Lanyard-clad freshmen flocked to Palmer Lawn Wednesday for the highly anticipated event, Meet the Greeks. Alongside the Entertainment Committee barbecue, every Greek organization on campus set up to meet the class of 2018 as well as any unaffiliated Stevens students. Throughout the event, students had the opportunity to meet with every fraternity and sorority to discover each organization’s values and interests—not to mention even more people to meet!
Each house was excited to meet every student interested and expressed how much they enjoyed the event themselves. “My favorite part is showing that Greek Life is nothing like the stereotypical frat you see in moves,” said Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Kris Alvarez. Each house that was interviewed stressed the importance of giving Greek Life a positive image during the event.
Another factor that set this event apart from similar past events was its timing. Meet the Greeks replaced an event called the Super Smoker, which took place later in the semester than Meet the Greeks.
Greek Life at Stevens and for all college students has a massive impact on the individual. “Your fraternity or sorority gives you a place to go when you have nowhere else to,” said Lambda Upsilon Lambda’s Joshua Negron. Family and acceptance were the two greatest values present in all fraternities and sororities on campus, creating an energizing, friendly, and fun environment.
The most miraculous aspect of the event was the camaraderie present between all of the houses on campus. “Meet the Greeks allows us to recreate the bonds that we have with other fraternities and sororities,” said Theta Phi Alpha’s Brandy Americk. New bonds and old bonds were one of the main focuses of the day; with freshmen, fraternity brothers, and sorority sisters all playing kan jam and throwing water balloons throughout the early afternoon.
Stevens’ newest sorority, Sigma Delta Tau had a commanding presence during the event with students from universities such as Rutgers in attendance to garner support for the organization’s newest chapter. Michelle Carlson, Sigma Delta Tau’s national President was present; a completely unprecedented appearance. The organization’s national extension chair, Beth Gruber, was also present and was excited to comment on Meet the Greeks and promote Sigma Delta Tau. “It’s great to showcase all of the wonderful things Greeks do,” Gruber said. “Sigma Delta Tau offers so much, and focuses on empowering women.”
Another organization that was represented in Meet the Greeks was Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity that focuses on community service while incorporating aspects of social fraternities.
Overall, Freshmen on campus enjoyed Meet the Greeks. One freshman, Kieran Mccullough, was so enthralled by a fraternity that he had already decided the organization he wanted to be a part of from this single event. “Meet the Greeks was an awesome experience. It showed a lot of the culture of Greek LIfe and that Delta (the one with all the lax and soccer guys) was the best house on campus for me,” he said. Other freshmen commented that they simply enjoyed the lively and friendly environment provided by the fraternities and sororities.
The overwhelming positive responses given by both Greeks and freshmen made Meet the Greeks a success. It will be followed up by many events to allow those who are interested to dive deeper into the rich Greek Life here at Stevens.
