Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc., is inviting students to attend Gamma Week, an initiative to promote academic excellence, diversity and social interaction.
The four-day event also celebrates the founding of the sorority 21 years ago, said Dorie Kogut, a sophomore majoring in political science.
“The theme of the week is Gamma-Ception, a play off the movie Inception,” Kogut said. “The movie’s theme is about taking people’s dreams and infiltrating them, so each day correlates with a part of the movie.”
Monday’s events included a donation table in the Ferguson Center that accepted donations for Books for Soldiers, a campaign that sends provisions to troops overseas.
The Gammas also held a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings Monday. The restaurant donated 20 percent of a customer’s total purchase to the sorority if they mentioned “Gamma.”
Kogut said the sorority would not know the totals of their fundraiser until later in the week.
Tuesday, the sorority hosted a forum in Alston Hall called “Life After Bama,” an event aimed to help direct students who are scheduled to graduate soon.
The sorority will team up with the International Justice Mission tonight in the Ferguson Center Room 360 at 7 p.m. to spread awareness about the issue of human trafficking.
The last event will be Thursday at the Riverside Residence Halls’ pool. The Gammas invite all students to attend their annual Founder’s Day Cookout that kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
“The goal of the event is to get our name out there and to let the University know there is a multicultural sorority,” Kogut said. “We want to raise awareness about various issues and show students that you can be different and have a place on this campus.”
Kogut said while the sorority may be small in numbers, they hope to encourage lots of student participation this week.
“We have a lot of things planned, and we didn’t structure them toward any one party group,” Kogut said. “We get along with everyone and we are very welcoming.
“We never pass judgments on people; all the events we planned were planned with an open mind,” she said.
Kasha Simons, a sophomore majoring in marketing, plans on attending at least one of the events this week. Simons said she is proud of the sorority for promoting diversity on campus.
“To me, it seems like everyone is the same here,” she said. “I see all white sorority girls wearing oversized T-shirts and Nike running shorts. I am so proud of these girls for encouraging students to attend the non-stereotypical events.
“I think it takes a strong [person] to show the other side of issues on campus,” Simons said. “Sometimes I feel alone on this campus since I am a minority, so I am looking forward to meeting a new group of people.”
Kogut said she was drawn to the sorority because of the multicultural aspect.
“When you look at us, there are so many different cultures and ideas coming together,” she said. “It’s nice to have that and it’s also a great learning experience.”
Jamie Porter, a junior majoring in accounting, said she hopes to attend Thursday’s cookout.
“It is great to see people stepping outside of the box on this campus,” Porter said. “There is a diverse population on campus. It is great to see a sorority encouraging unity [through] diversity.”
