Editor's note: Bloomfield College Beat is a feature written by BC students focusing on life on campus. This week's column is written by students Kyle Hopson. 

It’s a brisk Tuesday night at Bloomfield College. It’s 7pm and the quad is packed. There’s music playing and a group of people wearing the colors of brown and gold begin to take place front of the steps of Talbot Hall.

One of them begins to scream, “OW OW!!!” with the rest of them responding “OLE!!” Soon after, one of them screams, “I… PHI…. I PHI T STEP!!” Then young group of men begin to step.

What exactly is taking place?

It’s Bloomfield College annual fall semester Meet the Greeks. Meet The Greeks is an event where Greek lettered organizations have informational sessions as well as highly popular performances for the Bloomfield College community.

But what is a Greek organization?

According to the Bloomfield College website, “Greek organizations create an atmosphere that encourages members to broaden their horizons intellectually, academically, and socially. These organizations provide an environment that is conducive to the free exchange of ideas. Limitless intellectual exchanges help broaden students understanding of themselves and the world around them.”

But what exactly is a Greek organization?

A Greek organization, better known as a fraternities and sororities, are groups of men (fraternity) or women (sorority) that have the common ideals of brotherhood or sisterhood, scholarship, and community service. 

These organizations exist in colleges and universities in the United States.

So what does this mean for an incoming freshman?

It means that with trying to make their college experience the best possible –because as the cliche goes, "These are the best years of your life" – one of the ways to do that is by joining one of these organizations. 

Now these organizations vary depending on what school. As of 2012, Bloomfield College currently had 13 recognized Greek organizations. These organizations are:

• Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
• Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc.
• Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc.
• Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc.
• Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Inc.
• Lambda Tau Omega Sorority Inc.
• Beta Kappa Sigma Sorority Inc.
• Chi Phi Sigma Fraternity and Sorority Inc.

These thirteen organizations are made up of 30 members of the Bloomfield College campus.

Jessica Barbosa, who is a member of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, believes that in order for Bloomfield College Greek Council to be the best they can be, it starts within the organizations themselves.

“Greek Council success says something about the individual organization’s work ethic," said Barbosa. "If the students do not want to work hard, then we as Greeks see that and that makes us not want to work with them.” 

Barbosa said that a member of a Greek organization that does not do the necessary work expected of them is called a “skater.”

The work usually involved as a member of a Greek organization includes organizing quality programming for the Bloomfield College community; participating in community service; attending the general body Greek council; and representing their individual organization in a respectable manner. 

As far as the history of skaters on Bloomfield College, it’s the same as every other college. Every other college has some skaters. It’s something that Greek life cannot be without, because it shows the difference between the members who are upholding their letters and the ones who are not.

So far this year Greek organizations have been producing quality programming on very modest budgets and the numbers are coming out. It seems the future is bright for Greek organizations on Bloomfield College.

Currently, Greek organizations are throwing programs, some organizations have started the process to have intake this semester. Bloomfield College Greek Council is very excited about the plans for this school year.