By
Jeremy Duda
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA's Beta Sigma Epsilon brothers found first American Indian fraternity in U.S.
Members of the recently founded Beta Sigma Epsilon fraternity have proved there is a first time for everything.
Beta Sigma Epsilon is the first American Indian fraternity at the UA, and in the United States.
Fraternity co-founders Nathan Pryor, a regional development junior, and Eric Riggs, a civil engineering sophomore, received notification in January that their charter application had been approved by the UA Dean of Students office.
The goal of the fraternity is to "create a peer support group" for American Indian students, who statistically drop out of college at higher rates than members of other ethnic groups.
"We're helping them maintain a balance between their academic and social lives," said Craig T. Wood, an aerospace engineering senior.
Wood added that he would like to act as a mentor for incoming American Indian students.
The process of gaining recognition from the university and building the framework of the fraternity took about eight months, said Pryor, Beta Sigma Epsilon president.
The fraternity started out with five members - electrical engineering freshman Garrett Curley, Wood, pre-medical technology freshman Joshua Lucio, Pryor and Riggs.
From the time it was approved, the fraternity has also picked up a pledge, junior David Benitez. With time, more members will come, Pryor said.
"I think once we establish ourselves as a reputable organization, we'll gain more members," he said.
The fraternity's five main goals - collectively known as the circle of honor - are excellence in academia, profession, cultural awareness, community service and brotherhood.
Despite gaining recognition from UA about a month ago, members of Beta Sigma Epsilon began participating in fraternity activities last fall.
Some are simply for fun, such as paintballing, while others promote the ideals of the circle of honor, such as study sessions and community service.
In the fall they participated in a 5K walk for juvenile diabetes - a disease that disproportionally affects American Indians - and more recently they cleaned up trash near the San Xavier mission.
Members said they hope that Beta Sigma Epsilon will help American Indian students maintain their cultural identity.
Karen Francis-Begay, director of UA Native American Student Affairs, said a sense of belonging is important for young American Indians.
"The sooner you find a community that supports your ideals and values, that's one way to ease the transition (from high school to college)," she said.
Not all American Indian students support the idea of an Indian fraternity, though. Pryor said fraternities and sororities are viewed as predominantly white by American Indians, and many consider founding a group such as Beta Sigma Epsilon "selling out."
Still, while Beta Sigma Epsilon is the first fraternity in the U.S. specifically aimed at American Indians, it is not the first such Greek organization. An American Indian sorority, Alpha Pi Omega, is already active at the University of North Carolina.
Alpha Pi Omega members recently came to Tucson to recruit members for a UA chapter, which may be organized by the end of the semester, Francis-Begay said.
