Last week, Omega Delta Phi took one more step toward joining the Northwestern Greek community and unifying the Latino presence on campus.

Once President Jaime Moreno receives a letter from William Banis, vice president for student affairs, ODPhi will be able to petition the Interfraternity Council for an associate membership.

“It took a while to get ready, but it’s great,” said Eddie Castro, an Education junior and vice president of ODPhi.

Castro requested a conference-call meeting last week that included David Ortiz, national president of ODPhi; Steve Dealph, director of Greek affairs; and Laura LaBauve-Maher, coordinator of Hispanic/ Latino student services.

“We’re certainly very open,” said IFC president and Education junior Phil Ordway. “We’re excited to have new groups on campus – especially one like this that we haven’t had before.”

ODPhi already has plans for after recognition: the formation of a Latino council in conjunction with Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority, Alianza and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The council originally was proposed by SLG.

Castro said the Latino organizations have a different character from other campus groups because of their sizes.

“We’re small, SLG is small … They’re huge,” Castro said of the established fraternities.

Presidents of NU Latino organizations met during Finals Week of Winter Quarter. The council plans to form an advisory board that will include an SLG representative and two representatives from the other organizations. The advisory board will brainstorm ideas for the council’s mission, constitution, and rules.

But ODPhi’s first step is joining IFC. In an interview last month, Dealph said that joining one of the three national Greek umbrellas – Panhellenic Association, Interfraternity Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council – provides monetary and organizational support to a fraternity or sorority.

Castro said ODPhi will petition for an associate membership rather than a regular membership because its goals and ideology differ from those of the established fraternities at NU.

An associate membership grants a fraternity all the rights enjoyed by full members of IFC except the right to vote on rush-related legislation and the right to nominate candidates for the executive board or the risk management committee, Ordway said.

A fraternity may apply for an associate membership if it has fewer than 20 members, according to an e-mail from Ordway. ODPhi has 11 members.

“We don’t know how much we’re going to depend on IFC,” Castro said. “We feel (an associate membership) is the best step.”

Castro said that after a year as an associate member, ODPhi might petition for full membership.

Until then, ODPhi will continue to contribute to the NU community through its emphasis on service.

“We’re community service-based,” Castro said. “We hold community service pretty close to our hearts.”

ODPhi is involved with the Evanston YMCA, a literacy program at Evanston Township High School and the Drop-In Center, where members of ODPhi take part in a Friday night program to reach out to Latino middle school students.

Castro said that while many NU students perceive ODPhi to be a Latino-only organization, the group is “all-accepting.” He noted that the group already has one Asian member.

Even if NU recognizes the fraternity, ODPhi will not seek on-campus housing next year.

“Right now we feel we we’re too small for a house,” Castro said. Because six of ODPhi’s 11 members live in Kemper Hall, finding a meeting place has not been a problem this year.

Castro said finding new members will be easier once the fraternity receives recognition. With recognition, ODPhi can do more for the NU and Evanston communities, he said.

“I do see it growing. It’s just growing slowly,” he said.