April 3rd-April 10nth is when GMU had their Greek Week. 35 Sororities and Fraternities came together in 6 teams to join in a week-long competition filled with various events ranging from synchronized swimming to can collections to the big finale of Greek Sing. This year the overall theme of Greek Week was “Decades”. These were the following teams for Greek Week 2016:
With all this being said in the midst of the competition it’s easy to overlook the different components that make up Greek Week so unique. Here are just a few reasons why Greek Week is a week-long tradition that is unforgettable.
1. You get to know other individuals from fraternities and sororities that you otherwise would not know. Stereotypical response but very true. Those late nights preparing for events, bonding over the exhaustion of carrying cans back and forth for hours, and countless other things are irreplacable experiences.
2. On Sunday when every team sets up “Shack”, which is the creation of art that represents your team’s theme and completely made up of recyclable items, there is a bucket for Habitat for Humanity donations. People walk by to admire the different creations but fail to notice the buckets located at the front of every shack. People sit by the shack to inform people of Habitat for Humanity and encourage donations to the cause.
3. The level of craftsmanship and hours spent on every prop and shack piece takes an incredible amount of time and effort. Shack is no joke. I guarantee you that every inch of those cardboard formations were made with tears and sweat of multiple people. Same thing goes with the props and banners that go with Greek Sing. Every prop and banner was meticulously organized and entail a great deal of patience.
4. Collectively, the GMU Greek life members donated 27 thousand pounds of food for the organization Food for Others! This is a huge accomplishment and even though teams get caught up in the competitive spirit, the results at the end of the day show how big of an impact Greek Life here at Mason can have.
5. The faculty luncheon gives you the opportunity to thank your professors for being a positive influence in your life for whatever reason, or get to know your professor a little better.
6. The spirit of competition reeks during Greek Week and is easily the biggest event we participate as a Greek Community all year long. The competition can bring out positives such as teams/brothers/sisters/individuals together but the competition spirit also has cons. The different teams and history in those fraternities and sororities bring about tension in good and bad ways, but at the end of the day I hope the good outweighs the bad.
This will be the third year I have participated in Greek Week and it has honestly enriched me in so many ways. I not only gained a better appreciation of all the hard work my sisters put in but I also have gotten to know members of other fraternities and created friendships. Greek week may be a week-long event but the preparation and bonds formed run deep before that one week, and will hopefully continue long after Greek Week. As a member of the Greek community here at Mason I know I have been stereotyped and written off as someone I am not but I have also gained so much invaluable lessons and experiences with incredible individuals that bring forth amazing talents and passions that have only made my life better. We may come from different organizations, but Greek Life as a whole are a part of this community because they committed to a long term purpose of service, scholarship, leadership and so many other core values. Here are the links to Greek Sing’s of different teams if you’re interested:
Team 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffeHgK50DY&feature=youtu.be