Andrew Moreno, 21, is the current president of one of the two fraternities at the University of La Verne. As you may or may not know, the university has just concluded it’s fraternity rush week for the fall semester. This is a very significant time for those involved in greek life, which can make Andrew’s duty as president particularly stressful. As if he didn’t have enough pressure already, Andrew also works as a Presidential Ambassador to Devorah Lieberman, University of La Verne’s fashionable president. Considering how Her Campus has a very diverse audience, I thought it would be especially groovy to interview Andrew mid-rush week.
What is ΣAE?
ΣAE is a nationally recognized fraternity, founded in 1856. We are one of the two fraternities on campus; the True Gentlemen. We are men that hold ourselves accountable to each other and ourselves to be representative of True Gentlemen.
What is your background with ΣAE?
Can you clarify that a little; what is my background?
Yes, what has your experience been since you’ve joined ΣAE? What have you seen?
Oh yes, I joined spring 2016, as a freshman. Around the time I joined there was a general shift—or political shift—happening at the time. Uhh, I became Philanthropy chair soon after. The following semester I was unable to participate, but then I got social chair next. A good aspect was the community. This last semester I was on break, studying abroad, but still in contact with brothers even though I was like 6,000 miles away. Now I am the President.
So what is Rush Week?
Rush Week is a time to meet possible new members that have an interest in us, or general greek life. We [emphasized] are here to guide them. It’s a very selective process, however there is no blacklisted group. No exclusion based on race, sexual orientation, anything. We are very inclusive, but it’s really to see how we vibe together. That’s what we’re looking for.
How does ΣAE get involved on-campus?
We have a lot of brothers, more or less when I joined, that were in athletics or involved in sports. We have brothers in ASULV, taking part in student body. We have some who acted as Spotlight leaders, which can have the initial contact with freshmen. Orientation Week Leaders, Presidential Ambassadors, we’re really well-versed.
How does ΣAE get involved off-campus?
There is a lot of service. Community engagement and service for the community. I remember when I first came in, we did a community garden. We donated time at Breast Cancer awareness walk, the Ronald McDonald house, our own philanthropy: Children’s Miracle Network—terminal illnesses. We also took part in food banks in the greater Los Angeles area. Giving out Thanksgiving food, at a church setting.
Has ΣAE, the chapter, had any recent accomplishments?
Yes, we actually recently received a service award from the University of La Verne. Uhh, we also have four [emphasis added] Presidential Ambassadors in our chapter, which is an honored group of students working with the president.
If I was an incoming freshman interested in rushing, where would I get information or who can you direct me to?
Well, you can definitely get a lot of our info from Instagram, Facebook, our Snapchat, or even the OSL (Office of Student Life). To be honest, any brother that you see would be more than willing to talk to you if you have questions. Personally, I would steer you toward our recruitment chair. They are more well-versed with specific dates and times, and detailed information.
Any new events hosted by ΣAE coming up?
Not to my knowledge. Some that are not hosted on campus. We do have a beach cleanup coming up, but it’s not hosted by us, but open to others to take part. I would think that our nearest event would be Paddy Murphy Week and our Breast Cancer Awareness event! Both are in October.
Before I leave you, any last remarks to the readers?
ΣAE has always been an organization that tries to break stigmas. We were first to get rid of pledging, first to hold a national leadership conference on campus, even a national ritual conference. We set the standard for greek organizations. Is that presumptuous? Self-assuming? Bold. The idea is that we want to ensure that the people joining are the best people when they leave. We are here to build these men into True Gentlemen. We want to supersede all expectations, push boundaries, speak for those that don’t have a voice! We want to make leaders of the new world. Other than that, I believe any organization, whether that be us or not, is something that college students do need. If you’re always looking at the negatives, that’s all you’ll ever see. We do push people to be the best they can be. If there is anything to come out of this, we are the leaders of our generation. We are Greek life.