Christians looking for the social aspect of a fraternity or sorority but the spiritual aspect of a religious organization have multiple options at NIU.

There are four different Christian fraternities and sororities, both Greek and non-Greek, on campus. Alpha Delta Omega Christian Sorority and Alpha Omega Nu Christian Fraternity are both Greek organizations. Megiste Arete Christian Fraternity and Elogeme Adolphi Christian Sorority are both non-Greek organizations. The Greek and non-Greek fraternities and sororities differ slightly.

NON-GREEK

“We try to make our organization focused on a religious discipline rather than the social,” said Justeen Pelt, senior English major and secretary for Elogeme Adolphi Christian Sorority.

Elogeme Adolphi and Megiste Arete are considered non-Greek because they are non-secrecy organizations. This means everything about their organization is public, unlike Greek organizations that hold member only meetings, Pelt said.

Megiste Arete and Elogeme Adolphi are both non-Greek organizations but are considered a sorority and fraternity because they’re gender exclusive.

“Our core goals may be the same as other fraternities but ours are more Bible-based,” said Pierre Taylor, accounting graduate and president of Megiste Arete. Taylor describes his fraternity as a group of guys that look toward bettering themselves through the word of God. The fraternity has been on campus since 2003 and works within the community to promote their organization and Christianity. The non-Greek Christian sorority on campus also hopes to help build strong women through religion.

“We help teach young women on campus to learn and grow in their faith,” said Ashley King, junior nursing major and president of Elogeme Adolphi Christian Sorority. “Everything we do is Bible oriented.”

King said she was looking for an organization that knows how to have fun but also fulfill her spiritual needs.

“I wanted to have fun in a Christian way, without going to a party or something,” King said.

The sisters of Elogeme Adolphi like to stay social by gathering at a member’s apartment to watch a movie, talk about their problems and playing games, all while maintaining a religious base, King said.

GREEK

The Greek sanctioned organizations on campus also include religion into their social and daily lives but are allowed to hold member-only meetings. The Greek organizations like to stay as social as possible but still maintain a religious core.

“We encourage all women to join and participate in our organization’s events and goals,” said Paisley Connor, senior public health major and Vice President on Alpha Delta Omega National Christian Sorority. “We spread the word of the Bible and Christianity across campus by hosting events and participating in community services.”

Alpha Delta Omega hosted a bake sale last week and is planning events with the DeKalb County High School for their founders week during the first week of October, Connor said. The members of the sorority also work closely with the Jesus Is The Way Christian Center, located in the Holmes Student Center.

Richard Dixon, president of Alpha Omega Nu Christian Fraternity and fifth-year general studies major, said that the organization tries to uphold Christian fundamentals.

“First, we are dedicated to a personal relationship with God,” Dixon said. “We also stress dedication and commitment to all our members.”

Dixon said that when he thought of rushing, this was the choice that made sense to him.

“I personally felt I would relate to people better here,” he said. “We’re totally committed to living a Christian lifestyle.”

Even though it wasn’t the popular option, it seemed to be the right choice, and people shouldn’t shy away from checking it out, Dixon said.

Like other organizations on campus, all Christian sororities and fraternities, both Greek and non-Greek, perform community service events and tailor their organization to accept as many interested people as possible.

“People respond differently to different messages and are attracted to different organizations,” Taylor said.