Greek Week Transcends Rivalries, Members Say
The Greek Life community held its annual Greek Week event last week. The week, which was themed after Greek gods, included events such as a penny war, Razordash, Restaurant Night and a collection for Full Circle Pantry.
One of the most important aspects of Greek Week is the penny war, which raises proceeds for a philanthropic contribution. In the competition, pennies are deposited in a team jar. Any silver change deposited in a jar will result in negative points for the team.
A banner competition also takes place during Greek Week every year. In this competition, each team creates a banner that displays the words “Greek Week.”
“The banners are displayed publicly (usually on the front of sorority houses) and are judged on neatness, creativity and Greek unity,” Greek Life officials said.
Every year in the past, a major component of Greek Week has been Greek Sing, an event in which sororities and fraternities pair up and perform a musical number, including singing and dancing. However, because of difficulties in finding a venue to host this event, this was the first year without Greek Sing.
Greek Week also includes an event called Greek Olympics, in which the paired sororities and fraternities engage in a series of athletic competitions and relays. These events include the 50-yard dash, flag football, sack races, volleyball and more.
“Greek Week and Greek Olympics are such a fun way to not only bond with your sorority sisters, but also other sorority members, said Miriam Poole, a sophomore member of Kappa Kappa Gamma who participated in the first-place flag football team this year.
“We were paired with Sigma Chi this year and got to hang out with them a lot during practice and games,” Poole said.
The Razordash event involved hiding a plush Razorback on campus and giving clues to each team in order to find it. The first person to return the Razorback to the Greek Life office received a $200 prize. Clues were posted each day on the Greek Life Facebook page.
Quinn Ranahan, a junior participant in Greek Week, believes the event promotes unity among the Greek community.
“It’s good to remember that it’s not only your own sorority or fraternity that is important, but also the Greek community as a whole. We all promote the same things: academic excellence and philanthropy. Greek Week is a good way to come together and works toward these goals together.”
