Greek Life At Barry: Is It Even There?

By Akili Smith

Whether they’re strolling at parties, hosting their own events, or being repped by faculty and staff, Greek life is the norm at most college campuses across the country.

But are students at Barry University interested in joining Greek life?

If you don’t know what Greek life is, it refers to fraternities and sororities, which are organizations founded on principles or values such as service, leadership, scholarship, and more. They use Greek letters in their names, hence Greek life.

To clarify, sororities are for women and fraternities are for men, and they are usually referred to as sisterhood or a brotherhood.

At Barry, the following Greek organizations are currently active: Alpha Delta Gamma Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Alpha Phi International Sorority, Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity.

These are based on facts from both the student catalog and pledged student Faiyaz Nirob.

ADG chapter members posing using hand signal representative of Greek life chapter at Miami Beach fundraiser event. Pictured: John Boone, Naim Rambali, Faiyaz Mahmud Nirob, Calvin Anton and James Cohen. Photo Courtesy: John Boone

While Greek life does exist on campus, it seems there is a low turnout to most campus Greek events.

John Boone, the president of the Psi Chapter of the Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity, provides some insight into the matter.

“Communication plays a role as many students aren’t fully aware of what events are happening,” he said. “A lot of students don’t have Corq installed on their phones and may not stop to read posters unless they’re placed near their dorms, which limits exposure and turnout.”

Krystle Key, Director of Student and Family Engagement, says the university is making attempts to increase awareness through “tabling, information sessions and collaborative programming so students can make informed decisions about involvement.”

However, Key states because Greek organizations are still growing at Barry, “attendance can fluctuate as students learn what Greek Life looks like within Barry’s campus culture.”

Note that this isn’t the first time Barry has been introduced or been involved with Greek Life. While it is difficult to know when Greek life was first established on campus, it dates back to the early 2000s

Boone even notes that one of the former presidents of my chapter, Psi of Alpha Delta Gamma, helped name Bucky’s Cove.

At one point, Barry had a lively campus with a strong Greek presence,” he said.

Currently, John Boone’s fraternity, Alpha Delta Gamma, has five Barry students that are involved, including himself.

Besides students’ familiarity with Greek Life, Key attributes low turnout to other factors like “academic demands, competing campus events and the financial commitments associated with membership.”

Boone agrees that the expense is one of the main reasons that students reconsider attending.

“When they learn about the financial commitment involved, it can make them second-guess participating or attending events,” he said. “For many students, finances are already tight, and the additional financial responsibility of dues can be discouraging, even if they are genuinely interested in becoming involved.”

As of fall 2024, about 58% of students are Pell Grant recipients, according to the Office of Institutional Research. This percentage was taken from a total of 2,107 full-time undergraduate students, meaning 1,222 of these students are in need of financial aid.

Saniyah Bien-Aime, a second-year biology student, is a Barry student who does see the merit in Greek life and has gotten involved.

“What initially sparked my interest in sororities have been the leadership, community service and especially the sisterhood. I have always been a shy person, and I see the opportunities to speak out and grow with a group of likeminded women when it comes to sororities,” she said.

Bien-Aime said she just hasn’t taken the step to pledge because Barry is still currently “working on gaining D9 organizations.”

D9 or Divine Nine organizations are historically Black fraternities and sororities. They are still a part of Greek life, but they fall under the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) D9 organizations tend to offer more representation and cultural significance.

D9 organizations started developing on campus back in 2018, yet there seemed to be a halt in development as no update was provided—until recently. Although not fully active, the D9 fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, also known as the Nupes, plan to make a comeback. This was verified by Kyle Harris who is over the undergraduate development and advising for the Miami Alumni Chapter who is interested in reactivating the chapter at Barry.

With respect to low participation, Bien-Aime believes the students themselves must make an effort.

“When we don't show up, it looks like no one wants to be part of these organizations, making it much harder to get them on campus,” she said. “I try my absolute best to make it to any event that is hosted by Greek life so that there is someone there to advocate on the student's behalf. Taking the step of pledging only depends on what happens on our campus.”