VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: One InclusiveU student opens the door for others in Greek Life
David Bulan: That was a good … that was a great night.
Brooke Killgore: If you’re wondering what junior David Bulan is referring to …
Video: We are able to call you a brother, David.
Killgore: It’s the moment David became the first InclusiveU student to join a fraternity as a full member. But getting there wasn’t easy. InclusiveU, Syracuse University’s program for students with disabilities, isn’t a matriculated curriculum, meaning students couldn’t meet the GPA requirements required for Greek life. After a push from his brothers, that changed. And now, David hopes more students will follow.
Bulan: It can change more. It can hopefully get more kids that actually want to do it.
Killgore: That push started inside Pi Kappa Phi, where former president Luke Hoffman fought to get David initiated. Now, he wants David’s story to become a starting point, not an exception.
Luke Hoffman: I want students in InclusiveU to have the opportunity to go through rush and see all the other chapters and hopefully give them opportunities to give them bids, or someone would extend a bid there.
Killgore: While the fight to get David initiated into Greek life stopped in January, his legacy still remains alive and well. The conversations surrounding the future of InclusiveU in Greek life are happening in the building right behind me.
Killgore: Inside the School of Education is the InclusiveU office, where Student Experience Coordinator Jon Rohald says Greek life should be an option for any student who wants it.
Jon Rohald: “Our goal is for people to be into Greek life. We don’t expect everyone will get a bid from the house that they prefer because that’s not the way that Greek life works. But we anticipate that all students who are interested in being able to go through the process.”
Killgore: But sometimes being first isn’t always the end goal. For David, it’s the community where he belongs.
Killgore: For NCC News, I’m Brooke Killgore.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – For Syracuse University junior David Bulan, becoming a fraternity brother was more than just a celebration. It was a milestone that could open the door for other InclusiveU students.
Bulan became the first InclusiveU student to join a Syracuse University fraternity as a full member when he was initiated as a brother of Pi Kappa Phi.
InclusiveU is Syracuse University’s program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Because the program is not a matriculated curriculum and students audit courses, InclusiveU members previously could not meet the GPA requirements needed to participate in Greek life.
When Bulan first became interested in joining Pi Kappa Phi, he was only an honorary brother because of these restrictions. But with the support of his brothers, InclusiveU and the Pi Kappa Phi International Headquarters, he finally became fully initiated in January 2026.
Now, Bulan sees his experience as a chance to inspire others.
“It can change more … it can hopefully get more kids that actually want to do it,” Bulan said.
The push to get Bulan initiated started within Pi Kappa Phi. Former chapter president Luke Hoffman advocated for Bulan and hopes his experience will give more InclusiveU students a chance to participate in Greek life.
“I want students in InclusiveU to have the opportunity to go through rush and see all the other chapters … and hopefully … give them opportunities to give them bids or someone would extend a bid there,” Hoffman said.
Although the effort to get Bulan initiated ended in January, conversations about the future of InclusiveU students in Greek life continue.
Inside the School of Education, the InclusiveU office works to support students as they navigate campus life. Student Experience Coordinator Jon Rohald said Greek life should remain an option for students who are interested.
“Our goal is for people to be into Greek life … we don’t expect everyone will get a bid from the house that they prefer because that’s not the way that Greek life works,” Rohald said.
“But we anticipate that all students who are interested in being able to go through the process.”
For Bulan, however, being the first is only part of the story.
His experience is also about finding a community where he feels like he belongs. The end result could potentially make it easier for the students who come after him to find the same in university Greek Life.