At Yogurt Extreme on 13th Avenue, students unwind from the stress of upcoming midterms and top off their bowls of frozen yogurt with a colorful assortment of candy, ripe fruit and delicately placed whipped cream. A group of a dozen students sits in the corner, crowding around the circular tables. The tables are small, but the group fits in as many chairs as it can to make sure everyone has a seat. While the day of cramming for exams and filling in study guides is coming to an end for some students, the planning is just beginning for this group.
This is the meeting of the Rhoyals of University of Oregon and Emerald’s Interest Group of Kappa Delta Chi; two multicultural Greek Life organizations which hope to make their presence known on campus. Once officially established on campus, the Rhoyals and the Emerald Interest Group will be chapters of Epsilon Sigma Rho fraternity and Kappa Delta Chi sorority respectively.
“Once we complete our required events, do our interviews, create our profile, and finish our pledging, we’ll be founders of the colony on the University of Oregon campus” Rhoyals founder and Internal Vice President Tre’Von Robinson said.
Although he did consider rushing fall term, Robinson ultimately decided to create his own fraternity in order to promote the inclusion of people of color within UO Greek Life. The university is classified as a predominantly white institution (PWI), meaning that over 50 percent of enrolled students identify as white. In the eyes of many students of color, the Greek Life system does not feel entirely representative of the entire UO student body.
Kappa Delta Chi member Maria Gomez-Leon says that given the growing Latinx population at the university, it is necessary for Greek life to reflect the blossoming diversity within the student body. “If we are going to be inclusive to everyone on campus, we should be inclusive within Greek life and have the entire student population represented if it’s already represented for most other people” Gomez-Leon said.
For many students of color, simply walking to class at a PWI is an entirely different feeling.
“Walking around campus and having people look at you is just a different feeling,” Robinson said.  “[It is the feeling of] walking around campus and being that black male student that you rarely see.”
For students of color who may share similar feelings, Rhoyals and Kappa Delta Chi can be places for them to relate to the common issues they encounter at a PWI.
In addition to welcoming brothers from all cultural backgrounds, the Rhoyals are working hard to ensure that those from all socioeconomic backgrounds are able to join. While the cost to rush has not yet been determined, Robinson and the Rhoyals hope to keep the costs low so that money is not a deterrent to those who want to join the brotherhood but are not able to spend large amounts on the rushing process.
From Robinson’s perspective, it is essential that everyone has a seat at the table, just as they do at Yogurt Extreme’s tables.
“People from all walks of life come together to become a part of Epsilon Sigma Rho and that’s what makes us stronger because we’re able to bring our cultural differences together.”
Follow Michael on Twitter @MichaelTobinUO