership standpoint. Telidevara said, “I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned from Greek life is separating business matters from personal matters, especially because these are my sisters.” She said it’s helped her create professional boundaries when dealing with business matters within her organization, Lambda Theta Alpha.
Will Nicholson, the Graduate Intern in the Office of Fraternity Life asked attendees to share memories that they have working with other organizations on campus. Participants agreed that philanthropy is a common bond. Mejia reflected on The Big Event saying “I specifically remember having a grand old time with Lambda Theta Phi, their jokes are so funny. Not even that, but there were people from IFC and Panhellenic, and it was lowkey so fun.”
MGC will be hosting more events throughout the semester. For more information, follow their Instagram page, @monmouth_ mgc.
PHOTO COURTESY of Mike Lanis
