When Craig Wilson counts the number of new members in his fraternity this semester, he doesn’t need a calculator.

‘We have none,’ said Wilson, the president of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and a junior political science major.

Omega Psi Phi is one of the seven predominantly black greek organizations in the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which has seen significantly smaller numbers of new members each semester, Wilson said.

In addition to the NPHC, the Latino Greek Council and the Multicultural Greek-Letter Council have had a new member intake ranging from zero to nine members. This is a considerable difference compared to pledge classes in the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils, which include the more mainstream fraternities and sororities. IFC and Panhel pledge classes can consist over 40 members.

‘Everyone in NPHC is having a problem. The entire male NPHC doesn’t equal an IFC or Panhel organization,’ Wilson said.

Wilson was the only member inducted when he became a part of Omega Psi Phi. As the first black organization on campus, the fraternity now only has three members. NPHC, LGC, and MGLC all have relatively small new member intakes compared to IFC and Panhel.

‘As far as new intake members, our numbers are always less than IFC and Panhel,’ said Jessica Toro, president of the LGC’s Omega Phi Beta, and senior English and textual studies major. ‘Typically, IFC and Panhel targets perhaps 20, 30 or maybe even 40 new members. Usually within the Latino and African-American sororities and fraternities, it is unusual to see as many.’

Omega Phi Beta has only seen a peak of five new members in one semester since its establishment in 1999. This semester’s new member intake is among the smallest intake groups the sorority has seen, Toro said.

‘I have one prospective member undergoing the intake process this semester,’ Toro said.

Like many of the organizations in the LGC, Omega Phi Beta was concerned about the future of the sorority since the new member intakes were so small.

‘This semester we were very lucky because every organization in LGC has a line (of members). We were worried because we were all seniors,’ Toro said. ‘We thought we were going to die out.’

Other organizations had similar concerns.

‘Due to the significant amount of graduating seniors this year, losing interested members is always a concern because you have to keep the organization alive,’ said Adam Morales, the community service chair of Phi Iota Alpha and a junior psychology major.

The difference in numbers can be attributed to the different styles of sorority and fraternity recruiting techniques.

‘I would assume (we have less members) because IFC and Panhel councils’ process is different in how they rush,’ Toro said. ‘We are not aggressive.’

Pledging includes two general informational meetings. The third is closed off to invited members only where they learn the most information about the organization, said Desiree Sanchez, the president of the Latino Greek Council; the vice president, secretary and membership process coordinator of Sigma Iota Alpha; and a senior communications, rhetorical studies and sociology major.

‘Applications are handed out (to prospective members) where transcripts and recommendations are submitted. It’s kind of like a college application,’ Sanchez said.

The NPHC also undergoes a similar process where new members learn about the organization by being a part of an intake line.

‘NPHC is a national organization. They abolished the pledge process, and it’s now called a new member intake,’ said Don Sawyer, the associate director of academic initiatives who is responsible for the NPHC and LGC.

Jason Jackson, the president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha and a junior finance major, said the NPHC intake process is considerably different because the purpose of the council is not a social one.

‘(A big difference) is that our organizations are not social. We are community service organizations,’ Jackson said.

Jackson said he feels that the different demographics on campus influence the amount of new members in multicultural greek organizations.

‘If you look at the numbers of our organization and who goes greek (at Syracuse University), 5 percent of white students go greek and 5 percent of black students go greek,’ Jackson said.

An SU chapter in NPHC will typically have a new member intake of approximately two to four people, although this is not the case for all NPHC chapters across the country, Jackson said.

‘It’s all regional. Chapters in the southern part of the countries will have 140 members in one chapter, where the northwest won’t have any,’ Jackson said.

The presidents of NPHC, LGC and MGLC all said that their organizations embrace diversity, and anyone can join despite their ethnicity.

Many members of the NPHC feel that the location of SU has a great effect on the amount of prospective members in their organizations.

‘In the majority of black colleges (in southern states) they will have 20 to 30 members because they’re going to a college where black greek life is more popular’ said Chris Jackson, the vice president of Phi Beta Sigma and a sophomore advertising design major.

Phi Beta Sigma recently inducted two new members into their fraternity this semester, expanding the organization to a total of eleven members. This makes Phi Beta Sigma the biggest fraternity in NPHC.

‘We wouldn’t mind more (members) but it makes it easier because we’re forced to be close-knit,’ said Isaiah Liburd, the public relations chair of Phi Beta Sigma, and a senior broadcasting major.

Clecia Thompson, the president of Zeta Phi Beta, and a senior entrepreneurship and public relations major, is one of the two active members in Zeta’s SU chapter.

‘It becomes difficult to do new member intake considering the size of our small chapter,’ Thompson said.

Toro said that because these organizations do not have a recognized fraternity or sorority house, fewer people are aware of their existence.

The Latino and black communities aren’t the only ones who have a small turnout of interested new members compared to IFC and Panhel

Kappa Phi Lambda, a part of the MGLC, and the predominantly Pan-Asian sorority on campus, has seen some possible members become part of a different sisterhood.

Panhel may have taken some prospective members away from the MGLC, said Alice Pang, the president of Kappa Phi Lambda, and a senior political science major.

‘(Panhel) is very different and more established,’ Pang said. ‘Girls may want to become a part of a more established sorority.’

Although Kappa Phi Lambda does give out bids like Panhel does, its intake process is more closely tied with LGC and NPHC, Pang said.

The Kappa Phi Lambda chapter began in November 1997 because of a lack of Asian awareness, said Jee-Yae Kim, the president of the MGLC, the vice president of Kappa Phi Lambda and a senior psychology major.

‘Other organizations are now getting to know who we are,’ Kim said.

The sorority is the only active Asian greek organization on campus.

‘There are so little Asians on campus that it’s hard enough for us to form,’ Pang said. ‘We had to slowly work our way to grow as a sorority.’

Along with the MGLC, the NPHC and LGC are working hard to try to stay strong in SU’s greek life.

‘There’s a bit of a concern, but we’re not going anywhere,’ Wilson said.

Published on March 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm