On April 7, sororities and fraternities participated in UMass Boston’s first stroll competition, as they were judged on their performance of stepping and dancing in sync to various dance songs.
Competitors included Sigma Gamma Rho (the sorority which co-sponsored the event with the Student Wellness Center), Alpha Kappa Alpha, Iota Phi Theta, Omega Phi Psi, and many others from the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The event attracted more than 200 supporters and students, coming from UMass Boston and other universities.
UMass Boston junior and criminal justice student Anas Muhammad is a member of Iota Phi Theta and performed during the event. Iota Phi Theta started its chapter on the UMB campus in 1976 and was reactivated in 2005. He has been part of this chapter since 2010. When asked how long he had practiced for the competition, he answered, “One week.”
The winning sorority of this competition was UMass Boston’s very own Sigma Gamma Rho. Dorotie Louis Jacques, a paralegal student from the Suffolk University chapter of the sorority, performed with them. She said, “It was my first competition with this organization, and we won! [My favorite part of the event was] when all the organizations got on the floor to freestyle.” Jacques reported that she had practiced two weeks for the event.
The Student Wellness Center supplied the participants as well as audience members with healthy snacks such as apples, bananas, fruit and nut bars, and water.
