Students Love the 80s During Greek Week at UC

A spring tradition at the University of Cincinnati will have UC’s 11 sororities and 21 fraternities competing toward a common cause – to make a wish come true for two Tristate children struggling with serious illnesses.

UC’s Greek Week fund-raiser April 14-21

aims to raise $16,000 to help a little girl with Sickle Cell Anemia travel to Disney World with her family, and also fund a Disney World trip for a four-year-old boy who is battling leukemia.

This year, Greek Week celebrates the ’80s with tunes and trivia contests. “The events surrounding Greek Week are really fun to see and to play, but it’s the ultimate goal – raising money for Make-A-Wish – that’s especially rewarding,” says Jessica King of Northside, a member of Chi Omega Sorority and president of the Greek Week Executive Board. “Twelve-hundred members of the fraternity and sorority community are coming together for one purpose, and I’m fully confident that we’ll meet our $16,000 goal,” says the UC senior.

Vicki Marsala Calonge, UC program coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life at UC, says the Greeks have already raised more than $5,000 through an autumn letter-writing campaign.

Also during Greek Week, students will be donating blood through the Hoxworth Center to benefit the Cincinnati USA Community. Calonge says that every year the Greeks contribute more than 20,000 hours to community service and philanthropies.

Greek organizations have been a tradition on UC’s campus since 1840. UC’s Greek organizations hold more than 1,200 members – about 4.5 percent of the total undergraduate UC population.

Greek Week Schedule of Events

Monday, April 16

Order of Omega Blood Drive
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: Tangeman University Center (TUC) Room 400-B
Up to four members from any chapter can participate to earn points and support the Hoxworth Blood Center.

Barbecue
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location: McMicken Commons
All members of the UC community are invited to join the Greek social organizations for free barbecue, courtesy of City Barbecue, as students kick off Greek Week 2007.

Twister
7-10 p.m.
Location: Great Hall, TUC
The game of Twister will be played with up to eight participants representing each sorority or fraternity. Participants will be divided into teams of two for each match. As soon as a player falls or touches the mat with an elbow or knee, the player’s team is eliminated and the other team is the winner.

Tuesday, April 17

Dodgeball
1 p.m.
Location: Stratford Heights (courts behind the Lambda Chi Alpha house)
Teams are composed of six players in a single elimination tournament. The first team to eliminate all opposing players or the team with the greatest number of players remaining at the end of the regulation time will be declared the winner.

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s
Noon-8 p.m.
Location: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream on Calhoun Ave.
Free cone day is a national Ben & Jerry’s event. The location on Calhoun Avenue has teamed with Greek Week to give all donations from the event to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. All students, faculty and staff, and community members are welcome.

Greek Step Off
7 p.m.
Location: Great Hall (TUC)
Each chapter will prepare a step presentation.

Wednesday, April 18

Sand Volleyball
Noon
Location: Stratford Heights (courts behind the Lambda Chi Alpha house)
The tournament is a round-robin tournament.

God & Goddess Competition
7 p.m.
Location: Great Hall, TUC
A talent show featuring 13 acts. Chapters compete by showing off the variety of the talents of their members.

Thursday, April 19

Dunk Tank for Make-A-Wish
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: McMicken Commons
Each chapter will select one member to dunk for charity. The fund-raiser charges four dollars for three throws, or five dollars for five throws, with proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Prizes will be awarded to chapters who raise the most money at the dunking contest.

Lip Sync Contest
7 p.m.
Location: Great Hall, TUC
Greek organizations do their best song-and-dance routine to a pre-recorded ’80s soundtrack.

Friday, April 20

Belly Flop Contest
Noon
Location: Campus Recreation Center
One participant per chapter will be judged on creativity, crowd participation, costume and quality of the belly flop. Points will be awarded to the top three sororities and top three fraternities.

UC Baseball Greek Night
6:30 p.m.
Location: Marge Schott Stadium
Greek Week teams with UC Athletics to display their school spirit as the Bearcats battle the University of Connecticut. A member of Greek organizations will sing the national anthem, and the Greeks will hold coney-eating and pie-eating contests between innings. Greek organizations will also solicit donations for the Make-A-Wish campaign.

Saturday, April 21

Greek Games
11 a.m.
Location: McMicken Commons
Games include building a human pyramid, the egg toss, tug-o-war, dizzy bat, chariot races (three connected teammates must complete a down and back cycle of a designated distance) and slip ‘n’ slide.