There’s a certain demeanor students give off when they embrace their cultures. The Gamma Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Delta Fraternity is no stranger to the celebration of Italian heritage. The month of October is a special month for the 99 year old national organization, but the way they celebrate their heritage is what is what is appealing to many.

Over the years, Pace has embraced cultures of all calibers, but the students of Italian descent seem to have the attention focused on them. This past week, Alpha Phi Delta celebrated the Italian culture through their annual Cultural Dinner. Through this event, the brothers educated their peers on the history of Italians in America, specifically in New York.

“Alpha Phi Delta has chosen to celebrate Italian Heritage Month through the cultural dinner and presentation, “said senior criminal justice major John Manzo, who is also Vice President of Programming.

Without the typical information session, Alpha Phi Delta planned their dinner around educating through food. The brothers prepared a home-cooked meal that included baked ziti, fettuccini alfredo and penne a la vodka, providing their peers with a little flavor of Italy.

“The presentation focused primarily on Alpha Phi Delta’s history, but also the early discrimination issues faced by Italian families in the late 19th and early 20th century United States,” Manzo said.

During the presentation, students learned about the various issues the early Italians faced, such as living in poverty and educational restrictions. Because of the amount of discrimination felt by the early Italians, a group of students, both at Syracuse and Columbia Universities, took it upon themselves to create an organization that would serve the Italian community at the school. Before long, these two organizations became the Alpha and Beta chapters of Alpha Phi Delta Fraternity. The historical founding by those of Italian decent are what built the foundation of the organization and led to the celebrations of the heritage.

“I don’t particularly celebrate Italian Heritage month,” Manzo said. “I do carry the Italian part of myself with a lot of pride.”

The Pleasantville campus has many students who are Italian and proud of it, but there are also some students who are not affiliated with the culture. These students are those who embrace culture as a whole, such as Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. The Hermanas of Sigma Lambda Upsilon co-sponsored and celebrated the history of Alpha Phi Delta and Italian heritage by bringing out the cultural embracement of students.

With the advancement of Italian heritage, Manzo hopes to lay the foundation for future events prior to stepping down as the Vice President of Programming of Alpha Phi Delta. By doing so, the organization will be able to uphold their historic values and share them with others who are also of Italian descent. Students that are interested in learning more about Italian heritage or in co-sponsoring an event can e-mail John Manzo at [email protected].