Pashalis Pascal Galbadis and Lily Faille present the HSA at the Suffolk Spring Club Show.
A new club at Suffolk University was recently established for Greek students and students of Greek heritage on campus.
The Hellenic Student Association was established this spring by several Greek-American students to celebrate and honor their heritage, customs and traditions, as well as to share Greek history, culture and current events with other students in the campus.
Pashalis “Pascal” Galbadis, a freshman at Suffolk University, founded the club because he believed the need for a Greek club on campus was long overdue, especially given the number of students of Greek and Cypriot or Greek heritage in Suffolk.
“About five years ago, I attended an Orthodox Easter party at MIT hosted by their Hellenic student association,” Galbadis said. “When I arrived at the party, I was very proud to see the countless number of not only MIT students, but also Greeks/Cypriots from all over the Boston area.”
This experience made Galbadis realize he could start a similar club in Suffolk, and he began reaching out to every Greek and Greek-American student on campus.
“The primary goal of the association is to promote camaraderie among members of the Suffolk community by organizing cultural, social and educational activities,” Galbadis said.
Galbadis, joined by Lily Faille, Thano Kazis and Dino Tsiotos, promoted their club at the spring club fair at Suffolk University, where they were able to recruit a dozen new members.
They were joined by Professor George Kalogeris, professor of poetry and Greek-American literature at Suffolk. heavily invested in Greek culture and Greek authors, poets and playwrights. Kalogeris took the position of club advisor.
Galbadis said he hopes the club will not only provide Greek students with a community sharing heritage, customs and traditions, but will also introduce and educate the greater Suffolk community about Greek history and culture, as well as current affairs in Greece and Cyprus.
“To be honest, we have not thought about raising awareness about the problems in Greece and Cyprus, such as the forest fires, the economic crisis, the conflict with Turkey and the refugee crisis. However, I think this is something that is very important to address in the future, rather than just organizing cultural and social events. said Galbadis. “However, I think this is something that is very important to address in the future, rather than just organizing cultural and social events.”
Galbadis explained that the Hellenic Student Association has already planned to organize many Greek-themed events, such as the “syrtos” group dance, gastronomic events like the “gyro evening” and “loukoumades day”. , and many other festivities. They also honor important Greek occasions such as Greek Orthodox Easter and Greek Independence Day.
“Suffolk University is a very diverse community made up of many different people from a variety of backgrounds. One of the many cultures on campus is people of Greek and Cypriot descent,” Galbadis said.
“I firmly believe that this organization will help Greeks and Cypriots get closer to their roots. Additionally, it allows people who are not necessarily Greek or Cypriot to experience the rich Greek culture and explore what the Hellenic community can offer the Suffolk community,” he added.
“Hellenic» refers to the Greek people, culture and civilization, known as “Έλληνες” in the Greek language. This term has been used to describe the Greeks since classical antiquity, when ancient Greek civilization, democracy, philosophy, mythology, literature, music, art, architecture, and scientific and mathematical innovations were known as “Hellenistic” or “Hellenistic”.
Although Greeks were indigenous to much of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece and Cyprus, most of Anatolia (present-day Turkey), and parts of Italy, Albania, Egypt and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon and Palestine), modern usage of the word Hellenic refers to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) and the Republic of Cyprus; the only two states with a Greek majority since 1923.
Galbadis invites all members of the Suffolk community to join the Hellenic Student Association in celebrating the 201st anniversary of the Greek War of Independence against the Turkish Ottoman Empire by attending the annual Greek Independence Day Parade in Boston on May 1.
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