From sororities and fraternities to academic organizations and sports-related clubs; there is an organization for everyone at SIU.
Each semester, Southern Illinois University hosts its involvement fair for new and returning students to get an inside look on RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) and groups around campus. RSOs are a great way for new and returning students to be around others who have the same interests as them. They are also the perfect opportunity to participate in volunteer work.
Fraternity life in Southern Illinois’s Alpha Gamma Rho – Beta Alpha chapter is a home away from home for its members.
Advertisement
Chapter President Wyatt Boyer comes from Springfield, Illinois, along with a few other members in his fraternity. Having the opportunity to spend time and make memories with friends from home while making friends with other joining members was a selling point for him when rushing.
“We’re a bunch of kids that come from the same sort of background, whether that’s small town, agricultural or outdoors. We all have one common goal, whether that’s to better the future of agriculture or just the better future of outdoors,” Boyer said.
Member Davis Hamm joined Alpha Gamma Rho to make lifelong memories in college.
“It was an organization that I had known about previously through friends that had joined and I knew it was an opportunity to make even more friends,” Hamm said.
Each Greek organization at Southern Illinois has a philanthropy that allows them to help out their community and make a difference. Alpha Gamma Rho has two main philanthropy programs, breast cancer research and St. Judes Children’s Hospital.
“We do two philanthropies in the fall, a car smash that raises money for breastcancer.org, a breast cancer research center and also a car show that’s proceeds go towards research,” Boyer said, “In the spring we do a gun raffle, each raffle ticket enters you to win one of three guns and all proceeds of that go to St. Judes Children’s Hospital.”
When asked his favorite thing about his RSO, Boyer said, “The brotherhood. It’s like a home away from home. I know that’s something that gets used a lot but this is a group of guys that I love to be around. They’re why I love coming back to Carbondale every year.”
Advertisement*
Hamm followed with, “I love the memories that we make together and also being able to help out the community through our philanthropies.”
Sorority life is another lifelong opportunity for many women at SIU.
Yolina Lindquist of Sigma Kappa Sorority is a Panhellenic delegate for sororities. She is on the executive council of Sigma Kappa as well as the College Panhellenic Association general body. In this position, she votes and speaks on behalf of her chapter at CPA.
“I joined [Sigma Kappa] my sophomore year because I wanted something to help me further my connections with others. I was already in a few other RSOs on campus but I needed something more service-oriented to get me more involved and meet more people and Sigma Kappa was that for me. I went through recruitment and I fell in love,” Lindquist said.
Sigma Kappa’s main philanthropy is Alzheimer’s awareness, and the group is one of the leading private contributors to Alzheimer’s disease prevention, research and treatment efforts.
Being able to contribute to fighting Alzheimer’s is very important to each member of Sigma Kappa.
“One in nine people over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s and our philanthropy makes such a big impact. We hope to be the generation that ends Alzheimer’s,” Lindquist said.
Her favorite thing about the organization is her fellow members.
“It’s a sisterhood, I know that’s such a typical thing to say but it genuinely is. I was in multiple RSOs, I had a bunch of friends, but this sisterhood have me a better sense of belonging and is the reason that I’m still at SIU, they’re the reason I have such good grades, they hold me accountable and they’re just some of my best friends,” Lindquist said.
Some other organizations at Southern Illinois focus on sports. Two of these organizations are the men’s soccer club and the Dawg Pound.
Because Southern doesn’t have a men’s soccer team, a group of eager men started the club a few years ago. The club disbanded, and in 2022, player Sergio Mendez and a few friends got together and resurrected the organization.
“I played soccer in high school and I wanted to find a way to go onward with that after graduation,” Mendez said.
While the club is not the same as an official SIU team, Mendez said it is a way for him to get out and socialize with guys who have the same interests as him.
Sport leisure RSO, the Dawg Pound, is run by President Dylan Chambers. A familiar face to many around campus, Chambers and the Pound are very active in all things sports around SIU. From basketball and football games to grilling out on the hill at baseball games, the Dawg Pound is a great way for sports-oriented students to make connections.
“I’m really interested in sports and that’s what the Dawg Pound revolves around, so I knew it would be a good organization for me,” Chambers said.
Besides being at almost every sporting event, the Dawg Pound has great incentives for its members. At a few basketball and volleyball games a year, the Pound provides pizza for students sitting in the designated Dawg Pound area.
Last football season, the Pound provided pins for the first 500 fans in the stadium each game, some games they even provided t-shirts that matched the theme of the game.
“I love the Pound’s energy and how they love to be around different types of groups and supporting all the sports, not just football and basketball,” Chambers said.
Besides Greek life and sport-based RSOs, there are also professional and academic organizations. These RSOs are a great way for students to get more experience in their major or minor.
The pre-vet club at SIU allows animal lovers and pre-veterinary majors to spend time around animals and doing what they love.
Jessica Schneider is the secretary. Her role requires her to message new recruits and communicate with presenters who come and talk to the club.
“I joined to be around people who have similar interests as mine and make me feel welcome and, like, I can talk about the things I care about while adding new ideas to what I’m already thinking,” Schneider said, “I love the volunteering that we do. I’ve gotten to play with a lot of cool animals and learn more about them and the experience that it takes to take care of them.”
In the past year, the pre-vet club has done volunteer work with many organizations, one being an alpaca farm in the area where members got to shear the alpacas and help run some events. St. Francis Care is a shelter that the organization has helped out with as well.
All of the organizations that are offered at Southern Illinois can be found online at https://siu.presence.io/organizations/list.
Reporter Joei Younker can be reached at [email protected].
Advertisement
