Small in numbers but large in impact, Culturally-Based Fraternal Organizations at Loyola Marymount University provide a community for students committed to service and fellowship.
“Sigma Gamma Rho is important to me because it provides me with a unique form of sisterhood and service opportunities,” says Challen Wellington, a dance major from St. Louis. “I am a proud member of this sorority, and I love being in a historically black organization that aims to better the community.”
LMU Greek Life is home to seven Culturally-Based Fraternal Organizations (CBFOs) with four of them currently active, according to Ashleigh Renteria, the program coordinator for Greek Life. With more than 30 women and men that are members, the organizations create camaraderie on campus.
“Our CBFOs provide community for historically underrepresented student groups and serve to educate the entire campus community through cultural appreciation and educational programming,” says Renteria, citing that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. recently hosted a financial literacy workshop for anyone who wanted to attend. “Additionally, they place a high emphasis on uplifting the communities from which they come.”
The multicultural Greek experience CBFOs provide for the entire student body is exemplified during the Greek Life Lip Sync and Stroll Off. At the event, sororities and fraternities compete in an elaborate lip sync contest. Additionally, members of the CBFOs perform stylized dance routines called strolls, which represent their cultural history.
“The Stroll Off provides greater diversity within our Greek community in having that be a picture that we put out to the rest of the students,” says Renteria. “Greek Life at LMU is not just a space for people who have historically been on our campus. It is a space for everyone who you can see on our campus today.”
In remaining consistent with LMU’s mission of service, the organizations aim to reach out and help the communities they represent through philanthropy. When Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority, Inc. won the 2015 Stroll Off, the organization donated a large portion of the prize money to the Upward Bound chapter at LMU.
“I truly believe in the mission of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.,” Wellington says, “and the best thing about being a member is the family that you gain from your own sorority and other NPHC organizations.”
To learn more about the Culturally-Based Fraternal Organizations, visit LMU Sorority & Fraternity Life.