The Hellenic Student Association’s executive board, including Aristides Milonas, Chryssanthe Kontogianis and Ioannis Rountos.
ARISTIDES MILONAS / COURTESY
Mack Olmsted, Senior Writer
Manhattan University welcomes the Hellenic Student Association as the first Greek culture club on campus. The club was founded by three freshmen: club president Ioannis Rountos, treasurer Aristides Milonas and social media chair Chryssanthe Kontogianis. The club’s faculty advisor is Georgios Koimisis, Ph.D, an associate professor of economics.
The idea was sparked by Rountos when he was touring the campus during his orientation last summer. He asked some MU staff members if there was a Greek club, but there was not, so he made it his mission to put together a team that would later form the Hellenic Student Association.
“I got together with a couple of Greeks that were interested in starting this club, and we worked at it all semester,” Rountos said. “We went through the necessary loops, talking to the administration of the school. Toward the end of the semester, by finals week, we had a set group, we had an advisor and we were submitting forms to student engagement.”
One of the main goals of the club is to spread appreciation and share different aspects of Greek culture. They plan to experience Greek culture by going to festivals, restaurants and different Greek events around New York City that foster a welcoming environment.
“I’m looking forward to just exploring the area,” Milonas said. “I want to see how many Greek places there are in the city, because I’m from Long Island, so I don’t really know much about the city, the Bronx and just this kind of area. I want to see how many other people we could really get interested in, how big we can grow and how big the events can get over time.”
At the club’s first meeting, the executive board introduced themselves and discussed their ideas for the semester. Kontogianis explained to The Quadrangle how she felt about the meeting and upcoming events.
“I am looking forward to the club a lot,” Kontogianis said. “We’re trying to do as much as we can. It should be a lot of fun. And we’re trying to plan just as many events as we can. So, as discussed in the meeting, maybe some Greek nights and other events. We want to do some activities that are technically not club affiliated, that are just Greek related. Overall, we’re trying to just get people involved.”
For students interested in learning more about the new Hellenic Student Association, they can stay up to date on Instagram: @mugreekclub. More information can be found on their page about upcoming meetings and a sign-up for the email list.
“I just want people to know that we’re really focused on giving the best experience for everyone,” Rountos said. “We do have forms out about what people would like to see happen, and if anyone has any ideas, or like even a faint idea, and they don’t know how to make it happen, they can suggest it to us. At the end of the day, we’re looking for professional oriented events with speakers, more relaxed game nights, maybe some movie nights, possibly restaurant trips and maintain experiencing Greek culture.”