Correction Appended

Eighteen organizations helped bring ASU’s Greek diversity to light Thursday night during the Multicultural Greek Open House.

The two-hour open house was hosted by the Multicultural Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations at the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.

Jennifer Stults-Krasnow, ASU’s assistant director of student engagement, said the open house occurs each semester and is an opportunity for the multicultural Greek organizations to showcase themselves.

“[The multicultural fraternities and sororities] tend to be smaller organizations, and sometimes people don’t know the impact they have on campus,” she said.

Marie Ferrero, a social work junior and member of Gamma Alpha Omega, said the multicultural organizations don’t usually receive a lot of publicity.

“It’s important to have an event like this so other people on campus, both multicultural students and nonmulticultural students, can see that there’s other Greek life out there,” she said. “We’re such a diverse group, and people can see that and come check us out.”

Interdisciplinary studies senior and Omega Psi Phi member Kevin Badger said the event is an open forum where people can ask questions about the organizations.

“It gives undergraduates a chance to talk to all of us in one place,” he said.

Kelli Anderson, elementary education senior and president of the Multicultural Greek Council, said most people think of the traditional fraternities and sororities when they think of Greek life.

“If the traditional organizations aren’t for them, then there’s an alternative,” she said. “Events like this give the ASU community a better sense of the multicultural groups around campus.”

Construction management senior Federico Sanchez said multicultural-fraternity life is much different than being a part of a traditional fraternity. Everyone knows each other in the multicultural fraternities, he said.

“We’re smaller in numbers, but I feel that because of that, our brother and sisterhood is a lot stronger,” Sanchez said. “It’s like a home away from home.”

Finance junior Raul Martinez said that although his busy schedule doesn’t allow it, he thinks about joining one of the multicultural fraternities every semester.

“It would be a small family away from home with people who make me feel like I was in a smaller ASU student body,” Martinez said.
He said these organizations have less of a party image than some of the other fraternities on campus.

“They are more about helping each other graduate and succeed after college,” he said. “They help you become better individuals as a whole.”

Patricia Kindred, education senior and a National Pan-Hellenic councilmember, said the open house gives people cultural awareness and shows what the members do within their organizations.

“We might not be heard, but we’re trying to get out there,” she said.

Correction: This story incorrectly listed the title of Kelli Anderson and her organization. Anderson is the president of the Multicultural Greek Council.
Reach the reporter at charlsy.panzino@asu.edu.