Sigma Beta Rho, the only South Asian-interest fraternity at Penn, is gearing up for its first rush season.
Last spring, the Office of Student Affairs/Fraternity Sorority Life (formerly the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs) approved Sigma Beta Rho’s request to recruit members at Penn. Since then, seven undergraduates have formed Sigma Beta Rho’s colony, laying the groundwork for recruitment this coming spring.
As Sigma Beta Rho student leaders look forward to next semester, they are hoping to generate interest amongst students who share their ideals and values.
“It’s been a pretty interesting experience so far,” said Vice President of Marketing for Sigma Beta Rho Jay Dave, a College sophomore.
Dave explained that he was drawn to the group because of the “close-knit” bond shared by members. “That’s one of the factors that really pulled me in,” he said.
According to chapter President and Wharton sophomore Steven Kozhimala, group members from other campuses in the Philadelphia area, including Temple University, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and Drexel University interact frequently, forming a strong regional support network.
Although Sigma Beta Rho is a new fraternity at Penn, the group traces its inception back to the University in the 1990s.
According to Kozhimala, Sigma Beta Rho originally came to Penn in 1996.
The fraternity considers the University to be its “Alpha chapter,” he said, despite the fact it never became an official group recognized by the Multicultural Greek Council or the University.
According to its website, three of the eight founding Sigma Beta Rho members attended Penn. The group has since flourished, becoming the largest South Asian-interest fraternity in the country, with 40 chapters located nationwide.
Because the founders in the 1990s were upperclassmen, Kozhimala said, a chapter was never able to fully develop on campus. After graduation, the founders shared the idea with friends in New York, who helped it grow into the organization it is now.
MGC adviser Larry Moses expressed enthusiasm about the new group, extolling Sigma Beta Rho’s leadership. The founding members, he said, have been very “responsive” in working with administrators in the colonization process. “They’ve done an excellent job,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming them to campus.”
Moses also stressed that the new group is evidence of how the University has grown since the 1990s in its commitment to “wholesome” Greek life.
The fact that special-interest organizations like Sigma Beta Rho are now joining campus, he explained, is a “testament” to the Greek system’s “continued progress.”
