The theme for Michigan’s 2011 Greek Week may have been Las Vegas, but what happens in Greek Week does not stay in Greek Week, especially because since this year alone Greek Week raised around $75,000 for charity. This year’s charities included Peace Neighborhood Center, Detriot Action Commonwealth, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Jalen Rose Charitable Fund, Ele’s Place, and Heart of a Champion Fund.
Each team, comprised of a combination of fraternities and sororities, was given a team name based on a hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Greek Week this year kicked off on March 20 with Delta Gamma’s Anchorsplash at the Natatorium. Members of the Greek community could be seen repping their team T-shirts around campus at other events including State Street Day, Diag Day, and Greek Olympics. In addition to monetary donations, members also donated hours of time and the blood drive generated 246 pints of blood.
On March 30 Greek Week concluded with Sing and Variety, an A cappella and dance competition at Hill Auditorium. The competition is a favorite among both audience members and participants. “Variety is a great experience because it allows you to meet people from other houses you wouldn’t know otherwise and gets you involved in Greek Week on a larger level,” said Nichole Mattila, a Variety veteran and competitor on team Caesar’s Palace.
Team Treasure Island, comprised of Alpha Gamma Delta, Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Lambda Phi took first in Greek Week overall. Team Planet Hollywood came in second place and Team New York, New York took third. Win or lose, the teams of Greek Week 2011 had fun playing the games and made a great impact on the community while doing it.