In this photo, a screenshot of the Theta Delta Sigma website is pictured. The organization will be the first co-ed multicultural fraternity on campus. (Screenshot/Theta Delta Sigma)
Theta Delta Sigma will be the first co-ed multicultural fraternity on campus, said Chapter Development Consultant Nigel Moya.
Founded at the University of Buffalo in 2001, Theta Delta Sigma’s motto, “Make Diversity the Rule Instead of the Exception,” forms the backbone of the society’s mission.
“We represent over 70 backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations,” Moya said.
Victor Garcias, a regional member from Manchester Community College who promoted Theta Delta Sigma at last week’s Involvement Fair, said the society’s focus on diversity helps to create a safe space on college campuses.
“It definitely offers something different here, a lot of people don’t know what it means to be multicultural,” Garcias said. “Each chapter develops based on the connections in the area.”
This inclusive philosophy is reinforced by their mascot, the wolf, and is backed by their slogan: “For the strength of the Pack is in the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is in the Pack” (Kipling, 1894). Their badge also incorporate the astrological signs for male and female within a yin-yang symbol above the Earth, suggesting balance and an outward focus on society.
Kenyi Silva, a 7th-semester sociology major and president of the Intercultural Greek Council, said that joining a multicultural society offers all of the benefits of a leadership club, a cultural center and networking group rolled into one.
“I believe students should join because Greek Life has opened so many doors for me,” Silva said of his time with Lambda Alpha Upsilon, a Latino American fraternity.
Silva said he has seen a lot of growth in the Intercultural Greek Council, which consists of 11 member groups including Theta Delta Sigma, as they continue to promote multicultural values in the UConn community.
Applications to become a founding member of Theta Delta Sigma’s UConn chapter, which has yet to be officially recognized, closed Sept. 10.
Kimberly Armstrong is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at kimberly.armstrong@uconn.edu.
