Of the 15% of SDSU students involved in Greek life, the majority are members of the Interfraternity Council or the College Panhellenic Association, the two primary Greek councils on campus. However, two other councils on campus are less well known to the general student population: The National Panhellenic Council and the United Sorority and Fraternity Council.
USFC is the council for multicultural Greek organizations at SDSU. Since its founding in 1997, the council has become home to 13 AAPI, Latinx and multicultural sororities and fraternities on campus. While the USFC retains lower numbers than some other Greek councils on campus, it is the school’s largest council in terms of the number of chapters it incorporates.
In addition to the social aspect inherent to all Greek life, many members join USFC organizations as a way to stay connected to their cultures throughout their college life.
Chris Bautista, a brother of Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, spoke about this topic from personal experience.
“Having that environment here on campus definitely does make a big difference, especially for those who are coming very far away from home,” Bautista said.
USFC is known to be the chosen council by many students of color and first-generation students who connect through shared experiences and goals. Every organization also has its own core values such as sisterhood, brotherhood, academics and service. Members commonly join their specific chapter because the organization aligns with their own personal values.
Additionally, USFC offers a different overall atmosphere compared to the Interfraternity Council and the College Panhellenic Association, which are the main Greek councils at SDSU. Chapters are much smaller, with most retaining around 20 members at any given time, allowing for the sense of intimate community that drew many of them to join.
“We’re a lot more tight-knit, I would say, in USFC overall. In not being as exposed, everyone knows everybody on a first-name basis,” Bautista commented.
These smaller organizations also tend to attract students who did not initially plan to join a sorority or fraternity while attending SDSU. Coming into college, most were either unfamiliar with Greek life or intimidated by secondhand rumors and stigma.
Alex Beleche, president of Sigma Alpha Zeta Sorority, recalled her thoughts about Greek life before becoming involved herself.
“Initially, I never imagined myself joining a sorority. There was a lot of stigma behind it, especially with hazing […] I just never thought I could find a place where I fit in there,” Beleche said.
Although the sense of close community is a draw for members to join, students mentioned that USFC’s low numbers are also the council’s biggest difficulty. Most chapters rely on tabling and word of mouth to attract potential members because they lack the legacies that draw students to join IFC and CPA organizations.
However, some USFC members, such as Juan Sanchez of Gamma Zeta Alpha Fraternity, believe that the key to increasing membership numbers is to better advertise multicultural sororities and fraternities to incoming students.
“I feel like if you were to bring more awareness, it would help and impact more students rather than the few that are already in it and know about it,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez pointed to the publicity strategies of the various resource centers on campus as examples for USFC to follow to gain more recognition. He said that he believes there are students at SDSU who would be interested in joining a multicultural sorority or fraternity if they knew such organizations existed.
RaeAnne Datu, USFC President and sister of Alpha Phi Gamma Sorority, also believes in the value of expanding the council’s reach to gain more members.
“One of my main goals as president is to help the community grow in terms of numbers, because that’s where we struggle the most every semester,” Datu said.
With help from the USFC community, Datu hopes to find a way for the council to grow while maintaining the close-knit relationships and support that have defined the council since its founding.
