Temple’s Greek Week is back and features a brand new event this year.
United We Step is a program that aims to bring greater connectivity to the Greek community through a night of mingling and dancing between members of all four councils.
The Temple University Greek Association coordinated the event, which is the brainchild of Director of Greek Events Kiana Mann.
Mann says she wanted to create an event which would focus on uniting the organizations against incidents of racial discrimination and injustice.
Mann says, “You saw so much going on with race and discrimination issues on college campuses and within Greek life, and I just felt that really something needed to be done to take a stand for it.”
Members of all fraternities and sororities of the Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Association were in attendance.
United We Step featured the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. dancing step and teaching the crowd some moves, along with speaking about the legacy of their historically-black organization.
Chi Oriji, President of Temple University’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, says “You know, stepping is more than just choreography and movements – it shows unity, and that’s why we’re here. United We Step, and that basically says it all.”
Sisters of the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s Alpha Xi Delta and sisters of the Multicultural Greek Council’s Delta Phi Omega also came together to learn a stroll, which they performed during the event. This dance physically embodied the night’s message of unity, as Greek organizations from different councils don’t often collaborate.
Valerie Ramos, a sister of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., felt that her organization benefitted greatly from the event, stating “I think it improved it drastically, as far as Greek unity-wise… We get to meet new faces and become closer to all the other organizations out of our council.”
Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity brother Patrick Dallas had a similar experience at United We Step and thinks the event “definitely unites all the Greek life, brings everyone together, and I think everyone’s having a good time.”
Kiana Mann is hopeful that the event will happen again next year, stating, “I definitely think that the more that this event happens, the more we really will become that united Greek community here at Temple.”
Brothers and sisters stepping as one, Temple’s Greek organizations came together for a night of unity through dance at United We Step.
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