Greek Weekend is an annual celebration of Greek life on campus that is an opportunity for the members of fraternity and sorority life to compete in friendly competitions and win awards based on their achievements throughout the year.
This year, the Greek Weekend champions were Phi Mu and Alpha Tau Omega, or ATO. Throughout the weekend, Phi Mu won basketball, tug and Greek Goddess. ATO won the blood drive, basketball, tug, flag football, cornhole, spike ball and Greek God. Both groups won sing, as Phi Mu and ATO performed an Elton John routine together.
Overall, it was a very successful weekend for reigning champions Phi Mu and ATO. They took home the gold for almost all of the competitions and finished out strong with wins across the board. This year marked Phi Mu’s third consecutive win and ATO’s eighth.
“All of our girls work towards this week all year, and seeing all of the effort they have put in pay off is the best feeling,” said Maddie Kitchens, a junior elementary education major and member of Phi Mu. “Bringing home the trophy this year just made us more excited to start prepping for next year!”
The weekend is not all about winning; it is about Panhellenic love, interfraternity brotherhood and celebrating one another.
YikYak is a college message board app that is localized to college campuses. It is difficult to gain access to a college YikYak board if you are not a student there, as you must submit student credentials to gain access. This app is very popular among college students because every message is entirely anonymous.
This past weekend, one user told a story about sportsmanship and school spirit prevailing during competition. According to their post, amid a volleyball game Sunday morning, some of the girls faced minor injuries, and their Panhellenic sisters were there to help.
“Can we just give it up for AOII [Alpha Omicron Pi] and DZ [Delta Zeta] sportsmanship??!!” the post said. “An AOII gave a DZ her inhaler when she couldn’t breathe and DZ helped and took a knee for an AOII who hurt her knee. #panlove”
YikYak had the seemingly busiest weekend of the year as it was filled with posts about sororities, fraternities and the results of each competition. A YikYak favorite was the Delta Zeta turtle mascot, known as Terrio. Whoever was in the costume received countless amounts of praise for their energy, tricks and entertainment value at the sing and step performances. It is safe to say that a mascot competition would have had the highest attendance.
Usually, the events that garner the most attention are tug, sing, and step/stroll. These are also the teams that practice the longest in preparation for Greek Weekend. Tug is an intense game of tug-of-war where all of the participants are sitting in muddy ruts, lying on the ground and pulling a rope while their friends yell at them. Sing is a choreographed musical routine that fraternities and sororities partner up for. Step is a choreographed dance that includes interludes of rhythmic stomping and clapping, and only sororities participate in this performance.
Not everyone was happy with the results of Greek Weekend, specifically when it comes to these enduring favorite events. While the fraternities and sororities maintain outward composure when victors are announced, YikYak continues to draw the actual thoughts from the crowd, which are often anything but supportive.
“Phi Mu beating DG [Delta Gamma] is a joke,” one post said.
“Let’s be real Phi Mu shouldn’t have placed but DG def should’ve,” said another anonymous user.
The step and sing judges had many hard calls to make, and the crowd did not agree with the calls, specifically regarding Phi Mu’s multitude of wins.
Other awards were given during Greek Weekend that had nothing to do with the competitions. The Abby Savoie Award, given to honor a treasured member of Alpha Gamma Delta who passed away in 2022, was given to Savoie’s little, Izzy Mills. Mills accepted this award with tears in her eyes, and it was a touching moment for everyone present.
Kappa Delta, or KD, also won the Sorority of the Year award for being an outstanding chapter, and Pi Kappa Phi took home the respective Fraternity of the Year award.
“It was definitely very cool!” said Allie Kate Campbell, a junior mass communication major and member of KD. “Every woman that I know in my chapter is just so deserving of Sorority of the Year.”
Fraternity and Sorority Life, specifically on GC’s campus, are known to dedicate a lot of time and effort to donations, which is where they enact the blood drive and glass collection competitions. While the blood drive winners have been announced, it seems there was a mix up with the glass drive, which has resulted in an unknown winner at this time.
While all the awards were being passed out, rumors of misconduct spread throughout the Centennial Center. It is alleged that because of previous years’ performances, certain participants were being breathalyzed before going in front of the crowd. Each year, rumors surface about a range of substance abuse among competitors trying to get a leg up, but there is no real known truth to any of these allegations.
Greek Weekend 2024 came to a close on Sunday when all awards were given out, and competitions were over. However, as sororities and fraternities around campus reflect on their busiest week of the year, they are already preparing for the next semester and the 2025 competitions.
