As Fraternity and Sorority recruitment continues for the fall semester, the leadership board of UNC Asheville’s three Greek Life organizations continue to work together to promote philanthropy, gain recognition and increase membership from a combined total of 29 members.
“I feel like a lot of people, when they come in, aren’t even aware we have Greek Life, it’s not something that’s touched on. A lot of times when we’re tabling, people are like, ‘I didn’t even know we had a sorority,’” said Adrian Recar, Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta.
Gamma Phi Beta currently consists of 15 members before recruitment, often known as rush, starts next week. It is the only active sorority on UNC Asheville’s campus since Alpha Xi Delta closed in the fall of 2021.
“I know that there was an issue, I mean before any students here were students, with a different sorority. I think it gave Greek life as a whole a bad reputation here,” Recar said. “I think sororities have a stereotype of being very exclusionary.”
According to Recar, the executive board is actively working towards differentiating themselves and reiterating their core values to the campus community without erasing the history other organizations like it had on this campus.
A core value of Gamma Phi Beta at UNCA is inclusion and acceptance, Recar said, meaning there are no strict rules or guidelines for physical appearance or presentation that can be found in sororities at larger schools.
“I did have concerns going in as a gender non-conforming person, that I was going to have to conform to certain ideas of womanhood,” Recar said. “We’ve had several people ask, ‘do you guys have to wear pink all the time?’ And the answer is no.”
She said the organization has a policy of ongoing recruitment and encourages anyone interested to reach out and ask members any questions they might have about whether or not it would be a good fit for them.
“There hasn’t been a moment where I haven’t felt supported by these people in this organization, so I feel like, along with our philanthropy, at our core, we are about encouraging and empowering each other to be our best selves, no matter who that may be,” Recar said. “I promise we don’t bite, I promise we’re not scary. If you want to come and put yourself out there, we really encourage that.”
Evan Petty, Vice President and Social Chair of the Zeta Theta chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi at UNCA, said he also recognizes the stigmas surrounding Greek Life, and the stereotypes that come with being a “frat boy.”
“I think sometimes people can be a little more reserved when they first meet you, they can make certain assumptions about your political views and your background, all that sort of thing,” Petty said. “I think it’s kind of overblown because really once people meet you and understand what type of person you are, all those stereotypes kind of fly out the window.”
According to Petty, Alpha Sigma Phi currently has five members, exactly half of their numbers from last semester, but hopes to have at least 15 by the end of their rush schedule.
“Not that long ago, five or six years ago, between the two fraternities there were around 80 people, and between the two sororities, there were also around 80 people, which, you know, would be kind of what you would expect for a school this size,” he said.
The organization is focusing on growing their numbers and building a sense of community through organizing social events and gatherings to put their name out there, Petty said.
He said past management decisions, declining enrollment, Hurricane Helene and the lack of support from previous university administration all play a part in the minimal engagement with Greek Life from UNCA students.
“If the people who take the reins aren’t responsible or don’t care or don’t make the right decisions, easily in a couple years you might only get two or three people a semester to join,” Petty said. “It’s something we take very seriously, especially with our size. If we mess up, it’s over, you know what I mean? We can’t afford to make mistakes.”
Elijah Dowd, the social chairman and scholarship chairman of Sigma Nu, said that both of the Fraternities and the Sorority are working together to repair their image on campus.
“We wanted to make a change and show our true colors instead of what was being perceived,” he said.
According to Dowd, the stigma and controversies surrounding Greek Life at larger universities can diminish the positive impact smaller branches of Fraternity and Sorority life have in the public perception.
“The stigma is often viewed as a smoke screen,” Dowd said. “Because of the negative connotation that’s been created by the mainstream media, it becomes difficult to break through that, because it affects all fraternities, not just the big chapters, not just the big schools.”
Though Sigma Nu does not align themselves with one specific philanthropy, Dowd said community service is a core pillar of their organization, having worked with wildfire relief, clothing drives, hurricane relief and domestic violence survivors within the past three years.
“We’ve done a lot in terms of community service, and I think we’ve moved past a lot of the shadow that’s been cast over us because of how much good we’ve been able to pump back into the community,” Dowd said. “We did a lot of good around campus to the point that we won student organization of the year last year.”
Dowd said joining the Mu Eta chapter of Sigma Nu was the best decision he had ever made since coming to UNCA. Through their efforts to repair their image, Dowd said they were able to double their membership from 2024 to 2025, currently hosting a total of nine members before fall rush concludes on Sept. 12.
“It’s truly a family, we support each other and we love each other and we may get mad at each other like families do, but we will always be there for each other. At the end of the day, we do our best to have each other’s backs no matter what,” Dowd said.
