Greek Life is something that is very prevalent at Bradley University. There are a lot of different organizations that you can join as a student, between NPHC, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, or also known as the Divine Nine, which are greek fraternities and sororities that were founded by African American men and women, and members are for the most part of the same descent. There is also MGC, which is the Multicultural Greek Council, and they are usually populated by students who aren’t of American descent, however on this campus, they are populated by hispanic students. There is also the IFC, the Interfraternity Council, and their members are mostly students of European descent.
About a week and a half ago, Bradley University posted a greek panel video, and neither NPHC or MGC were properly represented in the video. With all of the problems that the world has been going through, and especially America, and the fight that we are often having with racial inequality, it is just sad to see that no matter where we go, or how much the school may tell you that they are allies, the shortcomings to be properly represented. This is just another example of the problems that minorities fight against every day.
“It was very upsetting to witness this happen. Although I have only been in Greeklife for a few months, I was told by many others that this was one instance of many others that has occurred from the Bradley Administration. We, along with all the other organizations in the Divine Nine and MGC, need to stick together and fight against this oppression that has been happening for years.” a comment from Alex Sherley, the Social Media Chair of the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Bradley made the decision to delete the video from the Bradley Admissions page, once it was brought to their attention that there was irritation from NPHC and MGC. Following the short lived post, NPHC and MGC decided to release a statement on all social media platforms to address the problem. They also decided to boycott the Universities Greek Week activities to prove their point.
The Secretary of the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Jeremiah Lee, stated “The fact that we are still not being noticed by the University worries me a little. Being a senior at Bradley and on the verge of graduating in May, I have seen how Bradley say they are about ‘Diversity and Inclusion;’ however it does not show at all. What else do we have to do to get noticed and feel included?”
The organizations made 5 demands towards the school, in their fight for equality. One of the demands was “We demand the development of NPHC and MGC plots in the Alumni Quad area in order to properly represent the presence of our organizations on campus.”
Another demand that they made was “We demand that members of both NPHC and MGC be included in future Bradley Bound panels alongside IFC and Panhel as it pertains to Greek Life. General and contact information about NPHC and MGC should be provided to students during visit days.”
The Treasurer of the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Leo Boler IV, stated “It was good to see that the President of Bradley understood what we were going through and was able to accept our demands. That is one step closer to becoming more equal.”
Although the fight for equality is far from over, it is time to make change, and the organizations are doing a great job standing up for the things that matter, and not backing down to higher powers.
https://nicfraternity.org/about-interfraternity-council-ifc/
https://nphchq.com/millennium1/
https://www.alpha-illinois.com/
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