On Tuesday Sept. 17, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Engagement (FSE) hosted its annual ‘Meet the Greeks’ event in Corbett Sports Center.
The event was held on National Voter Registration Day in light of the monumental 2024 presidential election. The contrast from last year’s Meet the Greeks to this year’s event has left students informed, entertained, and registered to vote.
When asked if he could feel a shift in the goals and culture of Greek life on campus regarding civic engagement, Joint Greek Council (JGC) Advisor Brandon Ratliff commented on his views of the organizations’ intention.
“Our fraternities and sororities on campus and abroad have always been at the forefront of civic engagement. This year, we decided to partner it with National Voter Registration Day just because it’s a very important election year. We want students and the community to know their power,” Ratliff said.
He believes that FSE’s mission of civic engagement has always been present, but has been amplified to empower and mobilize students to participate in their civic duty to fight for democracy.
North Carolina’s 16 electoral college votes could turn the tide for either presidential candidate.
According to the Pew Research Center, college students make up a majority of America’s voting demographics, and N.C. A&T Greeks have hopes of using their influence to help swing the state back blue, which has not occurred since 2008 in President Barack Obama’s first term campaign.
“On top of influencing students, we’re trying to influence people within Greensboro, and in North Carolina to get out and vote,” said Kyla Holton, senior liberal studies student and student government association attorney general for the academic year.
Holton, partnered with the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement, has a mission to encourage students to make educated decisions and remain active in the electoral process.
“We are working to push out voter mobilization…What good is it to get students to register and be educated if they aren’t putting boots to the ground and acting according to their words?” Holton said.
Those who attended the event, noted the work of the Greeks and the importance of voter education for college students.
“With this being my first time voting, I feel like it’s very important to teach us who we’re voting for and what we need to be striving for when choosing the perfect candidate,” Akierra Wilson, a sophomore criminal justice student said.
The Meet the Greeks event still maintained its lively atmosphere with strolling and stepping from members, a photo booth, a live DJ, and special guests PrettyVee and Finesse2tymes. Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Nextgen America were also present to advise students to use their resources and voice in this election.
Ratliff has confirmed that there will be more events from FSE and JGC to continue their mission of advocacy during the peak of election season.
“We have a lot of events we’re looking forward to coming up. We want to engage not only the students but the community in the election,” Ratliff said.
With a little over a month until election day on Nov. 5, A&T’s Greek student body is striving to boost voter turnout at the university’s polling site, located at the Dudley Building on campus.
