Multicultural organizations looking for membership in council

By Erica Aceret

Diversity on campus is on the rise. New multicultural organizations at the University are looking for membership in a council. However, the University’s large Greek community cannot meet every student’s needs and standards.

As a result, the United Greek Council was established in the spring of 2003 to encourage unity in the minority community, said United Greek Council’s president Maria Angulo, junior in LAS.

“A couple of organizations got together and created the UGC Constitution, and then presented it to the Board of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs,” said Alberto Cabrales, former United Greek Council president and senior in ALS.

Angulo said when the United Greek Council was granted council status they had 10 multicultural chapters. Members under the council wanted to create a council to fulfill their own values that were not being met through the Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council.

“We wanted more unity and attention,” Angulo said. “The other councils were not identifying or addressing our needs.”

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

The council encompasses students from many different backgrounds, including Asian, Latino, and Indian-based chapters.

“The UGC specifically focuses on different minority groups on campus,” Cabrales said. “We unite to promote different cultures and diversity.”

Since its creation at the University, membership has increased in the United Greek Council chapters and other multicultural chapters.

“Last semester, four organizations were granted registered organization status and all of them are currently interested in joining the council,” Angulo said.

Gamma Phi Omega, one of the four organizations with RSO status, is currently in the process of gaining an associate status from the United Greek Council.

“There are so many new organizations coming up on campus, it’s more difficult to gain full membership in the UGC,” said Maritza Torres, Gamma Phi Omega vice-president and junior in LAS. “Because of the competition, or just the fact that there are so many organizations, we have to stand out among the rest.”

Besides the 10 chapters the United Greek Council started with, a new chapter, Lambda Theta Phi, is being introduced into the council and now has associate membership status.

“We couldn’t relate to the Interfraternity Council,” said William Garcia, Lambda Theta Phi president and junior in LAS. “We don’t have a house or large recruitment. We wanted to help out the Latino community on and off campus. We can do that in the UGC.”

Before a new chapter can be admitted for full membership, it must go through an incorporation process.

“The process isn’t really that difficult, it just takes time and dedication,” Garcia said.

A chapter must receive RSO status before joining the United Greek Council. To do so, a meeting must be set up at the office of Greek Affairs with the advisor and executive board of the council. The potential chapter must then submit two letters of endorsement, one from the organization’s National Board and another from of the University’s Greek Affairs office. Each has its specific standards of content.

“Once the endorsed letters are received, the chapter must then present a letter of intent to me,” Angulo said.

The United Greek Council asks that in the letter of intent, the organization express their common goals and interests in the council. Then, the colony or chapter is required to give a presentation to the council’s general assembly.

The presentation must consist of programs and philanthropy events the colony or chapter participated in on campus, and the purpose and history of their organization.

“After the presentation, the organization has to have a three-fourths vote to become an associate member, which they must remain as for a year with certain requirements,” Angulo said.

After a year of associate membership, the organization must make another presentation to receive full membership.

“Associate members can be turned away if they have bad status or if they have not met their philanthropy and event requirements, but we usually don’t have problems with that,” Angulo said.

Angulo also said that most of the chapters under the council exceed requirements and expectations when it comes to philanthropy and event projects.

“A lot of people want to join,” Garcia said. “There is definitely interest in the UGC.”

The chapters under the council are not the only multicultural organizations that have seen growth and establishment in the past couple of years.

“There is huge competition in the UGC for multicultural organizations,” said Omega Delta Phi president Tony Diaz, junior in business. “Our organization decided the Interfraternity Council would benefit us more. It was a goal we had, to be under this council.”

But Diaz said whether in different councils or not, all of the multicultural organizations on campus try to keep in contact with one another for support.