The Brown & White

A program aimed at connecting LGBTQIA issues with Greek life launched at the start of the 2009 academic year. The program, called Greek Allies, will reach out to students within the Greek community who identify themselves as LGBTQIA - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex or Ally.

Celinda Stanton, '11, said Greek Allies hopes to foster acceptance among any and all students within Lehigh's Greek community.

"We're doing campaigns to make our Greek system just a bit more friendly to LGBTQIA," Stanton said. "I feel like sometimes it's hard to be LGBTQIA or even an ally within the Greek system."

Greek Allies expect to offer educational programs, post informative flyers around campus, host panels and incorporate more allies into fraternity and sorority houses. Events are still being planned and the selected allies are undergoing training.

"Right now the first round of allies is going through the weekly training process," Christa Wessels, Greek life coordinator, said of the program's current focus. "They learn what it means to be an ally, how it ties into Greek life, how the values can intermix."

The office of fraternity affairs paired up with LGBTQIA services to help create Greek Allies, but two Lehigh students sparked the idea.

Ryan Leichtweisz, '10, and Jake Natalini, '08, had noticed the rising national attention to LGBTQIA issues within collegiate fraternities and sororities and decided to investigate the issue further.

"Two [Lehigh] students attended the Out & Greek conference in 2008," Wessels said. "It was the first conference ever held for students who are LGBTQIA."

Other universities had begun to establish bonds between LGBTQIA programs and Greek life and the national educational initiative, Lambda 10, started up an Out & Greek conference in 2008.

"There are pre-existing Greek Ally programs, but not many," Wessels said. "The more progressive universities have these programs. When the two students went [to the Out & Greek conference] they wondered what they could bring back to Lehigh."

The 2008 Out & Greek conference convinced Leichtweisz and Natalini to start a program at Lehigh. Applications to become allies were sent out soon after in the spring of 2009. Wessels credited Greek Allies' quick creation to the students' motivation to foster LGBTQIA-Greek acceptance.

"It's student driven," she said. "We're [Lehigh's administration] just providing the support. We sent them to the conference, we provided them with the resources. Now they're putting it together."

Students can get involved in three levels of Greek Allies. They can apply to become an ally within the Greek community, can act as an advocate that speaks with Greek chapters as a whole or can become one of two program coordinators.

Stanton decided to step up and help Leichtweisz as a program coordinator.

"We're kind of the two leaders of the group," Stanton said. "Ryan got it all rolling at Lehigh and since he's a senior, he wanted some help leading the group and training others to be program coordinators to continue the group past this year."

Voluntary allies will be dispersed throughout the Greek community. Stanton said the program aims to have an ally in each house in the future. Right now, there are not enough allies to do so. Instead of working within individual houses, the allies are focusing on creating a comfortable Greek environment for LGBTQIA students to be "out" in.

"When other people see that some Greeks have come out, we hope we'll inspire other people to be expressive too," Stanton said.

Greek intolerance or inability to relate to LGBTQIA issues has been an issue at Lehigh, Ricky Hernandez, '11, said. Hernandez is both President of Spectrum, a student organization that provides support, social opportunities, educational outreach, and social change for those who identify as LGBTQIA, and a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

"From a historical standpoint, there's been instances where Greek members were kicked out for being LGBTQIA," Hernandez said.

Stretching LGBTQIA support to the Greek community was the logical next step, Hernandez said. Lehigh's Greek prominence on campus made LGBTQIA-Greek struggles difficult to avoid or ignore. Greek Allies was a necessary implementation, he said.

"Lehigh has such a substantial Greek community, but LGBTQIA people think it's an unapproachable experience," Hernandez said. "I think this is a great program for LGBTQIA students who are looking to get into Greek life but were concerned with issues of homophobia before."

Despite a positive start to the Greek allies, one obstacle has presented itself.

"We have many different sororities represented, but only a couple of fraternities," Stanton said. "I would like to see a larger variety of fraternities."

Hernandez said that when he attended a Greek Allies meeting, he noticed that mostly girls were involved. But, he considers LGBTQIA struggles as mostly within fraternities.

"This is a good start," Hernandez said. "As publicity grows, it will help. And the Lehigh campus is becoming more LGBTQIA friendly, slowly but surely. This is a great starting step for greater things."