Reflecting on Greek Week 2019

By: Kylie Davis

Members of Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Delta Theta pose for a photograph before the Mock Rock performance.

Welcome to Greek Week through the eyes of the Delta Zeta chapter of Alpha Chi Omega; a week consisting of hard work, Facebook group notifications, fundraising, service, friendly competition and line dancing.

Greek Week preparation lasted from March 27- April 4, with the official Greek Week festivities beginning on April 1. Each year, a sorority is partnered with another fraternity from the IFC and can be paired with another fraternity or sorority from the NPHC. Our chapter was paired with the ladies of Sigma Gamma Rho and the men of Phi Delta Theta. In preparation for Greek Week, a theme is chosen by the representatives collectively and then each group decides on their own theme branching from the overall theme. In addition, two philanthropies are also chosen to receive the proceeds raised throughout the week. This year, the theme was movies and we decided on Footloose to base our dances on. This meant that it was time for us to put our dancing shoes on and get ready to work. We came together to watch the movie with our Greek Week partners months before the week to create a sense of comradery and get everyone pumped for Greek Week. The two organizations chosen for fundraising purposes were the Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH) and Parents United Against Hazing (PUSH). On April 1, the busiest week for Greek Life at CMU began.

Each day of the week consists of something new that ties into the meaning of Greek Week. The days consisted mainly of fundraising for the philanthropies and promoting Greek unity. Chapters receive points towards their overall standings for participation, so everyone is encouraged to attend as many events as possible.

During night one, representatives from each philanthropy spoke on their organizations and the gratefulness to be part of Greek Week at CMU. The first speaker from the ICRH, Ryan Griffus, shared about the prevalence of homelessness in Isabella County and the things his moving shelter does to try to combat this issue. The next speaker from PUSH, Rich Braham, addressed the topic of hazing. He expressed that his son was a victim of hazing and was not there to share his story, so he and other parents must do so to keep youth in Greek life safe. Both organizations were very relevant to everyone in the auditorium, as most people live in Isabella Country throughout the school year and aim to stop hazing. Both keynote speakers gave us the inspiration to fundraise, as we now understood the need for involvement in the organizations.

During night two, a dodgeball tournament commenced, with two teams of eight from each Greek Week pairing. McGuirk Arena was filled with echoes of competitive members of Greek life cheering on their fellow teammates to victory. Our chapter, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Phi Delta Theta gave it their all, but were eliminated before the championship games. Cheering everyone on still made for a fun and energetic atmosphere. It was overall quite an entertaining event.

Throughout day three, a Greek Week banner was posted, and every member of Greek life flocked to the UC to take a photo in front of it. Day three was a also day of service, so eight members from each team volunteered their time at the Strickler Nonprofit Center. The men of Phi Delta Theta dropped off various donations to the UC for the ICRH on behalf of the team. Along with all of this, a game of money wars commenced as each team battled the gain more points by placing pennies and dollar bills into their container and silver and larger bills in other team’s containers so that those teams would lose points. Pennies could give one team the edge over another, which made for a very exciting friendly competition.

Day four was the long-awaited Mock Rock performance. From March 27 - April 4, our team had been practicing until midnight to learn how to rock the choreography taught to us by our own Emily Nagel and Madyson Davis. Footloose is such a high-energy, enthusiastic theme and this showed through when everyone put ample effort into their dances and began to have fun with them. By the end of the week, we were essentially stars in the movie! The sweat, blisters, and sore legs were well worth it due to the friendships we fostered with our partners and each other, as well as the pride we felt as we “cut loose” during our Mock Rock performance. Our team members were so diligent to attend practice nightly and several people worked hard to help create our music, dances, and coordinate costumes. We placed sixth in this competition, with Sigma Pi and Zeta Tau Alpha taking first place. Regardless, we gave it our all and had the time of our lives on that stage.

Throughout the week, each team also raised money for both philanthropies through Givebutter. Our chapter, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Phi Delta Theta worked very hard to raise a whopping $11,232 and took second place in the amount of money raised. Sigma Pi and Zeta Tau Alpha succeeded in raising the most money for both organizations. Greek life as a whole raised an impressive $90,000 for two very impactful philanthropies, which is the main goal of Greek Week.

While awaiting the results of Greek Week, everyone seemed on edge to hear where they placed after the effort put in throughout the week. The overall winners were Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Sigma Sigma, with our team coming in second place. We successfully raised over $11,000, learned ten minutes of the most unique choreography, strengthened our own friendships and made new ones all in the matter of a week. Alpha Chi Omega’s Greek Week this year was one for the books.

Special thanks to our Greek Week representatives, Morgan Victory, Emily Nagel, and Madyson Davis. We love you!