Members of GW’s Greek-letter community gathered last week for the largest Greek Week ever, raising money for Hurricane Katrina relief and competing against one another in a series of events along the way.
“It was a great Greek Week,” said Scott Marmulstein, Inter-Fraternity Council vice president of programming. “This has been the best turnout for any Greek Week ever.”
At the end of the week, Phi Kappa Psi had the most points of any fraternity, with Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi coming in second and third respectively. Alpha Delta Pi finished first among the sororities, followed by Delta Gamma and Sigma Kappa.
This year’s Greek Week raised money for Camp Hope, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity that helps rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
“This is a way to affiliate GW (with the Habitat for Humanity organization) in a positive way,” said Kaitlin Seeberger, vice president of programming for GW’s Pan-Hellenic Association. “Just because the news coverage ends, doesn’t mean that the disaster is over.”
Ed Goodwin, IFC vice president of public relations, said high levels of participation in Greek Week were integral to the annual event’s success.
Approximately 1,500 of the 1,600 members of the Greek-letter community participated this year, Goodwin said.
The chapters participated in a number of competitions throughout the week, competing against one another to score the most points. Some of the week’s activities included a skit night, a date auction and a scavenger hunt for Mardi Gras-themed items hidden across campus.
“Skit Night with all the chapters was fun,” said junior Kelliston McDowell, who served as team captain for Sigma Phi Epsilon. “It was a major highlight for all of us.”
“The spirit was great, and I really liked skit night – it’s always good,” junior Allison Ross of Alpha Epsilon Phi said.
“We had a really great start, which got our spirits up,” said Casey Pond, Phi Kappa Psi president. “Once the guys saw we were out in front, we just kind of rolled with it.”
Wednesday’s date auction was a great success for the week’s philanthropic pursuits. Two representatives from GW’s sororities were for sale, as well as one fraternity member.
“One date went for something like $900,” Goodwin said. “And all of the money went to benefit Hurricane Katrina.”
New pledges also used Greek Week to interact with the entire Greek-letter community.
“Greek Week has been a lot of fun, getting to hang out with people from other fraternities and sororities,” said Jason Lifton, a Sigma Chi pledge.
“It’s about the whole Greek community,” added Marmulstein. “In terms of the Greek community and GW, Greek Week is important because it brings people together who don’t normally hang out. It almost feels like one big brotherhood and sisterhood. Everyone especially comes out for skit night.”
IFC President Chris Dibitetto emphasized that Greek Week was not just for Greeks; it was also an opportunity to introduce non-Greeks to the GW Greek community.
“We have a positive and strong Greek community, and this week all Greeks come together and promote Greek life,” said Dibitetto. “We’re always trying to recruit. This week is a way to show people it’s something they’d like to get involved in.”
