A crowd of students gathered in Wolf Plaza in celebration of NC State’s multicultural Greek life Monday evening. Organizations set up tables and a string of performers, including belly dancers and hip-hop artists, provided a high energy atmosphere for students and guests.
The first Multicultural Greek Council Yard Show was comprised of 12 organizations dedicated to highlighting the university’s diverse Greek life. Leah Chevis, a senior studying fashion and textile management and member of Theta Nu Xi, said she and the rest of the MGC intend to make this festival annual.
“Theta Nu Xi has been here since 1990, and we are one of the least known Greek organizations on campus,” Chevis said. “So my idea for this was really just to get the campus to know who we are as an organization.”
The MGC has been wanting to make this event happen for several years now, according to Chevis. She said she pitched the idea for it over the summer and oversaw the planning process.
“I feel like in the growingly globalized world we live in, getting to know other cultures is important, and that’s what we foster,” Chevis said. “We’re trying to get people to understand different cultures.”
Prior to the entertainment portion of the show, Theta Nu Xi and other organizations present set up tables to talk with people about who they are.
Jessica Gallo, a sophomore studying fashion and textile management and the social chair of Mi Familia, said her organization attended in order to advocate for the Latino community on campus.
“The reason why we’re here is to bring the Latino community together, to be here with other minorities on campus and have our presence known,” Gallo said. “To just feel like our culture is expressed, and to also make sure that people who don’t know much about our culture get to know what we’re about and what we’re doing.”
Growing Cartagena, a senior studying civil engineering and Vice President of Lambda Delta Phi, said the performances featured a mix of strolling, stepping and saluting, because every organization has different traditions which they abide by.
“We hope to just come out and showcase our individual sorority or fraternity as well as represent our entire council for the university and for anyone who wants to come out to learn who we are and what we do and help keep the campus diversified and show our individual cultures,” Cartagena said.
Belly dancers, hip hop groups and various other talented performers provided lively entertainment for dozens of students gathered around them.
Natalie Rollan, a graduate student in higher education administration and the advisor to the MGC, expressed her excitement for the event as it helps their organization spread their mission of multicultural awareness on campus.
“What a lot of them are doing is displaying their traditions as fraternities and sororities,” Rollan said. “Some of them do things like salute, some of them step, some of them stroll. Some are doing things like cultural dancing. A lot of it is based on their cultural values and traditions.”
Rollan said that the MGC intends for this to not only become an annual event, but for it also to be incorporated into homecoming next year.
In addition to members of the NC State multicultural Greek life participating in this event, Chevis said her brother’s fraternity from UNC-Charlotte had members come and perform.
“We’re using our connections to get as many people in here as possible and showcase the talent that we have,” Chevis said.
For those who enjoyed this event, Chevis also said the MGC will be hosting a showcase in the spring with even more organizations participating.
