Greek societies on campus honored with awards dinner

Boise State hosted the third annual Greek Formal Dinner on Feb. 7 at the Student Union Building. Awards for excellence were presented to individual students as well as sororities and fraternities. Greek alumnus Kathy Kustra, wife of Boise State President Bob Kustra, was the keynote speaker.

The honor of Greek Man of the Year went to Joseph DeMay, a criminal justice major and member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. DeMay has held several leadership roles within the fraternity, including vice president and fraternal educator.

DeMay is also a member of the Criminal Justice Honor Society, Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society, the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society and is a veteran of the U.S. Marines. Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity recently earned more than $400 for the Women’s Center through the “These Hands Don’t Hurt” fundraiser and is currently planning a poker tournament to raise money for cystic fibrosis awareness. 

Kristen Singleton, an elementary education major from Meridian, was named Greek Woman of the Year. Singleton was elected president of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority in November and has held other leadership roles on campus.

“Kristen’s doing a great job as leader of the group. She follows through with everything she commits to,” Nikki Hampton Haworth, faculty advisor for Alpha Chi Omega, said. “She’s the member everyone looks to for guidance.”

In addition to representing BSU at the Western Regional Greek Conference last year, Singleton organized Alpha Chi Omega’s effort last October to provide programming on domestic violence awareness.

The sorority raised $700 and hosted the nationally recognized speaker Andrea Cooper, who spoke about aiding victims of sexual assault.

“We felt that the women of our campus and our community are affected at some point in their lives,” Singleton said. “We wanted to show them they are not alone, and the resources with are available to them.”

Also honored at the banquet was the Alpha Xi Delta sorority.
It was recognized for academic excellence after achieving a cumulative chapter GPA of 3.01 in the Fall 2006 semester.

Alpha Chi Omega sorority was recognized for raising awareness of domestic violence issues. Delta Beta Nu sorority, in partnership with Silver Sage Girl Scouts, sponsored a daylong workshop to help disadvantaged teen girls prepare for college.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity received honors for successfully achieving full chapter status. Sigma Lambda Gamma, Boise State’s first Latina sorority, was honored for its rapid recognition as an organization.

“The Greek community at Boise State provides just that, a community,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Mike Esposito said. “They provide a sense of structure and a sense of family.”

With new organizations being added every few years, Boise State’s Greek community is on the rise. The campus is currently home to three fraternities, four sororities, a Panhellenic council governing sororities and the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society.

“I am no longer just a student who attends classes and then goes home,” Singleton said. “Being an Alpha Chi has opened many doors for me. I have had the opportunity to attend conferences nationwide, get to know university staff on a personal level and network with fellow Greeks to find my place.”

CHARLOTTE TAYLOR
News Writer

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