Last April, the three Greek councils became four.

The Multicultural Greek Council became a separate entity from the National Panhellenic Council, with its own unique constitution, bylaws and goals. With less than five months under its belt, the MGC is out to prove its worth and make its name at NIU.

Andrew Becerra, president of the NIU chapter of the MGC, said NIU’s branch based its constitution on the Texas A&M branch of the MGC.

“It took an entire semester to write the constitution and bylaws [to fit NIU],” Becerra said. “It was finally voted on unanimously on April 15.”

The largest practical difference between the MGC and the other councils is that while the other three councils are national organizations with national mandates and guidelines, the MGC is not. There are branches scattered across the country, but it is not yet a national movement. This gives the MGC more freedom than the other councils, including the freedom to make its own constitution tailored specifically to the NIU campus’ needs.

Sherman Donson, vice president of the MGC, said there are no plans to make the MGC a national council.

“Whether or not it will go national hasn’t even come up yet,” he said. “We’re just focusing on building foundations and providing representation for the organizations.”

Donson also felt the NPHC was not able to provide enough representation for the organizations under it. Before the split, the NPHC had almost twice as many organizations under it as the Interfraternity Council or the Collegiate Panhellenic Council. The MGC isn’t trying to outdo the NPHC, Donson said. It’s just trying to serve the organizations better.