Each organization had a unique routine and an equally unique reason behind it.
Greek Unity Week started on Monday, Oct. 23 and continued into Saturday, Oct. 28. There were a variety of events held during the week, one, in particular, being the UGC stepping educational event.
Here at Saint Leo, UGC stands for Unified Greek Council and is made up of organizations of the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). Each of the groups within UGC has their own strolls and step routines, which have been passed down through the generations.
“Stepping is an art form that African American based fraternities and sororities do; it started with just singing and chants from that organization. Later came the stepping because the organizations created a beat that went along with their chants,” senior, multimedia management major, Mikael Coleman said, explaining how stepping originated.
Each organization has something they step and stroll for; these details were shared with audience members who were previously unaware of the groups’ purpose.
“I didn’t know they had like a distinct purpose and I thought that was really really awesome, that they all have something that they like purposefully stroll for and I think it’s a really beautiful thing,” said sophomore, business management and marketing major, Sarah Walterman.
UGC explained more about their hand signs, their letters, and their strolls. They explained how doing an organization’s stroll or making their hand sign is very disrespectful; there are many do’s and don’ts in regards to these unique aspects of UGC.
After giving the examples of what could be seen as disrespectful, the UGC members performed a stroll, which then would be learned by several Greeks in different organizations, not under UGC. They made an effort to include everyone which had positive reactions and added to the Greek Unity that was celebrated throughout the week.
“I love how they like involved everybody in dancing and teaching them,” junior, hospitality management and international tourism major, Natalie Vasquez claimed.
This event was one that was definitely enjoyed by those that attended. It was also one that was exciting to plan and to watch be executed successfully.
“I think for the Unified Greek Council, what was really exciting for them was to be able to have a platform to talk about why they do the things that they do,” Assistant Director of Greek Life & Community Engagement, Krystal Sanchez said.
There was a considerable amount of significance that this event had to offer. It showed how one council of Greeks followed traditions and displayed their passion for what they do. The event united the Greek families of Saint Leo as one, an important goal to achieve, especially during Greek Unity Week.
