Wilfrid Laurier University is proud to be known as a campus community that inspires lives of leadership and purpose.
With hundreds of opportunities to join clubs, associations and teams, it is safe to say that Laurier has something for everyone.
One of those opportunities is Greek Life at Laurier. As the title preludes, I’m about to give you the low-down on all things Greek Life.
Seeing the words “Greek Life” in the school paper might make some minds jump to the Americanized and over-dramatic movies and beloved television shows that we watched growing up.
I’m here to tell you that although the movies have given Greek Life a bad rep, the Greek organizations on Laurier’s campus are fun and all-encompassing.
Greek Life on campus consists of three sororities and four fraternities.
Every organization holds something unique and if you’re interested in joining Greek Life, I strongly encourage you to join an organization with values that match your own.
There are three sororities on campus: Alpha Phi, Alpha Omega and Golden Iris. People often speculate that there may be rivalry between them, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. All three sisterhoods support each other by attending their countless events and participating as teams through the various Greek Council activities. These groups are dedicated to the bettering of their members while celebrating the strong women in each organization.
Every organization holds something unique and if you’re interested in joining Greek Life, I strongly encourage you to join an organization with values that match your own.
The Alpha Phi women’s fraternity [Instagram | Facebook] is an international women’s fraternity founded in Syracuse, New York in 1872. Alpha Phi is dedicated to promoting sisterhood, cultivating leadership, encouraging intellectual curiosity and advocating for service in and around the local community. Throughout the year the women of the Iota Theta chapter strive to raise funds for the Alpha Phi Foundation and work towards their ultimate goal of raising funds for women’s heart health.
The Alpha Omega Sorority [Instagram | Facebook] was founded at WLU on October 27, 1993 and remains unique to the Waterloo campus. Their motto is “harmony through individuality”, meaning they value each other’s differences and strive to be their best selves. Alpha Omega serves as an opportunity for personal development through leadership while providing academic, social and professional support. Alpha Omega hosts philanthropic events each year to support Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.
The Golden Iris fraternity [Instagram | Facebook] is the newest female
organization to join Laurier’s Greek Council, and are a wonderful addition to the community. Established at Laurier in April 2017, Golden Iris is targeted to be a sisterhood of innovative leaders interested in personal growth and promoting a culturally diverse group of women. The women of Golden Iris support the KW community and host philanthropic fundraisers for breast cancer-related organizations such as AVON and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Golden Iris embraces Asian cultures and raises Asian awareness as academically driven females, striving for excellence.
Through the Waterloo region, there are four fraternities that call WLU their home: Sigma Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Zeta Psi and Alpha Epsilon Pi.
The men in some of these organizations span from Laurier, Waterloo and Conestoga, but are proud to be rooted in the Greek Community on our campus.
Sigma Chi [Instagram | Facebook] is a brotherhood of men from different backgrounds, talents and convictions who strive for a lifelong commitment, in order to achieve true friendship, equal justice and the fulfillment of learning. They hold many philanthropy events to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and other charitable organizations in the region. Every year they host their annual Walk to Conquer Cancer, which is held during the fall semester, and host a week of philanthropic events and fundraising activities, which they call “Derby Days”.
Pi Kappa Alpha [Instagram | Facebook] values and principles are based off of four pillars that they actively seek in all of their members: scholars, leaders, athletes and gentlemen. They hope to instill in their members the opportunity to build connections throughout university not only locally but internationally as well, all while building friendships that can last a lifetime. Just like Sig, “PIKE” also has a philanthropic event that is open to the community. Their fundraiser, DiaBEATthis, is an annual event that the brothers host in order to raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations.
Thirdly, we have Zeta Psi Fraternity [Facebook]. They were also the first organization to colonize chapters in Canada, the UK and France. Zeta men are dedicated to excellence in academics, their professional and personal lives, as well as developing themselves to be better individuals capable of strengthening their relationships both inside and outside of the fraternity. Throughout the year they hold events to conquer hunger — their most popular being Hawaiian for Hunger, where event attendees bring non-perishable food items for those in need.
Last, but certainly not least, is the largest international fraternity in the world, holding chapters in Canada and many places internationally: Alpha Epsilon Pi [Facebook]. Although this fraternity is predominantly a Jewish organization, it is a non-discriminatory brotherhood. AEPI’s mission is to develop leadership in the Jewish community which the brothers exemplify through their acts of brotherhood, charity, social awareness and support for the Jewish community. The brothers of AEPi are also dedicated to bettering the Waterloo community holding a large fundraiser on campus in support of B’nai Brith Canada.
It goes without saying that the Greek Life community might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope that now you’ll see that Greek Life on the WLU campus can be a fantastic way to get involved and find a home away from home.
Every Greek organization on campus is unique and is proud to be a part of the WLU community. All of the members of Greek Life at Laurier are excited to meet all of the incoming students this year.
Whether or not Greek Life is right for you, Laurier has hundreds of amazing opportunities for you to get involved in. If this article resonated with you, be sure to check out Greek Life too.