Not So ‘Animal House’

Greek life finds its way to campusChristina OddoChronicle Staff WriterIt seems that every semester new things are happening at NYIT, and this spring is no different. This semester students have had the opportunity to learn, explore, and contribute to Greek life. Four Greek organizations: two fraternities and two sororities have found their way to campus and are recruiting members.Until recently, Greek life had not been a part of NYIT’s Manhattan campus, mainly because it is a mostly commuter campus. However, a handful of students that grew tired of this and wanted to make the experience available to other Manhattan students.Last year, Clarenda Sosa went to Administration with the intent of starting a sorority. The months that followed involved making up fliers, recruiting students, and researching suitable women’s organizations. But as members disappeared the group slowly began to lose hope, fearing that they would never get to wear Greek letters. However, working with the Office of Student Activities, the group finally achieved chapter status with Alpha Siga Tau, a sorority founded in 1899. “It is a great feeling to finally have sisterhood,” says Sosa, the chapter president. “It was worth the time, energy, and hard work and I know this was meant to be.”Since then, three other organizations have joined the fray: Sigma Iota Alpha, a Latina sorority, Phi Iota Alpha, a Latin fraternity, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Sigma Iota Alpha and Tau Kappa Epsilon both have active chapters on the Old Westbury campus. With multiple residence halls, Greek organizations have had an easier time forming on Old Westbury. The Manhattan chapters have made the most of what they have; utilizing school classrooms on weekends and reserving lounges in the Clark residence hall to hold meetings and bonding activities. The groups will try to collaborate on getting office space sometime in the near future.Some may think that fraternities and sororities’ main focus is throwing parties, but that is far from the truth. A fraternity/sorority is about dedication, charity, and brother/sisterhood. The sisters of AST held bake sales for numerous causes such as Virginia Tech, and St. Jude’s children’s hospital. They bought toys for the children at St. Vincent’s during Christmas time. And they attended New York Cares Day, which gave members the opportunity to help clean up schools and parks around the city.The fraternities are just as community-conscious. Leo Gabrillo, a new member of TKE, had this to say when asked about his fraternity: “We are not the typical ‘FRAT’ or fraternity. Yes, we do have social events but we want to aim at raising money for our chosen philanthropy and strengthen the camaraderie between the brothers.”Another common concern regarding Greek organizations is hazing. Some examples of hazing are sleep deprivation, harassment, abuse, and even humiliation. However, NYIT has a strict no-hazing policy. There will be a mandatory no-hazing seminar held every semester for all active and potential members on campus.In the end despite lacking the facilities and resources that traditional organizations might have, members are simply happy to belong. “Us girls are just so happy to see all our hard work and dedication get us to where we are today,” says Stephanie Lupo, a member of AST. We are all thrilled to be part of Alpha Sigma Tau and wear our letters proudly around campus trying to find girls we may be able to one day call sisters.”