POV: Importance of Greek Life at High Point University

 POV: Importance of Greek Life at High Point University

Q news 

By Spencer Desmarais

Would you choose to join the 10% of all students in Greek life at your university based on the stereotypes that have formed around it? What are the stereotypes at your school?

Greek life is viewed differently at every university or college, small or large. At some schools, Greek life means “royalty” in the eyes of other students, at other schools Greek life is just another club. 

At High Point University, Greek life is a way to get involved on campus and a way to be a part of the 33% of students who are actively participating in their chapters. Many students said that being part of their organization was a positive experience when asked about it, but say that it is not for everyone and that is okay. 

Break Down

High Point has three different parts of their Greek organization. These include: CPC, College Panhellenic Council, NPHC, National Pan-hellenic Council, and IFC, Interfraternity Council. Each of these councils groups different organizations based on the type of sorority or fraternity the group falls under. 

CPC includes the organizations Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta, Kappa Delta, Phi Mu, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Zeta Tau Alpha. These are the sororities that currently have houses on campus in what the school calls it Greek Village. 

NPHC includes the organizations Alpha Kappa Alpha; Alpha Phi Alpha; Delta Sigma Theta; Lambda Pi Chi; Kappa Alpha Psi; Zeta Phi Beta. These organizations are based around 4 of the 9 Divine Sorority and Fraternity and one NALFO (National Association of Latino Fraternal Organization. 

Lastly, IFC includes the organizations Beta Theta Pi; Kappa Alpha Order; Kappa Sigma; Pi Kappa Alpha; Pi Kappa Phi; Sigma Nu, Delta Chi. These are the fraternities that currently have houses on campus. Delta Chi is the only exception to the houses, but are in the process of adopting one of the open houses in Greek Village in the next few years. 

Houses of Greek Circle 

Connecting with the IFC President and Panhellenic President

“I have been beyond busy as the Interfraternity Council President, overseeing the operations of 7 fraternities can be overwhelming, but it has been some of the most rewarding experiences. I can say that my fraternity brothers will be friends for life.”

Boyle’s brotherhood in Beta Theta Pi is extremely important to him and being in an organization where they are all constantly supported by one another was worth a try for him, so he said it was worth a try for anyone who may be on the fence about it. 

Sydney Sizemore, Panhellenic President, has similar feelings when speaking about her Greek experience. Sizemore is part of the chapter Phi Mu Gamma Zeta on campus and stated “Typically, sororities are thought of in only social aspects, but I love how much my chapter emphasizes philanthropy and how that is the one major thing that brings us all together.”

Philanthropy is one of the biggest parts of joining Greek life. When people are looking from the outside-in they sometimes forget about this part. Raising money and hosting events for a special cause is a major reason that many of the members joined day one. 

How are Those Involved Impacted?  

What is the importance of joining a sorority or fraternity? Why do so many people dedicate all of their time to these groups each and every day? Many members have different reasons behind their dedication and loyalty to the chapters.

Chris Price, Recruitment Chair of Delta Chi had a different reaction to why he joined his organization in comparison to Boyle who stated he “had the strongest bond with the men of Beta Theta Pi during recruitment”.

Price stated that he originally joined because “it was a brand new organization at the time so I wanted to help build something up rather than just joining something that was already established.”

Once he was in the fraternity and helped with the building of it from the ground up, he stayed because the importance of “brotherhood, secrecy, and friends” was something he could not find in any other form of his life and were things we never wanted to give up. 

Is Greek Life Still Attractive? 

Greek life has had a very positive impact on many people that are involved, however, there has been a decline in the amount of people who desire to join in the past few years. Due to the pandemic, numbers are lower for a few different reasons. 

To be in a Greek organization there is a financial commitment. As many know, the pandemic caused tight financial situations for many families. This was a drastic change on sorority and fraternity numbers the first year back from the lockdown. 

This past year, numbers have begun to increase again, but there are many chapters at every school who are struggling to get enough members to stay an organization on their campus. 

Conclusion

Every school has different views on the importance of Greek life, but at High Point University the members of fraternities and sororities are getting so much more out of their experiences than just the title of their organization. They get to work with incredible philanthropies, build bonds with their brothers/ sisters, and build impactful leadership skills for their futures. With all of these factors involved, at High Point University Greek life is worth a try. 

Works Cited 

Fraternity and Sorority Life at HPU

Greek School?

2022 Most Students In Sororities and Fraternities

Is Greek Life Worth It? 

YMCA’s RISE partners with Piedmont Opera to empower immigrant entrepreneurs

YMCA’s RISE partners with Piedmont Opera to empower immigrant entrepreneurs

BY AUTUMN KAREN

Triad City Beat

MARCH 17TH, 2022

 

The whir of sewing machines cushions melodic laughter and mumbled, feminine tones in a series of interconnected rooms at the back of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem every Wednesday morning.

White, wood cubbies reaching towards the ceiling above a long counter face the two dozen busy fingers. Each cube stores the brightly colored bits of an in-progress textile project. A neatly printed black-and-white label across the bottom of every square bears a name originating from somewhere far away: Burma, Honduras, Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela, France, China, Colombia, Afghanistan.

The women in these light-filled rooms are all non-native English speakers, here to grow their entrepreneurial capabilities through the YMCA’s Refugee & Immigrant Society of Entrepreneurs (RISE) program. The program grew largely out of the needs of Burmese immigrants who wanted to learn new textile skills.

Prior to the pandemic, the group sold many of its wares at craft fairs in the area. Participants worked with staff and volunteers to practice their English with customers, besides learning inventory and sales skills. As the world knits itself back together with in-person events, the program hopes to have these entrepreneurs behind the booth again, rather than selling only online or through custom orders.

Pandemic Effect

Arts organizations were also forced to pivot during the pandemic, opening opportunities to think about community in a different way. During those discussions, staff at Piedmont Opera brought the idea of community partnerships to the opera board. That led to a themed collaboration alongside Cinderella last year — working with the Salvation Army to collect shoes for individuals in need. With its new production of Ragtime opening this weekend, Piedmont Opera sought out an organization which highlighted immigrant and refugee populations.

Piedmont Opera board member Jill Stricklin worked closely with Literacy Program Director Ellen Gallimore to find a way to meaningfully support RISE. “Most of our fabric and supplies are donated,” Gallimore says.

To facilitate appropriate donations, Gallimore and her team created an Amazon wishlist to promote through Ragtime.

The show centers on the intertwining lives of three diverse communities, represented by three New York City stories — a wealthy white couple from New Rochelle, a Black woman and the Harlem musician she loves, and an immigrant Jewish father and his young daughter in the Lower East Side. The Tony award-winning musical, based on the acclaimed novel by EL Doctorow, presents a powerful narrative of immigration and intersection, of extreme social and economic disparity.

Diversity of the Triad

The Triad itself is home to a rich and diverse immigrant community. According to the 2020 Census, more than 8 percent of the population of Forsyth County was born outside of the United States. It’s more than 10 percent in Guilford County.

Women like Kudu Julietaw, who came from Burma years ago and has been attending Wednesday meetings since early in the program, generally make their way into RISE through its parent literacy program at the YMCA.

Right now, the group enthusiastically works to fill a custom order of Easter crafts: fluffy, sewn baskets and stuffed carrots with smirking faces. In the past, participants created intricate Christmas ornaments, embroidered books, patterned market bags and more. Though the items stitched together are often whimsical, the entrepreneurial education gives these women a substantive way to develop transferable skills.

Beside an ironing board in the workroom are two tables spread with a variety of brand-new sewing supplies that have just arrived from Amazon: rulers, rotary cutters, packages of clips, notions, and two large empty boxes. In the room next door, the immigrant entrepreneurs of RISE whizz across fabric on a 

RISE

“After I came to the RISE program, I can now sew and crochet,” Kudu Julietaw says. “Now I have a part-time job, but if I still have time, I’ll come to class.”

Participants attend RISE according to their schedules, but free on-site childcare allows parents to join when they have small children in tow.

Seated in a sunny spot among the piles of material, Julietaw’s fingers expertly stitch wide button eyes onto the face of a carrot sewn out of bold calico fabric.

RISE is designed to teach skills, but also to give earnings directly back to members. For most projects, materials are donated, putting sales proceeds into the hands of women like Julietaw. In the five years since its inception, many participants have gone on to gain full-time employment; some have bought their own homes.

The program currently has 15 members, but its space at Wesley Memorial can accommodate more people, and that’s a definite goal for Gallimore as she continues to promote the program. “I cannot thank the opera enough,” Gallimore says. “It makes such a difference for us.”  

 

 

Learn more about RISE at ymcanwnc.org/community/literacy/rise. Ragtime opens at Piedmont Opera on March 18 at the Stevens Center in Winston Salem.

Related Links: 

More in depth about RISE 

More on the Piedmont Opera