From March 31 to April 3, Sacred Heart University’s sororities and fraternities came together to participate in Greek Week. The week is an annual tradition that takes place every spring where different greek life organizations compete against each other for the title of winners of Greek Week.
“We try to get all the chapters together to enjoy each other’s company and build community,” said Director of Greek Life, Nick Frias. “Yes, there is a competition aspect to it but we try not to put the emphasis on the competition and more so the community.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Greek life was not able to have a traditional Greek Week since 2019. In 2020, the week was entirely virtual and in 2021, they were able to do a hybrid version of online and in-person events.
“We haven’t had Greek Week because we got unfortunately sent home my freshman year,” said Panhellenic Vice President junior Madeline Normoyle. “So the only ones that know what a true Greek Week are the Seniors.”
This year’s Greek Week got back to tradition and the theme was “Greek Legends”. Each chapter got to choose a Greek god or goddess to represent such as Zeus, Aphrodite and Hades.
The theme of the week also influenced some of the events such as the “Quest for Gold” scavenger hunt and the inflatable jousting tournament. Other events have been traditional staples for Greek Week such as the Greek Olympics and Greek Sing, which is a favorite among many students in Greek life.
“Greek Sing is my favorite event because it lets people be creative, make great connections and have a lot of fun,” said Senior Jackie Mahlmeister. “Whether you’re actively participating or cheering others on, it’s an amazing atmosphere to watch the Panhellenic community compete in friendly competition.”
In addition to the fun events planned for Greek Week, there is a service day where chapters of greek life can help the community.
“Every chapter has been given a time slot to bring non-perishable food items to Bridgeport Rescue Mission,” said Frias. “So we’re trying to give back to the local community to kind of show some of the naysayers of fraternity and sorority life that we are actually doing good work.”
Despite all the competition between the chapters of Greek life during Greek Week, the only prize is being named as the champions of the Greek Week 2022. The idea is to put a greater value on coming together as a community over competing for a prize.
“It’s kind of like a celebration of everything that everyone has done throughout the entire year and an opportunity to be surrounded by the entirety of the fraternity and sorority life community,” said Panhellenic President Juinior Gianna Conidi. “You’re competing against each other but you’re all toward the same goal.”
