Ebony and Ivory Week begins


Wednesday, March 25, 1998	Ebony and Ivory Week begins By PATRICIA TISAK Collegian Staff Writer Like the keys on a piano, the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities and sororities are making beautiful music together during Ebony and Ivory Week. Ebony and Ivory Week, which started Monday, encourages people from different racial backgrounds who normally don't socialize to get to know each other, said Hakim Washington, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and co-president of NPHC.
(Collegian Graphic/Erica Manning - click for full size image)	"I think that it's important because the global village is upon us," said Washington (senior-psychology). "It's a real disservice to yourself not to know about other cultures." Fraternities and sororities involved in Ebony and Ivory Week are Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., 215 HUB; Gamma Phi Sigma "Hermanos Unidos" Fraternity Inc., 215 HUB; Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, 10 Wolf; Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority Inc., 215 HUB; Sigma Iota Alpha Sorority, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, 524 Locust Lane. Problems between the Greek organizations often stem from an inability for separate groups to communicate, Washington said. "We're all Greek together but we speak Greek to each other," he said. "We speak to each other in different languages." The event started about 12 years ago, Washington said. Originally, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Beta Sigma Beta fraternity, 255 E. Fairmount Ave., sponsored the week together, he said. Ebony and Ivory Week furthers communication among all the councils because of the interaction, said Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity President Jack Graham (junior-political science).
*"The way I look at it now is that black students and minority students on this campus lead a separate life from non-minority students."* - Hakim Washington, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and co-president of NPHC	Some of the issues being discussed among the councils during Ebony and Ivory Week are affirmative action, college recruitment and retention. "The main significance is that the IFC and the African-American fraternities never do anything together," said Tim Long, Ebony and Ivory Week chairman for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. "This is a great way for people to meet each other. I wish this were a year-round thing, but this is a start." The purpose of the event, which is to promote multiculturalism, goes beyond the Greek community, said Ami Shah, vice president of Mu Sigma Upsilon sorority. "In order to gain understanding of other people, it's important to be educated, and education comes through awareness and programs," said Shah (senior-marketing/international business). "The goal of the week is that each program will teach people to think for themselves and realize what diversity means to them." Washington said he hopes for the message of the event to spread to the entire University community. "The way I look at it now is that black students and minority students on this campus lead a separate life from non-minority students," Washington said. "We sit in class together but socially, we don't really interact."