PHOTO COURTESY BY SIGMA GAMMA RHO SORORITY INC.
It is the mission of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the U.S. and globally.
Myah Clinton
Blazer News Reporter
[email protected]
After Asiah Ruffins, vice president of UAB’s National Pan-Hellenic Council, rushed a College Panhellenic Council organization as a freshman and was not accepted, she decided to focus on school for a year and try again. But this time, she joined NPHC organization, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
“I love the black culture associated with being involved with an NPHC organization,” Ruffins said. “I also am extremely passionate about how service-oriented these organizations are.”
UAB is often labeled as a diverse institution, and Greek life is included in this as well. According to the Fraternity & Sorority Life website, 104 of 971 UAB Greek students are in organizations in the Multicultural Greek Council and 120 are in NPHC.
In 1972, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was the first NPHC organization on UAB’s campus with the formation of NPHC following 20 years later in the early nineties, said Kelby Lamar, coordinator of Fraternity & Sorority Life. MGC formed at UAB in 2011, Lamar said. According to the MGC website, Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. was the first organization in the council to come to UAB, forming in Jan of 2018.
“The multicultural organizations mean something different to each person. [For some] it is a home for them to come back to at the end of the day,” said Rishi Mo, president of MGC and member of Delta Epsilon Psi Fraternity, Inc. “For me personally, I like hanging out with these people. We all have the same interests.”
Jacob McKinstry, president of the Interfraternity Council at UAB and member of Alpha Tau Omega, said that the IFC has a lot of diversity, but it might be missing something for some students.
“While IFC and the Panhellenic Council offer an important experience to UAB students, it’s not tailored with programming with specific cultures in mind,” McKinstry said. “Some students feel more comfortable with an organization with ties to their cultural roots and find the experience more fulfilling because of it.”
Although both council organizations were formed with race and ethnicity in mind, anyone is allowed to join these organizations.
“We have a lot of different cultures and races,” said Sharan Kaur, president of Sigma Sigma Rho Sorority, Inc. “We’ve even had events where each sister will stand up and talk about the heritage of where they’re from.”
Community service is also a key element of these organizations.
“NPHC and MGC organizations are lauded for their stepping, strolling and other coordinated routines,” Lamar said. “However, at their core, these organizations place an emphasis on service and philanthropy above all else.”
NPHC and MGC have done 5,070 and 3,003 hours of community service, respectively, as of the 2018 spring semester, according to the Fraternity & Sorority Life website. Some organizations have been recognized by UAB for their philanthropic efforts. Ruffins said that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. won a UAB Student Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service Project for their project Pink Topps, which focused on breast cancer awareness. The NPHC and MGC organizations have also worked with organizations outside of their councils.
Sororities Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Rho Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. worked together on Sigma Slay Day, a tabling event where they passed out notes with encouraging words, said Hannah Hand, vice president of Risk Management and member of Sigma Kappa. Sigma Kappa also worked with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. On a project called Why I Love Me where they invited students to answer that prompt on a chalkboard.
“It has been an amazing experience getting to know different chapters and learn about their values and what sets them apart,” Hand said.
NPHC and MGC have done 5,070 and 3,003 hours of community service, respectively, as of the 2018 spring semester, according to the Fraternity & Sorority Life website. Some organizations have been recognized by UAB for their philanthropic efforts. Ruffins said that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. won a UAB Student Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service Project for their project Pink Topps, which focused on breast cancer awareness. The NPHC and MGC organizations have also worked with organizations outside of their councils.
Sororities Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Rho Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. worked together on Sigma Slay Day, a tabling event where they passed out notes with encouraging words, said Hannah Hand, vice president of Risk Management and member of Sigma Kappa. Sigma Kappa also worked with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. On a project called Why I Love Me where they invited students to answer that prompt on a chalkboard. “It has been an amazing experience getting to know different chapters and learn about their values and what sets them apart,” Hand said.
