The Collegian

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Beyond

Cheers and screams drowned out all other noise in McAvoy pool Tuesday night, so much so that the voice of a person next to you could not be heard. Splashes of colors dominated the bleachers: Pi Beta Phi sorority members in blue T-shirts, Chi Omega sorority members decked out in cardinal and straw and an assortment of bright Kappa Kappa Gamma letters. In the middle of the pool three swimmers - one from each sorority - raced to the finish, splashing furiously while hanging on to a water balloon. Kappa Kappa Gamma, trailing behind Chi Omega, picked up the pace to narrowly nab the win. Their sisters in the balcony rejoiced.

Greek Week is in full swing, as of Tuesday. Sorority members are hoping to jump rope, limbo, race, dunk, kick and swim their way to a win. Fraternity members are skipping the jump rope and limbo for events such as Halo and euchre.

Reinstated this year for the sororities is the hula hoop contest and the limbo, said Joanna Wiseley, campus adviser to the Panhellenic council. The football toss, however, was done away with. The fraternities will close off the week with an all-Greek cookout.



Junior Katy Ranville, a member of Chi Omega, said Greek Week is one of her favorite things about being in a sorority. It's important to her.

"We've won the last 26 out of 27 Greek Weeks, so it is kind of a big deal for our house," she said. "I love it."

Sophomore Connie Brandin, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, said that Greek Week, for her, is all about "sistahood." She plans to participate in the three-legged race.

"I found someone who has the same leg height and knee height as me... We're like a conjoined twin," she said.

Ranville will compete in the soccer, volleyball, jump rope and sack race events, but is most excited about soccer.

"I'm a soccer person; I would've played soccer in college, so this is how I play," she said.

Greeks say Greek Week is traditionally more intense for the sororities.

"Hopefully we're going to turn that around and bring back some fraternity pride," said junior Tyler Sharette, who - with sophomore Brian Steadman - represented Delta Tau Delta fraternity at the intra-fraternity meeting to organize Greek Week.

"Last year was kind of flimsy, really. So we're trying to bring in a strong crowd this year," Sharette said.

Fraternities will have participated in 16 events at the end of the week, sororities 14.

Sharette said this is the first year his fraternity will get to concentrate on Greek Week, since last year the group was focusing on becoming a chapter. He expects big things from Delta Tau Delta.

"I think we have a enough good athletes and enough intelligent guys to bring it home," he said.

Ranville said though former high school athletes are more passionate about Greek Week than others, Greek Week has something for every Greek.

"Everybody's passionate about some part of Greek Week," she said.

Both fraternities and sororities have events scheduled for every day, and the Panhellenic Council rules for sororities say that class-skipping for events will result in disqualification. So the schedule can be grueling.

But Ranville said Greeks just have to be organized.

"It's doable," she said.

Sharette said Greek Week is worth it for the memories.

"It's hard to fit it in, but we joined these organizations to have this fun events that other people can't have," he said. "In the end, I want these stories to remember... 20 years from now."

Winning is a goal too. After Chi Omega won the jump rope competition, Brandin was not dismayed. What gave her hope?

"The three-legged race," she said.

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