Epsilon Eta is a co-ed honors fraternity for students of all majors who are interested in the environment and its conservation.
Beyond service opportunities, the fraternity works to build a network for students and provide them with career resources. Ren Rooney, co-president and third-year studying environmental science, shared the fraternity’s objectives.
“We want to create a network within the school of students who are interested in [environmental] careers or just really interested in the environment and helping the environment,” Rooney said. “We also emphasize service and career preparation — things like, career advice, advice on classes and helping people with those skills that are going to be really important in the industry.”
Many of their service events serve areas in Raleigh. They volunteer with the Carolina Tiger Rescue, Piedmont Wildlife Center, Rocky Branch Creek, Agroecology Education Farm and NC State’s composting facility. They also do litter pickups around campus, food drives and fundraisers. Rooney explained what volunteering with these organizations can look like.
“[At the Carolina Tiger Rescue], we went in and helped them with maintenance type projects like working on fencing, working in the enclosures,” Rooney said. “We split into groups, and each helped out with a different project that needed to be done around there.”
The fraternity also hosts events for the professional development of its members.These events include speakers from the Career Development Center, resume workshops, LinkedIn workshops and speakers who work in environmental fields.
Corie Griebel, co-president and fourth-year studying environmental science, said the group also keeps a list of potential internships and jobs for its members.
“We keep a running list of jobs or internships that relate to careers in environmental fields,” Griebel said. “We also usually present slides at our general body meetings that have opportunities for either internships and jobs, or conferences and things like that that people can attend.”
Griebel and Rooney said the community within Epsilon Eta was their favorite aspect of the organization.
“We started a kickball team,” Rooney said. “And we are not good. But it’s really fun because it’s great to just kind of bond with everyone and be not very good at kickball.”
The group builds community through things like pool battleship at Carmichael Gym and camping trips at Falls Lake or Lake Jordan.
Griebel and Rooney both shared why they encourage students to get involved with the organization. Griebel said the group has helped make new connections and friends.
“The connections are a big deal for me,” Griebel said. “I’ve met friends that I’m gonna have for the rest of my life. I’ve joined a lot of organizations in college and I feel like this is the one that has helped me build the deepest connections with people.”
Rooney explained the professional and leadership opportunities the organization can bring.
“We have a lot of different leadership opportunities,” Rooney said. “Not even just presidents, but we have our vice presidents, our board but we also have chair positions — so people that don’t necessarily want to be on the board but still want to get involved in leadership have those opportunities as well.”
Epsilon Eta will be hosting interest meetings Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. and Sept. 6 and 7 at 6 p.m. Locations for meetings vary. They will also be hosting rush events beginning with a litter clean up at Rocky Branch Creek on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m.
Interested students must attend at least one interest meeting and one rush event before becoming a member.
Questions can be emailed to [email protected]. Keep up with Epsilon Eta through its Instagram page.
