The Office of Greek Affairs announced they will be changing the name of their office on Jan. 1 to The Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement. 

A statement was released by Billy Boulden, assistant dean of students and director of Greek Affairs, and Vernon Hurte, associate vice president and dean of students, via email on Wednesday morning. 

“The new office title is aligned with national trends towards enhanced inclusion of all fraternal organizations as not all fraternal organizations use Greek letters,” the statement said. “Additionally, the new title improves clarity about the current and future mission programs, services and resources offered by the office.”

The email also highlighted the history of the Greek community on Iowa State’s campus, which has been around for 150 years. 

The office has encouraged others to update “department records, websites and marketing materials accordingly.” When referring to the Greek community as a whole, they prefer “sorority and fraternity community” after the name change.

The following are remarks from the statement regarding the name change and how it will affect their mission statement, vision and values.

Mission: 

The Iowa State University Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement creates opportunities to become effective citizens in a global society through collaboration and community engagement, the development of self-efficiency and leadership and the advancement of social justice. 

Vision:

The Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement will develop the premiere student experiential learning opportunity at Iowa State University.

Values:

• Academics: the pursuit of knowledge and striving for personal excellence in the classroom.
• Civil engagement: the development of responsibility to actively participate in your community.
• Friendship: the building of lifelong relationships in an organization and throughout the community.
• Leadership: the ability to guide individuals or an organization toward a common goal.
• Social justice: the promotion of change through challenging inequalities and embracing diversity.