Forward Together - Episode 27 | Greek Life @ Wichita State

[00:00:11] Speaker A: Hello, and welcome to the Forward Together podcast. Student life refers to the everyday life of a student, including their academic program, their activities, and the people and things they connect with. There are many extracurricular activities at Wichita State, and today we're going to talk about about Greek life and the fraternities and sororities at Wichita State. My guests today are the council Presidents that represent 26 Greek letter organizations at Wichita State. All right, well, thank you guys for joining me today and joining the podcast. It's good to see you all. We've been talking about doing something for a long time, and I'm so glad that you had the time to come by, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say. And we've had longstanding Greek life organizations on campus for many years and kind of some ebbs and flows. And one of the purposes of this get together today is to hear more about what you all are doing and where you want to go and also to help promote Greek life on campus. So using this as an opportunity for that. So let's go around and introduce yourself. [00:01:22] Speaker B: Okay. My name's Aiden Powell. I'm a senior studying organizational leadership with a minor in sport management. I'm a member of Delta Upsilon, and I'm the president of the Interfraternity Council. [00:01:32] Speaker A: Yep. And Du House is the original president's house of the university that was moved over to where it is today. [00:01:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it was moved over in the 1940s. They put it on a truck. I found that on the library like a news article. [00:01:48] Speaker A: Oh, that's cool. I didn't know that. Yeah, they actually moved it on a truck. It was over there kind of on the other side of 17th Street. Now it's on the south side now. Yeah. Cool. All right. [00:02:01] Speaker B: Hello. [00:02:02] Speaker C: My name is Erica Mendoza. I'm a senior majoring in marketing with emphasis in real estate, Minors in finance and management. I'm a sister of Capital Takaya Sorority Incorporated, and I'm also the president for the Cultural Greek Council. [00:02:14] Speaker A: Okay, great. Welcome. [00:02:16] Speaker D: Hey, I'm Aubrey Russell, and I am majoring in communication science and disabilities. I am a senior, and I am a part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and I am the president of the National Panhellenic Council. [00:02:29] Speaker A: Okay, good. [00:02:31] Speaker E: Hi. My name is Lauren Walters. I am a senior in nursing school in. My minor's in psychology, and I'm a member of Gamma Phi Beta, and I'm the president of the Pan Hellenic Council. [00:02:44] Speaker A: Great. Great. Well, welcome again. So we're going to talk about a lot of things today. But first I would just like for you to let's go around and explain to our listeners the purpose of the council you represent and the organization that is a part of the council that you represent. So who wants to start? Erica? Yeah, go ahead. [00:03:07] Speaker C: Okay, I can start. So my council is a cultural Greek council. And our council is here to provide support for the cultural organizations. We have three current active councils, chapters within our council. So we have capital to Sorority Incorporated, which is a Latina based sorority, but not exclusive, so anyone can join. We have Sigma Lambda Beta, International Fraternal Council. They have a multicultural background. So a lot. They have a lot of members. And then we have Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Incorporated, who also do have multicultural background members. So we just are here to welcome people with cultural or like, if they don't want to specify with one cultural organization, we do have different organizations for them to join and just make them feel welcome and support, especially since a lot of us are minority groups. So it's just that welcome feeling, especially here on campus. And it's just a support system. [00:04:02] Speaker A: Overall, how do you like being the president? [00:04:06] Speaker C: You know, it can be a little stressful sometimes, but I will say I've gotten a lot of leadership roles and I've gotten a lot of experience outside of just Greek life and things like that. So it's pretty fun. I've gotten to meet a lot of the new members and a lot of the older members, alums. And I will say I do enjoy it, even though it can be stressful at times, but I enjoy it. [00:04:27] Speaker A: And so the sororities that you represent, many of those have been on campus for a long time, right? [00:04:34] Speaker C: Yes. [00:04:34] Speaker A: So like give me an example of that. [00:04:37] Speaker C: So for instance, my sorority, Kapil Takai, we've been on campus since 2000 and then we had to rechart her back in 2015. So they've been here for a little longer. Sigma Sizeta has also been here, I want to say, from 2019, I believe. And also Sigma Lambda Beta, they were also here in 2001. So all of us have been here for a while. Back when we were multicultural grade Council. [00:05:02] Speaker A: Okay, great. So, Aubrey, how about you? [00:05:06] Speaker D: Wow. So our MPHC's purpose is to promote cultural awareness to our organizations. We are. MPHC is nine organizations of African American sororities and fraternities. So here at Wichita State, we have eight out of the nine. Dang. I feel like I should go list all of them, but yikes. So we have Alphas, the Akas, the Kappas, Deltas, Q's, Sigmas, Zetas, and Sigma Gamma Rows a lot. [00:05:35] Speaker A: Got them all. [00:05:36] Speaker D: Yeah, I know. We're just missing the Iota, so I don't know if we're going to get them hopefully one day. But we do a lot of cultural events, we promote academics, we promote social events. And then we're also high on community service. So we, like, love to be in our community and helping out. So, yeah, that is our purpose. To just highlight, show light. Not highlight, show light. To just highlight our community. [00:06:02] Speaker A: So how are you enjoying your time as president? [00:06:04] Speaker D: You know, there's a lot of ups and downs, a lot of them. But one thing that I learned is that you have to meet your counsel where they're at and not where you want them to be at. And that really opened my eyes. So it's been up since. [00:06:21] Speaker A: So when someone says the Divine Nine, what does that mean? [00:06:25] Speaker D: That's just another name for mphc. So since there's nine organizations, it's the Divine Nine. [00:06:32] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:33] Speaker D: We only have Divine Ape. [00:06:35] Speaker A: Okay. So, Lauren, tell me about your organization and your presidency. [00:06:42] Speaker E: Yeah. So the purpose of the Panhellenic Council is to foster a sense of sisterhood here on campus. We have opportunities for networking, volunteering, academic support, leadership. Obviously, like, I've really grown in my leadership roles here at WSU. Within the Panhellenic Council, we have five of the 26 national Panhellenic sororities. Just NPC, not with the H, it gets confusing. But ours, we usually just try to stick PC or npc, but we have Alpha Phi Delta Delta Delta Delta Gamma Gamma Phi Beta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma here at Wichita State. [00:07:27] Speaker A: Okay. And how's your presidency been going for this council? [00:07:31] Speaker E: It's been good. This is actually my second term of service serving on the Pan Hellenic Council board as president, my third year on the Pan Hellenic Council. So, you know, I feel like I've really grown as a person and learned a lot about leading people, and I learned a lot about myself. And I'm just really grateful to be able to have learned those skills on this team because I feel like I would not be the person I am today without all the experience I've had. [00:07:58] Speaker A: That's great to hear. Yeah. So, Aiden, tell us about you. Not you who already know about you, but tell us about your council and who you represent. [00:08:08] Speaker B: Yeah. So the Interfraternity Council, pretty much all of our chapters are all based on academics, service, and networking. So in a given year, we raise about $59,000 for our chapters. Philanthropy events based off the philanthropy Events that goes to philanthropy. [00:08:25] Speaker A: That's just your council? [00:08:26] Speaker B: Just my council. [00:08:27] Speaker A: Okay. [00:08:27] Speaker B: And then we. My council also within the chapters, they give about $41,000 a year in scholarships. So we're very academic driven along with service. And then also, all of our fraternities have been chartered at wichita State. Well, five. Five of the seven have been chartered since the late 50s, early 60s. And then we have two smaller chapters that don't have houses, but they still bring a lot to our council. And they were chartered within the 2000 and tens. So we have seven chapters. We have Fido, SAE, Sigap, Du Lambda Beta, and Farmhouse. Those are our seven. And yeah, so we were very driven on scholarship. Scholarship, philanthropy and networking. [00:09:19] Speaker A: And so DU house, that's the oldest one on campus, isn't it? [00:09:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:25] Speaker A: And that was founded by the first president of the university, Nathaniel Morrison. Yeah, so that's kind of extra special. That's why you're in the president's house. [00:09:32] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So Nathaniel Morrison, he was the first president, Wichita State. He founded the Men of Webster, which was a book club. And then we then became the Men of Webster, then became the DU chapter of Men of Webster, and then we. So we have been DU since 1959, but we've been an organization at Wichita State since 1895. [00:09:56] Speaker A: That's awesome. So tell me about how your presidency is going. [00:10:00] Speaker B: So I was president of DU before I took over as the council president. And I thought, you know, it was going to be kind of the same, you know, leading one fraternity to overseeing seven, but it's a completely different ball game. There's a lot more that goes on with the council than I thought originally. Like, you know, being the chapter president, I thought IFC is easy. You just have to host one meeting a week. It's easy. No. Lots of curve balls going your way. You have seven times the amount of drama and stuff you got to deal with than being just a normal chapter president. [00:10:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Welcome to my world. I'm assuming that you all meet together periodically as a group. [00:10:41] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:10:41] Speaker A: And then do you meet with someone on the student affairs staff, or do they kind of organize that for you, or do you just do it yourself? [00:10:52] Speaker C: We student FSL advisors. So student engagement, belonging. There's two fraternity and sorority life coordinators, but as of right now, I think it would be Curry Brown Jones who kind of culates the meeting and sends us the schedules and things like that. [00:11:10] Speaker A: Okay. So I think I was talking to Dr. Hall about this. You know, she's a sorority. I wasn't a Greek student. So I've learned a lot through all of this, being in my role and understanding what y'all have done or what you do. But Dr. Hall knows all about this and so I talked to her about this too, getting you all together. And I know she'll appreciate hearing what you have to say. Okay, next questions. So there's going to be some standards, I'm assuming. What are those? Academic standards for your. Your organizations. You have to have a certain gpa, you know, a certain level. So Lauren, you want to go? [00:11:56] Speaker E: I think for all of fsl, at least I know for sure Panhellenic is at least a 2.5 to join. [00:12:02] Speaker A: Okay. Is that. That's the only. [00:12:04] Speaker E: Only is anyone else's have to be. [00:12:06] Speaker A: A full time student or something like that. [00:12:10] Speaker E: You do? Yeah. I'm not. Each chapter I know has different rules, but for Panhellenic I believe. Yeah. [00:12:17] Speaker A: So you're shaking your head. [00:12:18] Speaker B: Yeah. For IFC, it's a 2.5 minimum. Minimum to get in. But every chapter, some chapters, some like. So some IFC chapters have a higher minimum. So some chapters you have to have a 2.8 to be to get a bid into that chapter. And then some chapters have to hit a certain semester GPA while in the chapter. So for example, I can speak on DU, you have to have a 2.85 cumulative GPA to not be on academic probation. Which academic probation. You're still in the chapter. But the exec board kind of decides like they put you on study hours, they set you up with like a study buddy. You have to go at the library for certain depending on your major, you have to meet with certain people, go to different SI sessions, so that kind of thing. But every chapter is different. But It's a minimum 2.5. And then you also have to be a full time student at the time of signing your bid card. So you have to be at least in 12 credit hours when you sign your bid card or at the start of the school year. And then stuff happens all the time. But you have to at least have 12 credit hours and a 2. 5. [00:13:24] Speaker A: Okay, so who's keeping track of all that? [00:13:27] Speaker B: I believe it's. I think it's fsl. Yeah, fsl. [00:13:30] Speaker A: So Aubrey, what about your council? Is it similar? [00:13:33] Speaker D: Yes, so it actually very much is, which is interesting. So you have to have a 2.5 GPA to be in any other organizations. And then R is ours is like you have to have 15 college credit hours. And then depending on the organizations, they would Want you to have WSU credit hours or not and then you have to be a full time student. [00:13:55] Speaker A: Okay. And Erica, what about your area? [00:13:57] Speaker C: So, yeah, it's the same thing. I think it's because WSE requirement, you do have to have a 2.5, just as a minimum. But for our organizations, a lot of them are a little higher. So it could be like a 2.70, 2.8. It just depends on the organization. For us. For Katie Kai specifically, we can't take first term freshmen. So that's also something that does differentiate us a little bit. But a lot of them are able to take them freshmen or they have to be of full time student. They also, I think for Katy Kai wise, we can't take any WSU Tech students. So they have to be WSU students in tech. [00:14:34] Speaker A: Okay, so we'll just stick with you. So why did you choose to be a part of the Greek system? What was it that made you want to do that? [00:14:42] Speaker C: It's a very great question. So at first I never saw myself in a sorority. It's very hard to explain that to family members. I never really grew up knowing that there was other sororities outside of PC. So coming into Wichita and wsu I was able to meet new girls through like Halo and things like that. And they were telling me about their experience in a cultural organization. So I was able to make friendships first. And they slowly but surely convinced me a little bit. They invited me to a lot of their events, fundraisers, things like that. Just also outside of school because they knew I'm not from here. So like they knew I wanted to make that connection and bond. So it was a lot of like friendship wise. And then I saw how close the community is. I saw how they supported other organizations, how other organizations came out and supported their events, and also like the friends that they made throughout like different organizations. And that's something I really admired and I really wanted to do that. I wanted to get out of my shell a little bit and I'm just really grateful that I got the opportunity for that. [00:15:48] Speaker A: Yeah, well, one of the things that. And I'll get to you all the others to talk about why you joined. One of the things, one of our interests in supporting Greek life and helping expand Greek life is it's a retention tool. We know that students who are connected and develop that community, like you're just describing, are more likely to be successful and graduate. And one of the other things that we know about Greek students is they are very much supportive of the university and they want to, not only as a student, but when they're alums, we can always count on Greek students to come back to the university and provide that support. But, you know, major supporters while they're in school, too. So that's a very positive for us because we need student engagement on campus and we need more of it. So, Aubrey, what about you? [00:16:44] Speaker D: My dad was a part of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity Incorporated. So, like, watching him and all his frat brothers bond and just that relationship, I was like, wow, that's kind of interesting. And then I also had family members who were part of Delta, so I also watched them and how they reacted in the community and just at home and how they carried themselves, and it made me interested. And then I came to Wichita State, and I was like, I know what I want to do. So, yeah, that's why I joined. [00:17:14] Speaker A: Good, Lauren. [00:17:16] Speaker E: So I went Greek because when I graduated high school, I'm from Wichita, a lot of my friends went to other schools. And so I really wanted to make the most out of college and kind of put in a lot so I could get out a lot out of it is how I like to think about it. So I signed up for formal recruitment back in 2021 in August, and it was still kind of COVID times. So the first round was a virtual round on Zoom. And it was so interesting. But we were just talking about this the other day at the chapter house. But it was so interesting. The conversations we had over Zoom were still, like, as authentic as they would be, like, I feel like, in person. And they were when I went in person for the rounds, like, afterward. So I had talked to a specific gal in G5, and her and I really clicked. And so I really saw what she got out of G5. And so I really wanted that for myself. So, yeah, okay. [00:18:21] Speaker A: Okay. Aiden, what about you? [00:18:23] Speaker B: I just wanted to get involved. So I waited. My mom, she went to an SEC school, and so did my dad, and my dad was in a fraternity. And my mom was very anti Greek from the get go. And then I convinced her, like, in March, like, hey, mom, it's my freshman year. I want to get involved. And she said, do what you want. I trust you. Then I met the guys at du. [00:18:46] Speaker A: They're. [00:18:46] Speaker B: They're a very special bunch. I said, mom found my guys. And then I joined. I signed on a Sunday and then started the new member process that Monday, and then got initiated two months after that, and then president seven months after that, too. [00:19:03] Speaker E: So then you showed up to the Greek relations meeting. I Was like, who's this kid? [00:19:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I wasn't even initiated yet. [00:19:11] Speaker D: Wow. [00:19:11] Speaker E: Yeah, you were. [00:19:12] Speaker B: I just kind of jumped in. [00:19:15] Speaker E: You did great. [00:19:16] Speaker B: Thanks. [00:19:17] Speaker A: I want to just let our listeners know that they're all wearing their T shirts and shirts, sweatshirts with their name of their organization on their front. So glad we got that message. So people or they know. Yeah. So you've talked, some of you talked about this already, but maybe elaborate a little bit. And Aiden, we can go back to you. What kinds of opportunities does Greek life present to you and to your brothers and at Wichita State? [00:19:53] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. So I would say, I would say my fraternity opened a bunch of doors for me. I know I wouldn't be in any situation I'm in now without like my fraternity. Like right now. My phone, it's annoying, but my phone's always ringing. I've always got an alumni calling about something or it's always ringing. But I know I could always, I could always pick up the phone and call an alumni if I'm looking for a job opportunity or if I need help with anything, either event wise or just class wise. And there's been about 2500 guys initiated in DU and so that's over time, over time since 1895 and so ones that you know were within a few years ago. I could easily pick up the phone and definitely help. Post college, the fraternity, it's fun. Like during college you get to play in events, you get to meet a ton of guys. But after college, that's where you can really get your benefit out of it, is just having those networking opportunities. Our alumni Facebook group is always blowing up. We need anyone who is an engineering major. Here's my phone number, call me. I have a job opening in Dallas. So it's always. Networking is probably the biggest thing that you can take out of a fraternity. [00:21:13] Speaker A: Yeah. And I know that some sororities and fraternities, if you want to find out about someone, all you gotta do is get on your database or I'm sure there's a portal or something for all the different organizations and it's just easy to find where people are, who they are. So Erica, what about you? [00:21:35] Speaker C: I will say backing off what Aiden said, it's that networking skills, especially like our chapters under the Cultural Greek Council, a lot of them do have chapters literally in every state or like slb, they're coast to coast. So like there's literally chapters where they can go to. So a lot of them are. Or a lot of us do like to travel a lot. So we Also have like big group chats with like sisters or brothers all over the world. And it's like, hey, I'm going to like this place for this. Like is there any sister or brother who can like host or things like that? So it's a lot of like the family that really close knit. Even if you've never like met them in person, but because you are from that same fraternity or sorority, it is like that bond that like you can never get from anything else. But also professionalism because our alumni are really tied in, whether it's like on campus or out in different states or things like that. We do get a lot of job opportunities coming towards us, I will say so that's one of like the good advantages that things that happened, it has opened doors for me especially like being able to get my job here on campus and like getting to meet amazing full time staff members that are able to help me, whether it's like right now during classes or like after like grad school and things like that. So it is that, I guess networking skill overall that is really important and like you should take advantage of it. [00:22:58] Speaker A: And you guys probably have the opportunity to go to like national conferences. Yes, that sort of thing too. More networking. Aubrey, what about you? [00:23:07] Speaker D: So like you guys said a lot of networking. So one thing about NPHC is we're a lifetime commitment. So like once when we join in college, it's like for the rest of your life. So we're always meeting new people. If you're wearing your letters out and people recognize who you are, you're like buddy buddies. Like you already know who this person is because you guys went through the same process. You know what happened. Like you guys understand like this person's values. So a lot of good networking around the world, it's amazing. A lot of leadership development. The amount of conferences I have been on. [00:23:46] Speaker A: Wow. [00:23:46] Speaker D: Just I saw the growth in myself just because I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't Greek. I would have been that quiet kid in class in the back row, not talking. But like being a part of Greek life has pushed me to get out of my comfort zone. So it just opened up doors for me. And then professional development also because like as you're going to these different conferences, you're also meeting people who work in that field that you want to be in. So that's what. [00:24:18] Speaker A: Yeah, okay, Lauren. [00:24:20] Speaker E: I would say leadership and growth is a big opportunity that I've taken advantage of in the Panhellenic Council. So my freshman year, one of my Freshman year roommates and I, we both talked to each other a little bit before college became friends. She was like the only, or I guess the roommate group were the only people I knew, but she was like the one I was closest with. Anyways, we both get the same house, G5, and now we're both serving on the Panhellenic Council exec board together. And we both have served on the Gamify Beta exec board together or not together at separate times. And so I feel like you just have the opportunity to learn a lot about yourself. Like what leadership skills work for you, what doesn't. Like if personally I needed to work on being more assertive because, I mean, I'm a people pleaser. I don't hate the thought of anyone being mad, but I was just like, you know, you're gonna have to get over that. Because in my career in nursing, like that is something that you're definitely gonna, you just need to get over. So I feel like it's definitely helped me with my patient care skills as well and just being able to be an understanding and being able to actively listen to as well. [00:25:38] Speaker A: So here's an another question. So I know that we have houses, we have lodges, we have some people living these and some of them don't. So who wants to tackle that question? What does that mean? And some of them don't even have houses or lodges too. Right. So who wants to tackle that? [00:25:59] Speaker D: I'll tackle it. I'm going to speak for both me and Erica. MPHC and CGC do not actually have houses at all here on campus. That's the one thing that sets us differently from IFC and PC. [00:26:16] Speaker A: Would you guys like to have houses? [00:26:20] Speaker D: You know, I feel like that would be amazing. But one thing about nphc, we're in cgc. We're a tight family. So like, we might be in different orgs, but we're always together. So, you know, if you want to, you know, put some money aside to get us one big house and you. [00:26:39] Speaker C: Know, we can all. [00:26:39] Speaker A: Yeah. One big house for both organizations. All the stories. [00:26:44] Speaker D: We were together one time. [00:26:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:26:46] Speaker D: So yeah. [00:26:47] Speaker C: And I think for us, because we don't have like houses or facilities, one thing we've decided to do this well last semester, but going into like the future years was doing the display cases. So we have display cases outside of the student engagement belonging office. So it's in the second floor at the rsc. It just showcases like, like our organizations. You'll see some of our line jackets, our letters, our paddles. Paddles. Just because we do want to make sure NPHD and CGC are also shown on campus one way or another. [00:27:21] Speaker A: And so what is the difference between a house and a lodge? [00:27:27] Speaker E: Honestly, I don't. I don't know. We have five Panhellenic chapter houses here at Wichita State. You can only live in two of them, and it's typically for officers. And so like president, treasurer, people kind of being more active in the house. But no, I don't really know. I've never heard of the term lodge used before. [00:27:48] Speaker A: Dr. Hall told me that one time. What do you know? [00:27:50] Speaker B: Lodge is the houses that you can live in. [00:27:52] Speaker E: Okay. [00:27:52] Speaker A: Then. [00:27:52] Speaker E: Yeah, we have two. [00:27:54] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. And then the house is just a house that you can live in. [00:27:59] Speaker B: Yeah, well, yeah, the house is also. It could go either way. But the lodge is the chapter house is technically that you can live in. But like, for the fraternities, we don't technically have lodges, since all of our houses are just kind of live in. That kind of makes sense. [00:28:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:12] Speaker B: But of our seven fraternities, five of them have houses. And every house is very unique in its own way. We've got some McMansions, we have some older houses that get renovated every 50 years. [00:28:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:29] Speaker B: And then, you know, then we have. So like sae, they renovated an old apartment building so their live ins get apartments. And so. Yeah, all the houses are one of a kind. [00:28:40] Speaker A: Yeah. On the DU house that I went in. Yeah, the bottom floor looks really good. But as a. [00:28:48] Speaker B: Did you ever make your way up to the attic? Yeah, yeah, that was my. That was my living quarters for that. [00:28:52] Speaker A: Looked a little scary to me. [00:28:54] Speaker B: Yeah, it's something really special. [00:28:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:56] Speaker B: So when I became president, it just so happened the other guy in the attic moved out. Out. So there's two rooms up there and the other guy moved out. So for my first semester, I had an office in a bedroom. And then I had the fire escape up the side. So if I didn't want to talk to anybody, I could just go up to my room and avoid everyone. And then I had an office. And then I. I had six vice presidents that all oversaw, like, a different aspect of the chapter. And I tried having meetings, like in the office, but the office was just a bedroom with nothing in it but a desk. And no one wanted to have a meeting up there because it was too hot. [00:29:29] Speaker A: But too hot. No, not real comfortable looking. [00:29:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I've since moved out of the attic to a room on the second floor. [00:29:39] Speaker A: Okay, good. So, Erica, I'll ask all of you this, of course, what is a misconception about Greek life? [00:29:49] Speaker C: It's a great question, I think. A misconception or because I'm also a fraternity and sorority life ambassador. This is what a lot of parents come up and talk to us about is if we party or if we throw parties, the answer is no, we really don't. We don't like, especially for like nphd, cgc, we don't have houses or anything. So I'm like, where would we do it? But I think that's one thing that a lot of parents have come up to me, especially throughout the summer, asking like, is it really beneficial to join fraternity and sorority life? Like, do you really get those now networking connections or is it just party and like buying friends and things like that? So I've, with a lot of them, I have talked about my experience and telling them like, well, joining fraternity and sorority life, I've been able to be council president and now I'm chapter president. And now I'm doing all these great, amazing things, going to these conventions, going to all of this, meeting new like sisters and meeting other people in fraternity and sorority life or other organizations that I've never met because we don't have them on campus. So I just tell them more about my experience. Experience and things of that I can like talk about and things like that. So I will say that's one of the big misconceptions is just, oh, you just joined fraternity life to buy friends or things like that. [00:31:08] Speaker A: Partying crazy all the time. So the ones that don't have houses or lodges, you have meeting space in the RSC and other places on campus. Right. That you have access to. So that's where you probably mostly meet. [00:31:23] Speaker C: Yes. So for us, we mostly meet at the rsc. So we book rooms, but if there's not a room available, we like ask. So engagement, belonging, full time staff. If we can use the conference rooms and things like that. [00:31:35] Speaker A: Okay, Aubrey, what's a misconception in your room? [00:31:40] Speaker D: One thing about CGC and nphc, we put on a good show. We know how to put on a good show. And one thing about that, people assume that all we do is stroll is what? Stroll. Stroll, yes. [00:31:57] Speaker A: Explain that to the listeners. [00:32:00] Speaker D: Strolling is like dancing, but it's not dancing. Don't call it dancing. It's more of. [00:32:05] Speaker A: You mean like the step shows and that sort of thing? [00:32:07] Speaker C: Yeah. So yeah. Like what yard show is okay. [00:32:11] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. So we put on our step shows a lot of the time or our yard shows. [00:32:16] Speaker A: Those are very entertaining. [00:32:18] Speaker D: Very. And we love them. That's how we raise our money. But people assume that that's all we do. But we do a lot more than just strolling and stepping. We do a lot of community work, going to different middle schools and high schools, reading to kids in elementary schools, making bags for the homeless, making. Working at food banks. Like, we do a lot of stuff in the background that people don't realize. So a lot of parents, because I was also a FSL ambassador, so a lot of parents during the summer were asking me, like, what do we do? Because all they know is that we stroll. Like on social media. If you look up one of our organizations, it's a video of us strolling. But people don't. That's all they know. They don't see the background. So that's very. [00:33:03] Speaker A: Okay. Lauren. [00:33:05] Speaker E: I would say, like you said, Erica, paying, quote, unquote, paying for your friends is a big misconception, especially about Panhellenic Council, because my whole thing is, yes, you are paying money, but that's a choice, first of all, that you are making and also the more effort you put into it and like I said earlier, the more things you're going to get out of it. So I feel like, yes, it is a financial thing and we understand that and we have so many things available to help people out. But really it's just you have to have the mindset and the right attitude for it. Otherwise, paying for your friends comes as just like an excuse, I think. [00:33:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Aiden. [00:33:53] Speaker B: A common misconception with the fraternities, at least the IFC fraternities that were just party boys and we're not. And they also. And people also think that, like, we haze because of like the fraternities at bigger schools, they have a completely different process than we do. I've had, like, when I was chapter president, probably had to call at least 20 moms and promised them I wouldn't like haze their sons or put their sons in any uncomfortable situation. And then a lot of the time people just assume that, like the fraternities party. And that's not really true. Like, all of our houses are dry. And also there's. Our alumni are very on top of the rules of the house because every house is owned by our alumni board. So they're very on top of that kind of stuff. For example, du, we do a lot of laser tag in our basement and upstairs. So that's typically the only fun at the DU house is our laser tag. [00:34:55] Speaker E: We used to get the mattresses at The Sigap house and slide down the stairs. [00:34:59] Speaker B: We don't do that at DU because. [00:35:01] Speaker A: There'S no stairs like that. [00:35:04] Speaker B: The only stairs, the attic stairs, that are very. [00:35:10] Speaker C: They're weird. [00:35:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, anytime I would step on them, like, my heel would be hanging off because they're very small. And then our main staircase is just. [00:35:19] Speaker E: Yeah, that wouldn't work. [00:35:20] Speaker B: Yeah, it wouldn't work. But we do a lot of laser tag. We play a lot of poker. [00:35:27] Speaker A: Well, I'm just trying to have a hard time thinking what laser tag's like in a basement of the DU house. Cause that's not a big basement. [00:35:33] Speaker B: It's not. It's not. It's mainly just a lot of running. Run up the stairs. Pew, pew, pew. Run. [00:35:40] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. Well, you guys find ways to entertain yourself. [00:35:42] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:35:45] Speaker A: So, okay, well. Okay, last question. What is your most memorable moment so far as a Greek student? [00:35:56] Speaker B: Okay, I would say mine is actually kind of outside of my council, but one of my proudest moments is being Delta Gamma's anchorman as a sophomore. That was pretty cool. So that's like their version of, like, a sweetheart. I own a truck. So I moved a lot of their stuff, AKA their furniture. And they have big cutout letters. I moved those. And then at their formal, I was announced that I was their anchorman. So that is going to be one of my favorite moments from Greek life. [00:36:24] Speaker A: Erica. [00:36:25] Speaker C: There's so many. It's so hard to choose. I think one of my favorite moments would be going to AFLV with Aubrey. So it's a conference that council presidents go to, and then it's in Indianapolis, Indiana. [00:36:41] Speaker A: And what is it? What does that acronym stand for? [00:36:45] Speaker D: We couldn't tell you if it's that. [00:36:47] Speaker C: Leadership. It's American Fraternity Life Leadership. [00:36:53] Speaker D: AFL V. We don't know what the V stands for. [00:36:57] Speaker C: We don't know what the V stands. [00:36:58] Speaker D: For, but we got everything else. [00:36:59] Speaker C: Yes. But it's basically a big, like, conference for all either council presidents or chapter presidents to attend to. We get to meet so many other schools and things like that. And I will say that's when I started getting close to Aiden and Aubrey, because we all went to that trip together. We all experienced the ride there with the travel bus, the van. And I think that's one of my most memorable memories. Just because I was able to get closer to people from outside of my council, and I wasn't. I was the only, like, Kitty Kai there within our group. So it's not like I could go and just be buddy buddies with someone Else from my chapter. We were roommates and we were roommates and we didn't have to share the room with anyone else. So we got our own beds and it was just really fun. I was able to meet sisters from outside of the Alpha Alpha chapter, which is here at wsu and we talked about our experience because a lot of them were like also first time council presidents as me. So we were able to like work together and be like, okay, well, this is how my school is doing things or this is how my school is doing things. So I was also able to help them do things that I've been doing here at WSU that helped them a little more. And we still keep in communication and in contact and it was just a really fun experience and trip. Overall, the ride wasn't there, but like everything else, it was pretty good. [00:38:21] Speaker D: It was almost there. [00:38:22] Speaker C: It was almost there. [00:38:23] Speaker B: You guys missed the gas station hot dogs. [00:38:25] Speaker D: Oh, we were there. [00:38:26] Speaker C: We were there. We were the one that we didn't want. [00:38:28] Speaker D: Yeah, we could have skipped that part. [00:38:30] Speaker A: So, Aubrey, do you have a memorable moment? [00:38:32] Speaker D: Yeah. So mine is actually recent. Meet the Greeks. It's like when it's a thing that FSL do to just introduce Greek life to the freshmans and Meet the Greeks was actually really well. And for my end, I was tired because we were running around all that day. So, like being able to sit down and watch your council of new people and like also old people come together and just laugh together and actually be together and not just like, hey, you should join my organization or stuff like that. It was very much fun, like just watching everyone smile and laugh. Smells good. [00:39:13] Speaker A: Good. What about you, Lauren? [00:39:17] Speaker E: I'd say so. My favorite memory happens every year. It's bid day. You'll often hear sorority members say bid day, best day. Because that's the day that you get to open basically your bid card and see what chapter that has selected you. It's a mutually selective process. And so you get to, quote, unquote, run home. And so you'll have like a bid day buddy. So it's someone holding your name on a sign. And that's usually someone you got to know through recruitment. And so it's really just seeing like the finished product of what we worked so hard. I mean, that's like the biggest part of the Panhellenic exec board is recruitment that we put on. So it's really, really rewarding to see everyone like, I mean, some people cry. Like it's a very emotional thing. And I actually got to be welcomed. Welcomed back home these past two years because I disaffiliated as council president. So, yeah, it was fun to be welcomed back home by my little. So, yeah. [00:40:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Good. Well, you know, I can tell that you all really are excited about Greek life. I mean, you just kind of exude that in how you're talking about. And it's really nice to see. And it's not lost on me that you. Okay, so you're full time students or you may not be taking the full time hours. I don't know where everybody's status is right now. But you're students and so that's something that you have to work on. But also this extracurricular activity that you and certainly in these roles that you're providing extra leadership in a volunteer capacity. And we appreciate that. We appreciate you stopping by the podcast. I hope this is useful. You know, again, one of the purposes is to help promote Greek life doing this podcast. So make sure you push this out when it's ready to go out on social media to future brothers and sisters or whoever you want to know about the work that you're doing. So thank you for stopping by. Have a good rest of your day and we'll see you around campus. And thank you all for listening. And be sure to rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to the Forward Together podcast. Go Shockers. [00:41:47] Speaker B: Sponsorship for the Forward Together podcast is provided by Scott Rice Office Works and the Shocker Store. Additional thanks to Nairamp, WSU Carpentry Shop and gocreate.