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Office
of News and Information
June 6, 2005 |
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It’s All Greek to Me In the upcoming academic year, UT Tyler could have three fraternities and three sororities on campus, with one fraternity and one sorority being historically African-American. The process is long and interesting. The first step of implementing Greek life was to inform the national governing bodies of UT Tyler’s interest in starting a Greek system. Interested fraternities and sororities provided information, and a committee composed of faculty, staff and students selected four fraternities and five sororities to present to the UT Tyler community. After the fraternities and sororities present, the committee will invite two fraternities and two sororities to colonize in the ’05 -’06 academic year. “The committee is looking for groups that contribute to the university’s mission in promoting academic excellence, adhering to their national organization’s risk management guidelines, providing community service and enhancing the college experience,” said Mindy Sutton, director of student development. An overwhelming student interest in bringing Greek life to UT Tyler was identified through a survey. The decision to begin with two fraternities and sororities and one historically African-American fraternity and sorority was based on UT Tyler’s makeup. In the 2005 spring semester, UT Tyler’s ethnicity breakdown was 77.7% Caucasian, 10.2% African-American, 5.4% Hispanic and 6.7% classified as other. The implementation of historically African-American fraternities and sororities begins with students forming interest groups for a specific fraternity or sorority. About 20 women have formed one for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and some will be initiated this summer in Little Rock, Ark. Approximately eight men are organizing themselves as an interest group to bring Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to UT Tyler. “Every fraternity and sorority belongs to a national governing body. The groups we are looking to bring to UT Tyler belong to only three of these bodies, and each has a different colonization process,” said Sutton. With the growth of the university and diversity in population, future fraternities and sororities will reflect the different nationalities represented. Every Greek organization will be open to all UT Tyler students. All Greek organizations are based on four common pillars: scholarship/academics, community service/philanthropy, brotherhood/sisterhood and leadership.
Contact person: Lisa Buchanan, (903) 565-5769
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