Bucknellian Advances Multiculturalism Within Greek System

Alex Sandoval, a member of Bucknell University’s second Civic Engagement Posse, is a catalyst for positive change. A rising junior at the university in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, he has taken on a campus leadership role with the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) to facilitate cross-cultural communication on campus.

Alex joined Sigma Phi Epsilon as a sophomore when he saw an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the Bucknell campus by helping to diversify the Greek community. Frustrated by the sometimes negative perception of fraternities and sororities on campus, Alex became chair of the Greeks Advocating for Multicultural Education committee of the IFC, implementing a three-month dialogue series for the Bucknell campus that explored topics such as race, gender and sexuality.

“These events were specifically designed to be provocative and to create cultural competence around topics that are considered taboo in the Greek community,” says Alex.

One of the most influential conversations was one about gender and on-campus safety. Bucknell students discussed how to create safer environments for both men and women at social events and in the classroom.

This summer Alex will use his public relations skills as a media outreach intern for Bicycles Against Poverty (BAP), an organization that helps families in underdeveloped African countries build sustainable lives. He will be traveling cross-country to 13 cities to do community outreach and fundraise for the organization.

“In the future, I’d love to help with issues of immigration, education and civil rights issues in Los Angeles,” says Alex, who plans to pursue a master’s in public policy as well as a law degree.