The Unify UMD executive board poses for a photo. Unify UMD aims to bring together all campus organizations, greek life and the College Park community to break down barriers while raising money for charity.
In his past two years as a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapter at the University of Maryland, junior Casey Gaarn has heard many times that Greek life is too exclusive.
So over the summer, Gaarn came up with Unify UMD — an initiative aimed at bridging the divide between students involved in Greek life and those who aren’t. The group plans to bring together students in fraternities, sororities and other on-campus and local organizations to raise money for various charities.
The group will hold philanthropy events throughout the semester that are open to the public and designed for inclusivity.
“I take a lot of pride in Greek life, and I take a lot of pride in the University of Maryland as a whole,” said Gaarn, a finance major. “So I said, ‘Let’s bring everyone together, and let’s make this change that we’re not going to be exclusive anymore if we were in the past, and let’s work as a whole unit and let’s be a unified school.’”
Phi Gamma Delta, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Sigma Theta and Students Helping Honduras are the only groups currently involved with Unify UMD, but Gaarn said the group hopes to grow to include as many campus organizations as possible.
The group’s first event, a gameday brunch at the Delta Delta Delta sorority house, is scheduled for Saturday. The chefs of Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Epsilon Phi will be providing food, in addition to donations from Dunkin’ Donuts, Bagel Place and Insomnia Cookies, said Dana Castiglione, Delta Delta Delta chapter president.
“What I like about it is it’s a way for people to come together and to meet people all across campus in an interactive setting,” said Castiglione, a junior marketing major. “You can grab your brunch and you can sit with people that you’ve never sat with before.”
The money Unify UMD raises at each event will be divided among the charities each campus group individually supports, including the United Service Organizations, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Students Helping Honduras and other causes yet to be selected. Gaarn said he hopes Unify UMD raises $15,000 this semester and $50,000 by the end of the year.
Johnny Stopher, president of this university’s Students Helping Honduras chapter, said he wanted to get involved with Unify UMD because his organization is “crazy about fundraising” and the initiative allows the groups involved to reach a larger campus community.
Unify UMD also provides students the opportunity to meet other people and socialize outside of their usual “cliques,” said Stopher, a senior mechanical engineering major.
“A lot of people who are in Greek life don’t like to participate in events that are non-Greek, and a lot of people who aren’t in Greek life find that Greek life is too exclusive,” Stopher said. “Breaking down that wall would be a good idea.”
In order to reach more students, Unify UMD plans to place fliers in dorms and dining halls and promote events on social media, Gaarn said.
He also hopes to work with other on-campus groups, more chapters from the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council and the Student Government Association.
Unify UMD holds weekly meetings of representatives involved from each organization and is planning an end-of-semester event in which students could give a donation to form Family Feud-style teams and compete, Gaarn said.
“I hope that not only we can raise a lot of money for different organizations,” Gaarn said, “but I also want to make this community more welcoming and just a better place — that everyone can feel comfortable around each other while raising money for great causes and having fun while doing it.”
