UH Greek life includes 16,000 students and 48 organizations. | Justin Cross/ The Cougar
The Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life hosted the “Night of Celebration” on Tuesday to recognize the achievements of students and faculty for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fraternity and sorority members poured into the Student Center South Houston Room for a night dedicated to recognizing students, faculty and organizations that stand out on campus.
“We are 16,000 students strong and 48 organizations deep,” said CFSL Director Jason Bergeron. “I hear all the time that Greek life is small at UH, and I would like to challenge that thinking.”
William Munson, associate vice president of student affairs, presented the first award for “Highest GPA in the Fall ’15 and Spring ’16 Semesters.”
“Academic achievement is the most important part of a student’s experience,” Munson said.
The “Outstanding Philanthropy Program” award went to Delta Zeta. DZ’s 2015 Gong Show, an event with over 25 years of tradition, received the award.
Over 10 distinctions were presented to both students and CFSL faculty and advisers. Each award recognized the accomplishments of a single student or organization as a whole.
Alpha Sigma Phi junior Adrian Hernandez earned two individual awards, “Fraternity Man of the Year” and the “Commitment to Character” award.
“Fraternity Man of the Year” is the highest individual award for the Greek community, recognizing a student who shows leadership, scholarship and service. The “Commitment to Character” award recognizes a student who identifies their values and lives by them in their fraternity.
“It’s a big honor (to) win ‘Fraternity Man of the Year,’ but there are a lot of individuals in the Greek community who don’t get recognized and do much more for Greek Life and UH in general,” Hernandez said. “But I am very happy with this award.”
Richard Walker, vice president of student affairs, gave remarks at the event, emphasizing how Greek life has grown at UH in the recent years. Currently, the organization encompasses five percent of the student population. Walker said he hopes to see Greek life grow to reach 10 percent of the undergraduate student population.
“Leadership is more than a planner full of meetings; it is the ability to transform others,” Hernandez said.
