Students involved in fraternities and sororities, as well as those seeking to learn more about those organizations, will come together at this week’s Greek Quarterly event.
The Greek Quarterly, set for Wednesday, Oct. 29, and open to the campus community, will feature talks by motivational speaker Justin Jones-Fosu and Mayra Romo from the Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center.
Romo, the center’s coordinator, will speak on Title IX and how the federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against women has expanded to include protection from sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
The idea behind her talk is to educate and empower students in a positive way, Romo says, adding that Cal Poly Pomona’s violence prevention program is considered a nationwide model.
“I tell them, ‘Together we can stop sexual assault from happening to everyone,’ ” she says. “You are all agents of change.”
Jones-Fosu will talk about the value of collaboration among fraternities and sororities and how rivalries and unhealthy competition can tarnish the Greek community’s brand and ruin the undergraduate experience.
Andrew Martinez, Greek Council president, recalls hearing Jones-Fosu speak at a conference.
“We really liked his presentation and his energy,” Martinez says. “He’s charismatic and one of the biggest things we want to do with so many Greeks attending is to keep them focused on his presentation. He will do that.”
The university has about 1,000 Greeks. Martinez says a campus-wide event like this is good for letting students know what fraternities and sororities are all about.
Martinez, a member of Pi Kappa Phi, says being a member of a fraternity helped him gain presentation and communication skills and taught him how to network.
“The experiences I have had made me feel confident in being a leader,” he says.
John LeJay II, interim coordinator for Greek Life and Education, says one goal of the Greek community on campus is to partner more with non-Greek organizations. The Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center presentation is an example of that, he adds.
Students who want to know more about Greek organizations and campus clubs interested in teaming up with fraternities and sororities are encouraged to attend the event.
“We challenge everyone who has a negative perception of Greeks to come out, too,” LeJay says.
When LeJay pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of LaVerne, he did so thinking the stereotype about fraternities being a non-stop party was true. “I clearly learned that it’s not like that,” he says. “It helped me grow and it helped me understand that importance of being what a real Greek is.”
The Greek Quarterly event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Bronco Student Center, Ursa Major AB. Early arrival is recommended because seating is limited. For more information, contact the Office of Student Life and Cultural Centers at (909) 869-2841.