All in one

Emma Burke April 9 2017, 12:00 a.m.

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The University of Maryland is home to over 800 organizations, so it
can be extremely overwhelming in the beginning when determining how to dedicate your time
and energy throughout your college career.

You can join an athletic team, an academic society, a service club, or a social organization.
However, there is one organization you can join that encompasses all of the above.

Greek life provides a way to get involved athletically, academically, philanthropically, and
socially with a group of individuals who share the same values as you.

Greek life at UMD is composed of four councils: National Panhellenic Council (NPHC),
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), Panhellenic Association (PHA), and Intrafraternity
Conference (IFC).

The two councils that have the most members and organizations are PHA and IFC. PHA has 16
sororities. Each sorority has approximately 160 members. These are members who go through a
formal recruitment process and join the chapter that coincides with their values and personalities.

Each sorority also has a chapter house that is either on or off campus. Alpha Phi is housed at
7402 Princeton Ave. and holds 46 members.
Once deciding to join Greek life, it is very difficult to decide which chapter to become a part of.
It is overwhelming walking into so many different houses full of 150 polished women.

There are many reasons why Alpha Phi stands out amongst other chapters. Alpha Phi is a sorority
full of 168 passionate, intelligent, fun-loving girls. Each member is different from the rest in
many ways, but together, the chapter is a cohesive unit working together.

The goal of joining Greek life is to become a better person by the time you graduate. Here in
Alpha Phi, we make sure this is always the case. Our organization is values based, and our values
are sisterhood, service, leadership, loyalty, scholarship and character development.

Character development is the value that sets us apart from other chapters. We practice
Watchcare, our way to ensure safety and productivity of each member as well as holding each
other accountable.

Besides values, we spend a lot of our time focusing on our philanthropy. All of the money we
raise goes towards the Alpha Phi Foundation. The Alpha Phi Foundation supports womens heart
health which is the number one killer of women in our nation.

Our foundation also supports our sisters internally. Since each member puts so much energy and
time into the organization, Alpha Phi helps our sisters out if they fall into a hard time. Our own
chapter had a member whose house was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy and Alpha Phi helped
rebuild it.

In order to raise money for our foundation, we host a variety of Philanthropy Events every year.
During the fall semester, we host King of Hearts, a male beauty pageant.
Photo from 2016 King of Hearts hosted with Alpha Epsilon Pi. (Gabriella DiGiorgio)

We also host an annual Red Dress Gala which raises almost $20,000 in one night. This event
includes a dinner and a live auction for families and friends.

Red Dress is really a special event. We are so lucky to be able to come together with family and
friends to learn more about the Alpha Phi Foundation while enjoying good food, a live auction,
and good company explains Nicole Natoli, Vice President of Marketing.

Photo taken from

2016 Red Dress Gala
at the College Park
Marriott. (Sophia
Kuenzel)

In the Spring semester, we host a two-part Casino Night with Phi Delta Theta for students,
parents, and alumni. This event benefits both of our Philanthropies, as well as other chapters in
Greek life who participate in our Casino Night.

We also hosted our very first Mac and Phis event this year, which was an all you can eat mac and
cheese bar at our house. It was a very relaxed, social event that was able to raise $2,500.

Our dedication to the Alpha Phi Foundation has made us the Top 3 Fundraising Chapter out of
the 170 Alpha Phi chapters internationally.

Alpha Phi at the University of Maryland is a special group of women who work together towards
the greater good. We spend our time living, learning, working, volunteering, and socializing
together.

Together, we do a lot of good and ultimately become better women.

At the University of Maryland, there are over 800 organizations, but there is truly only one that
will provide the ultimate college experience and help develop your study skills, leadership
abilities, social skills, character.