The first and only time Joy Matias attended a fraternity party, she said, she was shocked by students’ drunken behavior.

But now her sorority has become a member of the same Greek system that made her feel uncomfortable.

After gaining university recognition in October, Northwestern’s first recognized Latina sorority has joined the Panhellenic Association, becoming the first cultural chapter of the campus’ organization.

Matias and other members of Sigma Lambda Gamma, however, wanted to join the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the historically black Greek system. Matias said her sorority has more in common with the community service-focused NPHC.

“It has nothing to do with the minority thing at all,” said Matias, vice president of SLG. “We stem from black Greeks. They’ve helped us become the organization we are now. It’s like we’re choosing Panhel over our relatives. We’re going away from our family tree.”

NPHC represents the university’s black Greek chapters, while Panhel and the Interfraternity Council govern the non-cultural Greek chapters.

Assoc. Director for Greek Affairs Steve Dealph said NPHC’s constitution did not allow it to accept the sorority. NPHC only recognizes nine traditionally black sororities and fraternities.

“NPHC doesn’t have any way to recognize groups outside of their memberships,” Dealph said. “Panhel is the only governing council available to recognize them. The hope is that it’s a short-term thing.”

Panhel President Sarah Personette was unavailable for comment.

At colleges across the country, the emergence of Latino-based Greek chapters has strained the traditional division of black and non-cultural Greek organizations. Several Latino chapters have affiliated themselves with NPHC, including groups at Penn State University and the University of Kansas. But others have established a national Latino council to bring together Latino chapters nationwide.

Members of NU’s Latino fraternity Omega Delta Phi plan to apply for university recognition at the beginning of Winter Quarter. If NU decides to recognize the Latino fraternity, Dealph said, he might form a multicultural Greek council on campus or bring in a Latino national organization to represent the groups.

Although SLG members said they do not like the idea of a multicultural Greek council, they also do not consider Panhel to be the right fit.

Matias, a Weinberg junior, said sororities under Panhel focus too much on social events and not enough on community service. When Panhel sororities hold Winter Rush, for example, SLG will hold informational sessions instead.

SLG members also have decided not to participate in Gone Greek Night, a Winter Quarter celebration of the incoming pledge classes, because the chapter does not support drinking during sorority activities.

“It’s just people going out and getting drunk,” SLG President Michelle Noda said at Saturday’s Diversity Conference. “We’re not going to go out and wear our letters around alcohol. I’m not going to parade around near beer because I don’t feel like I represent my chapter if I’m drunk.”

Matias said Latino parents might associate Panhel with “Animal House” stereotypes of wild partying and forbid their children from joining SLG since it falls under Panhel. In the family-oriented Latino community, students would never go against their parents’ disapproval, she said.

“If we are under Panhel, that’s a disadvantage for us,” she said. “People would ask, ‘Why are you different?’ If there’s the stereotype of partying and drinking, then parents are not going to want their daughters to join.”

But Matias said being in Panhel will give SLG more chances to interact with the entire Greek community than if it was a part of NPHC.

NPHC President Keith Carter said although the Latina sorority cannot join his organization, he would be happy to plan events and work with them.