Student government divided along Greek, non-Greek lines

By Phil Witte
Daily Forty-Niner

Without a traditional divider like the Democratic and Republican parties, politics on college campuses can often be divided along Greek and non-Greek lines.

Currently, 1,075 students at Cal State Long Beach are enrolled in fraternities or sororities, or roughly 3 percent of total enrollment, according to figures compiled by Kathleen Nichols of Student Life and Development.

Though only a small portion of the student body, half of the Associated Students Inc. Executive Council members that belong to fraternities, include President Robert Garcia of Delta Chi and Treasurer Sal Ay-n of Delta Sigma Chi. Non-Greeks on the executive council are Vice President Sheryl "Shorty" Mauricio and Executive Administrator Chance Decker.

Whether Greek or not, the motivation to serve the campus is often the driving force behind running for student government.

"I participated in student government to do what I can to give back to the school," Garcia said. "When I was a freshman, [former A.S.I. president] Naomi Rodriguez motivated me to get involved."

Edward Knight, A.S.I. senator for the College of Business Administration is not a fraternity member, but cites the same desire to lead.

"I wanted to get involved in something big that was more than just student organizations," Knight said of his motivation. "I figured being a senator would be the best way to keep my ties to business and contribute to A.S.I."

Belonging to a fraternity does not have any inherent advantages when running for office, Garcia added.

"Sometimes the general perception people have of fraternities and sororities can hurt you so you can't run on being a Greek," Garcia said. "You have to show that you'll represent the school, not just your group."

Senator Maureen Field joined Sigma Kappa to meet people and A.S.I. to help out on campus.

"I feel it is extremely rewarding to know that something I worked on made things better for students on this campus," Field said.

The other Liberal Arts senator, Jose Ayala, thinks he serves his constituents better because he is not affiliated with a fraternity.

"I think that if I'm going to represent the students, it's best if I stay neutral with no influences pressuring me to vote a certain way," Ayala said.

Despite the split between Greeks and non-Greeks in student government, Garcia said he has never seen a problem between the two sides.

"In my time here all the administrations have been mixed, but there has never been an issue of conflict," Garcia said.