The Awesome Side of Greek Life...7 years ago

In two days I will be seven years in Greek years. Spring 2004 may not have been a good semester overall, but the night/morning I crossed it was the best moment of the year. April 10, 2004 at 3:40 a.m. will be a time I will never forget. After 7 weks 5 days 5 hours and 40 minutes the light at the end of the tunnel was finally there.

So fast forward seven years later. I've been chapter president, vice president, secretary and National Board secretary and vice president. Not to mention crossing lines SP05, SP07, FA 09 and...? Nine hermanos will have my legacy. I hope they learned something from me and the entire organization.

Will the next seven years be the same? They most certainly won't. I have other priorities. But I will always be there for them. See you in a few ;).

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Where are all the Latino Greeks?

So I find it interesting that with the Latino population in the U.S.A. rising every day, Latino Greeks are pretty rare. Sure there are some universities that thrive off Latino Greeks, but from what I have recently seen (and noticed), the numbers are pretty low. It's usually rare for Latino Greeks to have lines of 10+, unlike mainstream and sometimes African-American Greeks, we usually don't understand Greek life right away? "I'm sorry you want to do not what?" <-- Yep.

In Philadelphia we have Gamma Phi Sigma, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Sigma Lambda Upsilon, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Lambda Theta Alpha and Lambda Theta Phi. It may seem like these organizations have a a strong presence, but active undergraduate members are low. *Cue Latino admission rates in high education*

As Latino(a)s we should be mentoring these high school students and increase the admission rates. We need to show them how important it is to further their education. Some might think it is difficult to get into schools, but with the right motivation and resources, anything is possible.

Or maybe schools are just screwing over Latino Greeks. You tell me.

The 141 mile journey begins

Just a few hours ago Eric Stephenson started his journey to Philadelphia, PA from Norfolk, CT. In the past two weeks, Eric has raised a little over $4k from his fundraising goal of $27K. Although it's a goal of his, any help towards the American Cancer Society is good help. What's more is that our other fraternity brother "Yunque" will be joining him along for the incredible journey. Their 141 mile journey will end on Friday, March 25 at Temple University's Relay for Life. There they will be joining by hundreds of students, supporters, survivors and other community members as they help raise awareness to this cause. See you there everyone.

Gamma Phi Sigma - Stroll for the Cure

One year ago the brothers at Gamma Phi Sigma ted their 6th annual stroll show at Temple University. In an effort to raise money and awareness to the American Cancer Society, we (Gamma Phi Sigma) moved all our efforts to this cause. This year the brothers at Zeta Chapter (University of Maryland - College Park) are hosting their own show to increase awareness. From my understanding this has not happened before.

The stroll show is in collaboration with Kappa Phi Gamma and will be held on Friday, April 8th, 2011. Unlike most stroll shows where the fraternities and sororities compete separately, this show does not judge based on gender so there will be one winner! And as a member of Greek life, bragging rights to a huge show is always a plus. See you then. Wait, am I judging? lol

Video: Strolling for a cure

Back in November, Gamma Phi Sigma held it's 6th Annual Stroll Show in honor of our fallen hermano. Here's a quick recap of some of the strolls of the evening. Enjoy!

Event post: Digital Sex @ 7

So after looking at the above flier I thought, "I wonder how many people put their relationship status' on Facebook, Twitter and so on." Most likely a lot. There are those who fall in love via Facebook then those who get married via Facebook. However, that stirs a whole lot of controversy due to photos, wall posts, events and everything else Facebook does to keep you in check. Is it okay to start a relationship via Facebook and tag every photo you and your GF/BF have? Relationships have clearly been broken due to certain actions over these social networking sites.

I can go on and on about this but if you have an argument, then join my fraternity and Lambda Theta Alpha at next Tuesday's program SEX @ 7 - The Digital Edition. The program will dive into the taboo issue of relationships in the digital age. Event details are on the flier above. Don't be too afraid to voice your opinion. Who knows, you might meet your significant other that night :).

Internship program informational

On Thursday, February 3rd at 7 p.m., Gamma Phi Sigma and Chi Iota Pi will be hosting the HACU National Internship Program Informational (HNIP) at the University of Maryland - College Park. Since 1992 the HNIP has recruited college students for paid summer-and semester-long internships at federal agencies and private corporations throughout the country. These ten and fifteen-week internship programs give college students direct experience in a diverse array of careers in the federal and corporate sectors.

And talk about a wonderful opportunity waiting to happen. Most colleges make it mandatory for you to take internships and some don't. Students sometimes don't know of these opportunity or just don't have time to find internships. I was lucky enough to find internships through my school and actually made it part of my schedule; I treated it as if it was another class. Hopefully students in the Washington, DC area can take advantage of the HACU informational.

Art of Steppin' enhances website

Last week REMO INC. officially relaunched the "new" Art of Stepping website. The Art of Stepping™ Organization is overseen by Remo Production, Inc. and was founded by Jessica 'REMO' Saul, which operates nationally providing interactive and exclusive curriculum on the Art of Stepping™. Remo’s unique step curriculum based programs and events have helped to enhance the quality, availability and sustainability of daily after-school programs in urban areas as well incorporate a better understand of this art form.

So what makes the website different? Well it's now a "social networking" website. You (the Greek) can make a profile and update everyone with photos, videos and events. However, unlike other sites, this one is an "understandable" $20 to register. However, by signing up you can be the first to know about events and get member-only discounts to these events including the annual RISC step show. My favorite part is you get to read the awesome exclusive articles about LGLOs, BGLOs and non-Greek organizations. So sign up and get ready to become a fan of the stepping and stroll community.

p.s. Yes that Rihanna song is STILL playing in the background :).

My "6th Annual Stroll Show" Review

Last Friday we (Gamma Phi Sigma) hosted our 6th Annual Stroll Competition. Was it a success? Look at the above picture and tell me it wasn't. Our hermanos put a lot of work (and stress) into this show and it ended up raising close to $1,000 for the American Cancer Society. Yes organizations dropped out last minute, but we truly appreciate those organizations who participated. It wasn't about who performed and who won, it was about our hermano Ramon Ernesto "Guatu" Baez; this show was for him.

Thank you to:

• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. - Thank you for joining 2 weeks before the show happened and putting on great performances. Yes even the merengue stroll was a shock but it was great to see the support. And shout out to being the first NPHC organization to participate in the show in six years.
• Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. - You guys always put on some great performances and this year you out-did yourselves. I've seen the improvement in your strolls and to be honest, this year should have been your year. See you next year. P.S. B E ain't easy :)
• Corazones Unidos Siempre/Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. - Thank you for participating for the last six years! It is amazing what you guys do, how you perform and what you bring to the table. Congrats on winning for the second year.
• Chi Iota Pi Sorority Inc. - Although you did not compete it was truly appreciated you guys came up from Maryland to perform. Not only was it an AWESOME performance, but it was dedicated to our hermano. I had to hold in my tears when I saw the number five on your shoulders.

And thank you to all my hermanos. Sure we stress almost every day about life, but remember, it's too short to stress about. Life is meant to be exciting, interesting, challenging and fun! It was exciting seeing different chapters perform on stage and seeing what you all can do. So what's in store for the 7th Annual Stroll Show!? Only time will tell. I smell the "Robot" and "Dora" stroll may make a comeback.

P.S. Shout out to T-Mobile? lol

1 Year Ago

One year ago Gamma Phi Sigma hosted their 5th Annual Stroll Competition and wow what can I say. I believe it was the biggest turn out we had for a stroll show ever! The show was also held at Temple University's Mitten Hall which holds hundreds of people; there were also a good number of people standing up throughout the area. Why was this show memorable? Because we raised funds to support the American Cancer Society and our hermano Ramon Ernesto "Guatu" Baez. Although he is no longer here we know he is somewhere looking after us; his spirit lives on.

Last year's show also brought the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) together to perform a Unity Stroll. Although it was a lot of work and practice, the performance was great; I personally loved the skit ;). It's unfortunate the stroll most likely will never ever be performed again, it was great uniting our strolls and performing for the crown. See you all esta noche.

2 years ago

Two years ago we expected a much better flier than before but unfortunately we didn't. However I must say this was one of my most memorable stroll shows. Why? Because we had four organizations whom never performed at Temple University! Delta Chi Psi, Omega Phi Beta, Lambda Pi Chi and Lambda Alpha Upsilon came on board and broad their best strolls of the year. I'm going to be completely biased and say how absolutely I fell in love with a certain song. You may have heard of it "Cut 'dem off". So props to OPB who brought that song into my life :). Oh and yes it was an awesome stroll. And how about Delta Chi Psi!? They came to exhibit and they definitely showed Temple students what they were made of. The following year, Delta Chi Psi shocked us all. Hopefully this year we'll have as many shocking moments as every year combined!

3 years ago

Three years ago the stroll show had to continue and we wanted to make it different. Our usual supporters came and this year Chi Iota Pi made a come back. So what was special about this year? I actually believe it was the year we introduced the "Battle of the Sexes" theme. Because we wanted to shake things up a bit, we allowed the top sorority and top fraternity compete in the final round for a chance to be the top winner. But that wasn't the only memorable moment of the show *wink*. I was also happy because my family came out to this show; they never came back lmao. Why do I love this flier? Because Greeks LOVE to compare themselves with heroes, so we gave them the opportunity to choose a hero to represent their organizations -_-.

If you think organizing a stroll event is easy, please think again. Confirming organizations, last minute drop-outs, last minute fill-ins, judging, time management, commitment and everything else you can think of when planning an event can go wrong. However, you have to have a team behind you; it can't be done alone. See you el viernes!

4 years ago

Four years ago the show continued and it got bigger...it got serious. The above creation was brilliant and it brought character to the entire show. This flier made everyone think, "Sheeesh I wonder what is it going to be next year?" And sure enough year after year the flier got more "interesting". What else was memorable about this stroll show? How about the DORA stroll by Chi Upsilon Sigma? It was also the introduction of Lambda Tau Omega to Temple University; today, they're on Temple's campus :). So what can this year's stroll show bring? If it's anything like last year's then it's bound to be great!

5 years ago

Five years ago Gamma Phi Sigma started one of the greatest traditions on the East Coast...the annual stroll show at Temple University. And it was all because one brother attended a SILK stroll show in NYC. First, he wanted to perform at the annual event in NYC, but also wanted to recreate it in Philly. And sure enough I helped him with the show and we were actually the only two brothers to perform that evening! Should out to the ROBOT and RUN IT stroll :).

Shout out to all past participants. Fun fact: Chi Upsilon Sigma has been the only organization to consistently perform for the past six years. We thank you for all the support these past years and are looking forward to this year's performance. And I just realized the first time we hosted this event, we started at 9 p.m. Talk about a late night event.

One Week Away - 6th Annual Stroll Show

Once again my frat Gamma Phi Sigma "Hermanos Unidos" Fraternity, Inc. is hosting one of the BEST events on the East Coast. On Friday, November 19, 2010 the 6th Annual Stroll Show is going down. Confirmed organizations include Lambda Theta Alpha, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Omega Psi Phi (A FIRST!), Lambda Sigma Upsilon and special performances by Chi Iota Pi. But this show has grown into just strolling and winning a competition, it is now a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The entry is $5 but remember it's for a great cause.

p.s. Next week I'll be looking back at our previous shows and how this event came to being.

6th Annual Stroll Show

11/19/10

Temple University - Mitten Hall Great Court

1913 N. Broad Street, Phila., PA

Congrats Gamma Phi Sigma!

You always wonder what good will happen in the world. Sure some fraternities (maybe all) are much larger and have been around more than my own, but it's always good when you get that feeling you did something right. It's also one thing to see your own chapter grow and other chapters as well, but it's also great to see expansion. This takes a lot of dedication and patience; there are other organizations out there in the world "competing". However, we are all Latinos in this crazy world called life looking to enhance our own.

Congrats Peter Montero, Anthony Richards and Jose Ramos..you three have just started Iota Colony and joined a brotherhood like no other. Hasta pronto.

Guatu in pictures

Some great photos with some great people. All in memory of you Ramon Ernesto Baez. Full of life, energy and always in good spirits, what else could someone ask for in a person.

RIP Ramon Ernesto Baez - Guatu

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Plug in Time: 5th Annual Gamma Picnic

As if you already had plans for all of July? Everyone's favorite summer activity is back and we're ready to go swimming. I mean who doesn't like hanging out with Gamma Phi Sigma? (Don't answer that). But Nockamixon State Park is a lot of fun. The 5,283-acre park is in the rolling hills of scenic Bucks County, close enough to Philadelphia for a day trip, but far enough away for a vacation. There's also a pool...'nuff said.

The picnic costs $5 but it's for a good cause...we're starting a philanthropy which encompasses scholarships for high school students and more. We'll also be selling tickets to the RISC Stepshow on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 in NYC.

Tweets on a Mexican Celebration

So yes today was Cinco de Mayo but honestly why were we celebrating it? Did you know Mexicans in the U.S. don't really celebrate the holiday? Either way, here are today's Tweets of the day. Funny how they are all Gamma hermanos.

Team iPhone? Team Blackberry? Team Android? So many choices.

Announcement! Glad hermanos are doing their thing.

Well then lol.

Support!