As ETSU’s Greek community continues with Rush week activities, each organization agrees that the tie that binds them all together is brotherhood and/or sisterhood.
“If I ever have a problem, or need anything at all, I know that there are at least 60 girls I can call to help me with whatever I need,” said Sigma Kappa Joyce Acree.
“I love all of my girlfriends,” said roommate and fellow Sigma Kappa Kylee Merendino.
“Brotherhood,” said Scott Gentry of Sigma Chi. “It sounds like a common answer, but once you see what it’s like, you can really understand it.”
On ETSU’s campus, there are four Panhellenic sororities and eight fraternities.
Alpha Delta Pi and Sigma Phi Epsilon began at ETSU in 1954 as the first sorority and fraternity on campus. Since then, the Greek community has grown immensely in terms of size and recognition.
These groups, however, are often only recognized for their social aspects and brother and sisterhoods. But the Greeks on campus are about a lot more than just the brothers and sisters in their organization.
The Greek organizations on ETSU’s campus participate in a vast array of activities to support and help not only our campus but also our community and our nation.
“We’re trying to make leaders out of people,” said Kappa Delta president Kayla Griffith.
“Both sororities and fraternities offer support to one another during their activities and projects,” said Panhellenic Council President Tina Darnell.
Each organization helps a specific philanthropy to which members direct their efforts of service. From children to the elderly, these campus organizations can be found doing a number of special activities and projects to help many different people in many different ways.
Alpha Xi Delta sorority does a number of projects to help Girls Inc., a national United Way organization. They also run a teddy bear drive each year and donate the bears to local police departments, where the police can use them to comfort children who have to be taken away from their families.
Like Alpha Xi Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity can be found helping out the kids of United Way, but at the local Boys and Girls Club. The fraternity has been known to put on a Halloween party, usually with the help of Junior Panhellenic members, and a Christmas party with the members of Kappa Delta.
Sigma Phi Epsilon is also the single largest local contributor to the American Heart Association with their Affair of the Heart. They have also won honors for the most community service from a fraternity for 13 years running.
“Our members are really interested in doing a lot of community service,” said Sigma Phi Epsilon President Thomas Amburgey.
Another sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, supports the Ronald McDonald House.
“We go over a couple times a month and cook or clean, and then we get to play with some of the kids. It’s really great to get to help out,” said member Melody Skinner.
Last spring, the group held a gala at the Johnson City Country Club and raised $5,000 for the Ronald McDonald House.
The upcoming lollipop campaign is supported by Sigma Kappa to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity is also a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Sigma Kappa will be participating at the Memory Walk on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Bristol Motor Speedway in support of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Sigma Kappa also supports the Sportsman’s Classic, where Greek organizations work together to collect non-perishable food items and toiletries to be sent to The Maine Seacoast Foundation, since Sigma Kappa was founded in Maine.
The Shamrock Project is headed by Kappa Delta sorority each year in March. Last year, the project raised $12,000, 80 percent of which was split between Coalition for Kids and The Children’s Advocacy Center. The other 20 percent was sent to the national organization Prevent Child Abuse America.
Kappa Deltas are also involved in helping with the Girl Scouts in our community and a children’s hospital in Virginia. The sorority will also be celebrating National Women’s Friendship Day on Sept. 22.
Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity encourages child abuse awareness, like Kappa Delta, but by supporting These Hands Don’t Hurt. The fraternity also does service for Cystic Fibrosis, and they have a program called Adopt-a-School.
Kappa Delta also often works with another fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, in service of Coalition for Kids. This fraternity is also a participant in The Great American Cleanup.
Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity is a big supporter of the North American Food Drive with their Watermelon Bust project, which encourages other organizations to gather food for donation. At last year’s chili cook-off, sponsored by Lambda Chi Alpha, there were cards and letters written offer support to our troops overseas.
Pi Kappa Alpha is also a supporter of its deployed brothers.
Sigma Chi fraternity works with the Children’s Miracle Network as a part of their service work. They also participate in Derby Days and golf tournaments to raise money for various organizations throughout our community.
Another fraternity, Sigma Nu, supports its national education foundation, which encompasses its own scholarship program.
It is impossible to mention all of the projects carried out by these campus organizations because they are always growing and expanding their service work.
There are many other smaller projects that these Greek organizations participate in as supporters and volunteers for our community and nation.
Pan-Hellenic organizations, although included as part of ETSU’s Greek community, have separate rush events at different times. Other campus groups have varying sign-up dates as well.

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