Greek life is a community of student leaders organized into fraternities and sororities. All Greek Lettered organizations have national charters and board members who oversee all of the chapters. Montclair State University has a large Greek life community with sororities and fraternities of all backgrounds, some spanning back decades. A large council within the Greek community on campus is The United Greek Coalition, widely recognized as the most diverse and inclusive council within its community as it is composed of Latinx, Multicultural, and Asian Pacific Islander Greek letter organizations. Read on to learn more about the structure of Greek life, why it’s worth joining, and a breakdown of a renowned council, The United Greek Coalition, all from Montclair State University senior and Chapter President + Alumni Relations Chair of Omega Phi Chi Multicultural Sorority, Incorporated.
How Greek Life Works
An organization’s ‘chapters’ are located at different colleges and universities all over the world where the sorority or fraternity is chartered. These chapters are then overseen by a Greek Life Office at each campus where the chapters must complete yearly requirements in order to maintain an active status as an organization and hold active membership.
Why Greek Life is Worth Joining
Greek life organizations share common goals and principles such as developing leadership skills, academic success, and philanthropic efforts. Each organization has its own set of values which you can read about below. These values and principles are what make each fraternity and sorority unique.
Prior to expressing interest or joining a fraternity or sorority, an individual should always take the following into consideration – what their own values, morals, and mentality are, as well as what they are seeking in life, the type of community that they wish to be a part of, how they want to continue to improve as an individual and become the best version of themself.
The United Greek Coalition
The United Greek Coalition is widely recognized as the most diverse and inclusive council within its community as it is composed of Latinx, Multicultural, and Asian Pacific Islander Greek letter organizations. The UGC provides educational, social, philanthropic, and community service-based programs as well as leadership within the Montclair State Community. Within this council, there are 13 organizations: 7 sororities and 6 fraternities. Read on to learn more about each individual sorority and fraternity offered within this council at Montclair State University.
Below is the list of organizations that make up The United Greek Coalition.
Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: Swan
Motto: Strength in Unity
Nicknames: Alpha Sigs, Lovely Ladies in Red, A-S-R
Based on the principles of sisterhood, cultural diversity, and Asian interest, the founding members of Alpha Sigma Rho came together in the fall semester of 1998 at the University of Georgia at Athens. They realized the need for Asian unity and a stronger voice within the campus and surrounding community. These twelve women endeavored to create an Asian-interest sorority, which would become the first in the state of Georgia. Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority recognizes the necessity of promoting sisterhood and Asian-Awareness within the university campus and the community while in the process of pursuing academic excellence as well as interpersonal growth, moral development, and strength in unity.
Read More: A List of Women-Owned Businesses to Support in Montclair
Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: The Almighty Owl
Motto: Wisdom Through Education
Nicknames: Women of Wisdom Cussies, C-U-S
Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. has been in existence since April 29, 1980. Established on the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers – the State University of New Jersey, CUS was officially voted into the Greek council on March 11, 1981. The founders are seven Latinas who had the desire to create an organization to promote leadership amongst the Latino community. More importantly, it was their desire to create a sisterhood: a place away from home in which the members could feel the strong sense of family, which is such a force in the Latino culture. They commit themselves to Educating, Elevating, and Empowering all Women.
Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Incorporated
Motto: Latinos Siempre Unidos = Latinos Always United
Nicknames: The Upsilons, Smooth, L-S-U
On April 5, 1979, the Latinos Siempre Unidos Latino Social Fellowship was established. It effectively became the catalyst for change and a vehicle for pertinent conversation regarding relevant issues between students and the University administration at Rutgers University. The 20 founders of LSU were men who believed that underrepresented groups, particularly ethnic minorities, at colleges and universities were not getting the attention or services needed to advance their academic successes. They created Latinos Siempre Unidos Social Fellowship to act as a support group for these groups, as well as to provide a family away from home. The founders developed four Goals that would embody the purpose of Latinos Siempre Unidos. These goals are academic excellence, cultural awareness and diversity, brotherhood, and being role models to the community.
Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: The Enchanting Mermaid
Motto: Excellence Through Unity, Knowledge, and Dedication
Nicknames: The Mermaids, The Merms, Enchanting, L-T-O
Through the challenges that they experienced to create each unique component that would later define this sisterhood, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc. was created and formally established on October 9, 1988, by sixteen young, intelligent, and resilient womyn at Montclair State College now known as Montclair State University. They created a sisterhood that embraces diversity and devotes selfless service towards the community, concentrating on children’s welfare. While many factors influence the roles that individuals play in their cultures and communities, education was a primary focus for the founders. As such, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc. serves as a common social ground that would empower womyn from different walks of life, while upholding the traditions and beliefs upon which it was founded. It is an entity defined by service, diversity, independence, self-actualization, and confidence to enchant the world, one woman at a time, at the very least.
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: Lady on the Moon
Motto: Latin by Tradition, not by Definition
Nicknames: Lambda Ladies, Lovely, L-T-A
In 1975, Kean University introduced bilingual and Latino/Caribbean studies. Although this enabled the educational advancement of the Latina woman, still missing was the support needed to bridge the equality gap. It was during this time that 17 women convened to discuss the formation of a sorority for Latina women. Its focus would be to actively integrate itself into the social, political, and community service arena that other students had been involved with. Together, they could collaborate and assist with any student-run programs, thus making their voices as loud as the majority voice, and their concerns equally as important. The goals of Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority, Inc. are scholarly excellence, empowerment of the universal woman, political & cultural awareness, and community activism. Its principles are unity, love, and respect.
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated
Motto: La Unidad Para Siempre
Nicknames: Lambdas, Elite, L-U-L
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated, primarily seeks to take a leadership role in meeting the needs of the Latino community through academic achievement, cultural awareness, community service, and promotion of the Latino culture and people. Since its inception in 1982, at Cornell University, Ithaca NY, La Unidad Latina has remained on the vanguard of political and community empowerment by developing influential leaders that strive to exert knowledge and power into their peers in order to attain mutual success. Members commit themselves to academic excellence, leadership development, and cultural enlightenment, enhanced by a diverse cognizant membership. La Hermandad strives to preserve and promote an inclusive intellectual environment for its members, in addition to the general community.
Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: The Amazon Woman
Motto: Mujeres Siempre Unidas = Women Always United
Nicknames: Sophisticated Ladies, MUs, M-S-U
By the early 1980s, more women from culturally diverse backgrounds were pursuing college degrees. In this exciting time, five women came together to create a support system for these women, a student organization that would celebrate diversity and foster progress for years to come. Through their dedication, Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Incorporated, was founded on November 21, 1981, at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Mu Sigma Upsilon has grown to a national sisterhood with over fifty chapter locations from Massachusetts to Texas, and a dynamic group of more than 1,000 women from 80+ cultural backgrounds. Although the 21st century poses different challenges for women in higher education, one thing remains the same: Mu Sigma Upsilon is still a home away from home for their sisters.
Omega Phi Chi Multicultural Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: The Black Panther
Motto: Destroying all Boundaries, Uniting All Races, Omega Phi Chi, We Dare to be Different! Preserving the Past, Cultivating the Present, Building the Future, Omega Phi Chi, We Dare to be Different
Nicknames: Omegas, Sophisticated Sisters, O-P-C
Omega Phi Chi is a multicultural sorority that was founded on November 9, 1988, at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey by eight women of Asian, African-American, and Latina descent. The eight founding mothers were an active group of young women leaders who felt the absence of any organization on the Rutgers campus that spoke to their needs across diverse backgrounds, distinct cultural roots, and a commitment to womanhood. Omega Phi Chi dared to be different. They came together to found a multicultural sorority, a different type of organization, that would not be categorized by ethnicity or culture. Among their ideas of sisterhood are the concepts of love, honesty, loyalty, mutual respect, and responsibility to one another. After unity, the main objectives of this organization are academic excellence and involvement in community affairs.
See More: A List of Black-Owned Businesses to Support in Montclair + Bloomfield
Psi Sigma Phi Multicultural Fraternity, Incorporated
Mascot: The Almighty Knight
Motto: Multicultural by birth, not by choice.
Nicknames: Phiman, P-S-P
On December 12, 1990, 18 men from diverse backgrounds and cultures reached the final stage in what turned out to be the creation and foundation of Psi Sigma Phi Multicultural Fraternity. The Founders felt the need to create an organization that not only offered a bond of unity and lasting friendship but a fraternity that would emphasize the importance of multiculturalism in the lives of today’s college students. Co-founded at Montclair State University and NJCU as a service-oriented, social, multicultural organization, Psi Sigma Phi Multicultural Fraternity Inc. has managed to maintain its own identity among Greek-lettered organizations. The mission is not to increase membership but to open eyes, to broaden the views of men in our society, and to create the opportunity for our communities to feel at home in a racial and cultural utopia, a microcosm of a unified America.
Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Senoritas Latina Unidas Sorority, Incorporated
Mascot: The Black Persian Cat with Gold Eyes
Motto: Hasta La Muerte
Nicknames: Señoritas, Sigma Lambdas, S-L-U
Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. was founded on December 1, 1987, at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, by four trailblazing Latinas. Since 1987, the Hermandad has been an outlet for professional development and personal growth for both its members and serving constituents. The sorority’s impact can be seen in the outstanding accomplishments of their Hermanas, the young women being mentored enrolled in their LADYS and PEARLS Programs, and through the lives of people touched by their many initiatives—proof that women of color can make a difference. Though the sorority is Latina-based, Sigma Lambda Upsilon is not Latina-exclusive. They take pride in serving as a non-discriminatory organization comprised of women from all cultures, creeds, disabilities, political beliefs, and sexual preferences.
Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Incorporated
Mascot: White Stallion Mustang
Motto: Opportunity for Wisdom, Wisdom for Culture.
Nicknames: Lambda Betas, Betas, S-L-B
Sigma Lambda Beta’s mission is to nurture and further a dynamic, values-based environment that utilizes its historically Latino-based fraternity as a catalyst to better serve the needs and wants of all people. This fraternity was founded at the University of Iowa, after a campus-wide discussion for Latino students to discuss the feasibility of creating a social fraternity that would focus on the Latino culture. After much planning, the ideology and philosophy of this new organization were finalized on April 4th, 1986, the data it was founded. Its principles are brotherhood, scholarship, community service, and cultural awareness.
