The letters on sorority and fraternity T-shirts and sweatshirts might be from the Greek alphabet, but in the Greek organizations in Boston University’s Multicultural Greek Council, these letters stand for entirely different cultures.
The Multicultural Greek Council helps bring together cultural interest groups to create an expansive society who supports one another through social and philanthropic events. These organizations are cultural, but they not exclusive to a specific ethnicity.
“MGC [Multicultural Greek Council] allows cultural fraternities and sororities to connect on a social and business level,” said Tony Chu, a School of Management sophomore and a brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon, who is also serving as the council’s treasurer. “It unifies us all on campus.”
The Multicultural Greek Council welcomes new recruits in both the fall and the spring and is made up of six different cultural fraternities and sororities who are governed by an Executive Board comprised of delegates from these separate organizations. The board meets once every two weeks.
The different fraternities and sororities come together for events such as the Greek Olympics, which they organized last year, and numerous service events such as making cards for non-profit organizations.
“I’m excited to be a part of MGC E-Board this year,” said Melissa Lee, a sophomore in the College of Communication and a sister of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, who is also serving as the board’s events coordinator. “I want to work on the relationships within each organization and really solidify the family bond we already have.
“I also want to work with Panhel [Panhellenic Council] and IFC [Interfraternity Council] organizations as a learning experience for us as well as them…and to expand our networks overall within the BU community.”
Meet the Multicultural Greek Council
The Multicultural Greek Council is composed of six different cultural fraternities and sororities: alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Delta Phi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Phi Iota Alpha, Sigma Beta Rho and Iota Nu Delta Fraternity, Inc.
alpha Kappa Delta Phi is an international Asian interest sorority with 48 chapters within the United States and Canada. Its largest national philanthropy is breast cancer awareness, and the group plans annual events in October to raise funds for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. To learn more about alpha Kappa Delta Phi, visit their website.
Delta Phi Omega is a South-Asian interest sorority with 13 chapters and 29 colonies throughout the United States. The group focuses on raising awareness for children’s education, largely though a Literacy Through Unity Week. To learn more about Delta Phi Omega, visit their website.
Lambda Phi Epsilon is an Asian interest fraternity with 58 chapters internationally in the United States and Canada. The fraternity’s national philanthropy revolves around raising awareness for bone marrow drives, planning events accordingly each year to match donors and donating money to the National Marrow Donor Program. To learn more about Lambda Phi Epsilon, visit their website.
Phi Iota Alpha is a national Latino fraternity within the United States. The fraternity focuses on supporting developing communities on a global level through foundations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF. To learn more about Phi Iota Alpha, visit their Facebook page.
Sigma Beta Rho is a multicultural fraternity within the United States. The fraternity works with SOS Children’s Villages to provide children with medical care and find families for orphaned children. To learn more about Sigma Beta Rho, visit their website.
Iota Nu Delta Fraternity, Inc. is a South-Asian interest fraternity in the United States. The fraternity bases its philanthropy on an organization called Active Minds, which advocates for stable mental health within the college community. To learn more about Iota Nu Delta, visit their Facebook page.
For those who desire to create a new cultural interest group on campus, the Multicultural Greek Council delegates a semester trial period for a new organization to recruit a set amount of members before officially accepting it into the Council.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article described Sigma Beta Rho as a South Asian fraternity. The article has been updated to reflect this change.
