Letters Spring 2015

LETTERS IOWA STATE GREEK COMMUNITY a publication of the Greek Relations Executive Council

FOR NOW. FOR TOMORROW. FOREVER

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GW 2014

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THIS EDITION OF LETTERS GREEK WEEK 2015

A Balancing Act.................................................................. 4

Iowa State athletes who balance school and the Greek community comment about their busy schedules.

Waiters................................................................................ 5 Philanthropic Endeavers..................................................... 8 GSB President..................................................................... 9 Conferences...................................................................... 10 AFLV and NGBLC conferences and the traditions they continue.

MGC Impacts Iowa State.................................................. 11 Lamda Theta Alpha and Lamda Theta Phi reach out to the Latino community and impact Iowa State.

House Construction Q & A...........................................12-13 Sigma Chi and Delta Tau Delta answer questions regarding the construction of their new chapter houses.

Greek Traditions................................................................ 14 Lipsync 2015..................................................................... 15 A look into the top three Lipsync Finalists

Greek Community – Iowa State University @ISUGreek isugreekcommunity.tumblr.com Iowa State Greek Community Online Version of Letters – http://issuu.com/lettersmagazineisu

DIRECTOR Audra Kincart

CONTRIBUTORS Abbie Latterell, Spencer Santoro, Audra Kincart, Randa Scaglione, Jeremy Andrews, Lauren Good, Kelly Kalsch, Catherine Brown, Alex Thomson, Brian Keck, Evan O’Connor, Maddy Jordan, Christina Raymond, Rachel Brown, Anna Gay, Annie Gentilini, Hannah Scharpen, Tai Stanek, Scott Horvath, Anna Ward, Emily Stearney, Drew Tiffany

ADVISER

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Katy Cran GW 2014

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DREW TIFFANY

CATHERINE BROWN & ANNA WARD

WAITERS

A BALANCING ACT

Many Iowa State fraternity men who are looking for part time employment during the school year often become waiters at sorority houses. The word waiter in this aspect does not exactly mean what you would expect in a public restaurant. These men are responsible for a variety of tasks around lunch and dinner time at sororities and include the following: cleaning and putting away dishes, storing leftover food in the refrigerator, cleaning tables and disposing of trash outside.

A former waiter of Alpha Gamma Delta, sophomore Jake Kenny, made himself available to comment. When asked about how he obtained the job in the first place, he replied, “A friend who was already working there informed me of an opening they had. He put in a good word for me and I wound up receiving the position.”

Kenzi Mongar

Alex Marasco

As far as the time commitment goes, the House Directors are usually accommodating of various different schedules and are willing to work around class and extracurricular activities. Working with the House Director of the sorority you work at is key to building and maintaining a productive schedule. Kenny also commented that being a waiter improved his time management skills, since he had to use his free time more wisely due to more time being taken up by work and less time for academics.

When we think of student athletes on college campuses, one word that comes to mind most of the time is “busy”. Besides classes, most free-time is spent on doing workouts, attending games, having public appearances and trying to relax. There’s a select group of athletes however, that prioritize their time and are also a part of the Greek community. Being involved in both can be pretty time consuming, but a few sorority members gave us the inside scoop on how they handle the different time commitments.

appearances across campus and the Ames community. Unlike Kenzi, Megan has some more leeway in how involved she is within the Spirit Squad and can be as involved as she wants and participate in events that are convenient for her time schedule. With that, Megan has had plenty of opportunities to be involved in her chapter including being a co-chair for Lip-Sync and Homecoming as well as spend time serving as a public relations and a correspondence coordinator for Alpha Gamma Delta.

We got the chance to speak with Kenzi Mongar, a junior in Public Relations in the Eta Beta chapter of Chi Omega who is also a member of the co-ed cheerleading team on campus. Kenzi spends her time being a flyer, cheering for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, cheering for the football team and competing in National Cheer Competitions. The co-ed team’s typical schedule in one week includes three practices, two workouts, and multiple games or team appearances to attend. Kenzi says that she stays extremely busy with her cheer commitments but still spends time participating in events like Polar Bear Plunge, lawn display during homecoming, and Chi Omega’s philanthropy events. Kenzi said that her sisters help her out by keeping her motivated and staying interested in all the events she participates in. She also has fellow sisters on the Cheer squad and having someone there to help with the balancing of time commitments has helped out as well.

Finally, we got to hear how Alex Marasco, a junior in Communication Studies and a member of the Zeta Delta chapter of Alpha Phi, handles her time commitment with the Iowa State University gymnastics program. Alex is a full-time student athlete and spends five days a week practicing, as well as spending time every day doing workouts and treatments. This semester, the gymnastics team is full of weekend competitions so Alex stays busy participating in those meets. Last semester, Alex joined Alpha Phi and said that she has enjoyed meeting new people from campus. Although balancing her athlete commitment, classes, and being involved in Alpha Phi isn’t easy and keeps Alex busy, she said she wouldn’t change anything because of the experiences she’s been fortunate enough to have.

Waitering at a sorority can also help build relationships with other members of the Greek community. There are often men from other fraternities that are also hired as waiters to work alongside you.

Getting to know your coworkers and learning from them to improve your productivity is beneficial to you now and in the future.

Something all three of these women have in common is the idea that although being busy comes with the commitment of being a part of the Spirit Squad and the Athletics department; being in a sorority and involved is possible and the support and standards held under both organizations, helps them be their best.

When asked about tips or advice for newcomers to the waitering process, Kenny replied, “Just do your best and work with others for the good of the house.”

Megan McDonald is a junior in Kinesiology and Health in the Rho chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta and is a part of the Spirit Squad.

McDonald gets the opportunity to spread Cyclone spirit and make

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Megan McDonald

Having a friend on the inside is not the only way to become a waiter.

Talking to your respective House Director to see if there’s openings anywhere in the Greek Community is another very viable route to take.

APRIL 2015

“She wouldn’t c ha n g e a n y t h in g b e c a u s e of the ex perienc es s h e ’s b e e n f o r t u a n t e enough to hav e ” - Ale x M a r a s c o

ISU

Decreasing expenses is always on the minds of college students and their parents. In addition to earning an hourly wage, your house bill is often downsized per semester. This is because since waiters are working during meal times and eat at the sorority houses, thereby cutting out the need to eat at a chapter facility and saving waiters and everyone’s stingy parents - money.

“A fri end who was al ready w o rk i ng there i nformed me of an openi ng they had. H e pu t i n a good word for me and I wound up rec ei v i ng the p os i ti on. ” -Jak e Kenny

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“MY EXPERIENCE IN GREEK WEEK TAUGHT ME, NOT ONLY HOW TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS, BUT I GOT A NEW FOUND LOVE FOR THE IOWA STATE GREEK COMMUNITY!”- AUDRA KINCART

“BE THE TRADITION” GREEK WEEK 2015

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AUDRA KINCART

P H ILANTHRO P IC E N DE AV E R S It’s 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday and the afternoon of Alpha Delta Pi’s Chili in the Courtyard, a time to showcase both the women of the sorority and the sorority’s values.

Although the event isn’t for two hours, the women of the sorority are anxious to see their hard work pay off from the past month of balancing school and plans for the philanthropy.

The proceeds for this event will be given to the Ronald McDonald House who has been partnered with the sorority Alpha Delta Pi since 1979.

This is just one of the numerous philanthropy events held each semester by both fraternities and sororities nationwide.

Greek communities at Iowa State’s campus also come together to participate in all-Greek philanthropies such as the Polar Bear Plunge that benefits the Special Olympics of Iowa and Dance Marathon that raises money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

This year, the Polar Bear Plunge raised over $188,000 for the Special Olympics of Iowa and was the largest amount raised in a day

for the non-profit organization.

Philanthropies nationwide benefit numerous organizations including Delta Delta Delta and their partnership with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Chi Omega with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Sigma Phi Epsilon with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Delta Sigma Phi with the Red Cross, to name a few.

Philanthropies are alive and well at Iowa State’s campus and as philanthropies come and go, the thought is always in the back of member’s minds; how can I give back in the biggest way to my chapter’s organization?

When attending a philanthropy, it’s hard to imagine that the candied apple or pancake you are eating is really making a difference.

However it is these humble events that happen nationwide that make the biggest differences to impact organizations and their causes.

EMILY STEARNEY

Friendship, philanthropy and community service, scholarship, and leadership are the four Greek community pillars at Iowa State University. Greeks have a reputation of dominating leadership roles on and off campus, so it’s no surprise that Iowa State now has an affiliated student as its vice president for the Government of the Student Body. The previous president and vice president of the Government of the Student Body were also members of the Greek community.

I was impressed she even had time to meet with me for an interview; I assumed she would be too busy for a meeting, as the campaign had only ended a few days prior.

Delta Delta Delta nationally has raised over $31 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and in 2014, raised over $6 million for sick children and families that benefit from St. Jude.

This goes to show that the work of a few goes to benefit many.

GS B P R ES I D EN T study space across campus.

Even after taking on the challenge of recreating something so wellknown, Sweere wants to remain active in her sorority. “I knew this was something that I was going to be doing, so I’ll definitely stay on standards,” she said. Sweere knew in advance that her involvement in GSB would affect her involvement in Phi Beta Chi. But that doesn’t mean the bond with her sorority will be any less strong. If anything, Sweere is determined to keep Phi Beta Chi a priority.

“They’re some of the most important people here to me. I’m going to stay as involved as I can.”

“It feels like I’m super free since I was so insanely busy, but it’s just been a lot of excitement,” Sweere said with a sigh of relief.

Sweere’s impressive record of leadership roles began with her sorority. As a member of Phi Beta Chi, Sweere has held positions as scholarship chair, public relations chair and as a member of the standards board.

“ T h is g o e s t o show t h a t t h e wo r k of a f ew g o e s t o b e n e f i t m any. ” - Au d r a K i ncar t

In only one-and-a-half years of involvement in the Government of the Student Body, Sweere has been a senator for the College of Business with membership on the university affairs, public relations, and senate efficiency committees. After all that, she’s worked her way into the vice president position.

Sweere, a junior in supply chain management and marketing, joined Phi Beta Chi sorority during the spring of her freshman year.

Lutheran-based and 50 members large, Sweere tributes a large part of her success to the women of her sorority.

“My sisters were a great support system. You know how it is,” Sweere said in an interview, gesturing to the letters I wore on my backpack. “They’re just so proud with you. It’s kind of like they won too. I think they almost got just as excited as I did when they found out.”

Hardly ten steps could be taken on central campus without seeing “No BS with Breitbarth Sweere,” the slogan for their campaign, in sidewalk chalk during the weeks preceding the GSB election.

Sweere summarized this message as a way to communicate student priority.

“We don’t have self-serving interests. We just care about what the students need. We feel that as president and vice president, our only priority is to make sure that student voices are being heard,” Sweere explained as she had to so many different student groups during the campaign. “We’re focusing on things we can solve right now.”

Breitbarth and Sweere plan to bring back traditions like the float parade and cherry pies, and fix the various overcrowding issues that students face every day, like lack of seating in the Memorial Union and lack of

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CONFERENCES

AUDRA KINCART

This year, students from the Iowa State Greek community got the opportunity to gain friendships and leadership skills at the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values and the National Black Greek Leadership Conference.

The AFLV and NBGLC took place this semester from January 29 to February 1 in Indianapolis.

The Association of Fraternal Leadership and values encourages growth of fraternity and sorority chapters nationwide while promoting values and resources for students.

The mission of the Association of Fraternal Leadership and values is for Greek community members to exemplify ethical values and create events, networking opportunities and conferences for peers who want to advance the Greek community.

AFLV works in concordance with the National Black Greek Leadership Conference and often holds a luncheon and other events for the organization during their conferences.

The NBGLC was created in 1986 to give

“. . . e n a b led students to l e a r n ho w to grow as a n i n d ividu a l leader...”

- Au d ra Kinc art

the black Greek community the same opportunities to network that the AFLV provides, given that the black community faces different issues than other councils.

Events at the conference included keynote speakers and breakout sessions for students.

The breakout sessions enabled students to learn how to grow as an individual leader, positional leader or a future leader for their career.

Presidents who attended the event could also attend a break out session with other chapter presidents to discuss problems and how to address them. Members of the Emerging Greek Leadership Council also attended a breakout session to help them be leaders through their college career.

AFLV also held a stroll competition that Iowa State University won.

“The stroll competition is a great place for all four councils within our community to come together,” said Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Office of Greek Affairs, Billy Boulden.

NPHC and MGC chapters historically do the stroll competition as a way for the chapters to celebrate their heritage.

Strolling originates from South African slave mines. While the slaves were working in the mines they weren’t allowed to talk so they communicated through rhythmic beats.

AFLV also has an awards ceremony.

Iowa State’s Panhellenic council won the Sutherland Award, which is a prestigious award that recognized our Panhellenic council as the best in the nation.

Boulden views AFLV as an excellent opportunity for Greek community members to attend. “I think for our office we see AFLV and NBGLC bring our community closer together, to allow the student leaders that have been elected to represent our community to work more collaboratively with each other and understand who each other are,” Boulden said.

Freshman member of Kappa Sigma Cameron Deveaux said, “There was a lot of interesting things that I took away from, not even just the sessions, but through talking to people in general.”

AFLV and NBGLC provided the Greek community with a way to not only grow as individuals, but as stronger leaders for their chapter.

Students from all councils had things to take away from the event.

Alex Young, president of the Multicultural Greek Council said about AFLV, “I learned just how important the role of governing council is in Greek life. I also learned a lot about leadership, social justice, and managing change.”

MGC AUDRA KINCART Brother, Sister Multicultural Greek Council organization Impacts Iowa State Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc, a new multicultural sorority at Iowa State, has a lot in store for the spring of 2015 alongside their brother fraternity Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc..

have our Latino college visit day, which is something we helped start and something we continue to help with,” said president of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. Alfredo Real.

Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., a fairly new sorority on campus since being founded in the spring of 2014, believes in empowering young women and providing a support system to Latinos achieving a higher education said Celize Christy, president of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. and senior in global resource systems and animal science.

Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. translated orientation and college visits into Spanish so Latino families feel more welcome at Iowa State’s campus.

Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. also advocates political activism.

The Multicultural Greek Community differs in several ways from other councils.

President Barack Obama made an executive order that enabled undocumented youth in America to attend college through a permit, explained Christy. As soon as President Obama is out of office, that executive order no longer applies.

Instead of traditions such as Yell Like Hell and Lip Sync, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. and Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. participate in steps, strolls and other traditions.

This issue is just one of the immigration legislation issues that Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. is trying to raise awareness about.

“I know one thing we’re working on this semester is trying to create an immigration event,” said Christy.

This event would most likely take place in April and include a speaker from one of the government branches and conclude with a role of activism instead of a question and answer session.

“We haven’t formulated what were going to do,” said Christy.

“I think that’s what we’re all about, just getting involved not only in the Latino community or Latino students but also with the Greek community in general,” said Christy.

“Mainly we just help out the Latino community here. For example we

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“It helps them be more invested in what their child is going to go through,” continued Real.

“We do what’s called saluting. The best way to describe that is poetry in motion,” said Real.

The sorority and fraternity participate in these at coming out shows.

New members are recruited in private and asked to join an interest group for the organization they want to join.

Doing this ensures members will put in the work for the fraternity or sorority and helps new members know if the organization is what they want for themselves and their college career.

After the interest group is completed and the members choses to join the organization, a coming out show takes place to showcase the new members.

Although their organizations tend to be smaller, both Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. and Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. share a passion of their heritage and making progress for future Latino students.

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EMILY STEARNEY

HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Q & A

Where are the fraternity men living now? ΔTΔ: They’re all living on Welch in the old Pi Kappa Phi house; they’ll be moving out at the end of May. ΣΧ: We were able to work with the department of residence and get the seventh floor of Larch Hall for the members who wanted to live together.

Our senior members are living off campus in apartments together.

Q & A with Sigma Chi and Delta Tau Delta Greek Relations Executive Council Reporter, Emily Stearney, interviewed those in charge of spearheading the construction of fraternities Delta Tau Delta and Sigma Chi of the Iowa State Greek Community.

Steve Jones of the Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Tau Delta graduated from Iowa State in 1971. He is currently the House Corporation President and has been involved in the Greek Alumni Alliance at Iowa State.

Rick Burnett of Sigma Chi, class of 1975, is the current vice president of the fraternity. Burnett was the fundraising coordinator for the capital campaign which was the fundraising effort for the new house project. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

These are the responses from Stearney’s question and answer session with Jones and Burnett.

Total cost of the house? ΔTΔ: 6.8 million, with half a million of that number going towards soft costs like furniture. ΣΧ: 4 million for the demolition and contract, 4.3 million including soft costs.

Where did the funding come from?

ANY LAST COMMENTS?

ΔTΔ: Half was funded by alumni and the capital campaign, and the other half through commercial financing.

ΔTΔ: We were the first fraternity on campus in 1875. The house that was just torn down was built in 1951, so this house will be a great step for us. ΣΧ: We’re really excited; we believe we’re building an extreme differentiator, and the Ames community could not have been bigger supporters of what we’re doing.

ΣΧ: Over $2,000,000 we’re raised, and the rest was funded by loans.

When did construction start? ΔTΔ: In 2008, the board discussed renovating and adding on, or building a new one. In 2012, there was a unanimous vote to construct a new house. Demolition started in June, and construction started in August. ΣΧ: The fundraising process started in 2010, and demolition started in July (of 2014).

What companies are part of the process? ΔTΔ: RPG (Consultants) and Story Construction. RPG did the original building in 1952. Story Construction had never done a completely new Greek house before, though it did work with Delta Tau Delta on the old house. ΣΧ: Pennington and Company handled both the teardown and the rebuilding, along with Dallenbach Larson, which will deal with the construction aspect. Dallenbach Larson was the only one (company) that had done a Greek house before; they did the Sigma Chi house at Drake.

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When will the house be finished? ΔTΔ: July 24 to July 31 of this summer. ΣΧ: It’s supposed to be finished by early August. The furniture will arrive between the 10th and 17th of August, but it will be open for the fall.

What are some special features of the house? ΔTΔ: Let’s start with the basement. The lower level contains the chapter room and a full university style classroom with a setting for 40 students to study with high-end technology. The first floor will have common space, large dining room, and a full sized commercial kitchen and rec space. The second and third floors are the individual student rooms. It’ll be suite-style living, so two students rooms will share a bathroom. We’ve added a lot of group space, study space, storage space, and an outside courtyard, about 60 feet by 30 feet, which won’t be visible from the street. LED lighting and high efficiency gas heat, so it’s very energy efficient. Mostly brick exterior and lots of glass on the south side of the building to let in lots of light.

We’ll also be the only house with an elevator. ΣΧ: It’s going to be suite style living. No longer a cold air dorm and a mass bathroom, everything is suite living, with 3 to 5 men to one suite where every suite has a common area for guys to socialize. There’ll be a full bath for every suite, full shower, and everything is state of the art technology. We’re wiring the house for over 200 simultaneous internet users, so internet access will be great. A brand new kitchen that will serve six breakfasts and five lunches and five dinners, coming out to 16 meals per week. A rec room and a huge, modern-tiered theater room in the basement, which is a split level with the first floor so there’s lots and lots of natural light. It’s a French-Normandy style house with a stone and brick exterior.

Capacity? ΔTΔ: 64 capacity and then the house director, who will have live on the first floor. ΣΧ: 55 will be housed. We’re in the process of interviewing for a full-time house director for next year.

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KELLY KALSCH

GREEK TRADITIONS ALPHA DELTA PI Have you ever noticed the ridiculously dressed women in Alpha Delta Pi’s composite? Since 1983 Darla Beavis has been a part of their sisterly traditions. Darla Beavis, a former member of Alpha Delta Pi, did not show up for her composite picture. So instead another senior came down for pictures dressed ridiculously willing to take Darla’s place. Since that year the women of Alpha Delta Pi would nominate a senior to take Darla Beavis’s spot in the composite in her choice of crazy, wild attire. Sadly, this tradition came to an end in 2012 when the composite companies changed their policies.

DELTA TAU DELTA Have you ever wondered where all the squirrels go on the morning of serenades? Well you can find them on the corner of Sunset Drive and Gray Avenue running in the street like squirrels do. Since the women of Alpha Gamma Delta and the men of Delta Tau Delta share the mascot of the squirrel, every year on serenades the two houses join together to participate in “Gray Squirrel.” “Gray Squirrel” is a tradition when the chapters stand in a circle and block traffic to sing and dance to the song they share. Next serenades when you can’t find any squirrels, just go to the corner of Sunset and Gray.

ALPHA GAMMA DELTA The second day of formal recruitment is the day chapters show what values they hold near and dear to their heart. The women of Alpha Gamma Delta do this through their famous skit, Opal’s Salon on Welch. This traditional skit was written by an Alpha Gamma Delta alumnae back in the 1980s.

Opal was a character from the soap opera, “General Hospital” who owned a beauty shop, so they made her the main character because people knew who she was and where she was from. As years went by Opal’s Salon on Welch evolved into a huge comedy and includes roles that get passed down from member to member. However, no Opal’s show is ever quite the same, no thanks to the Styrofoam head, Denise Dreamer. But feel free to follow Denise on Twitter @TheOtherDreamer.

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LIP SYNC 2015

KELLY KALSCH

Five weeks, fifteen practices, and just over one month, co-chairs and participants put a great amount of time and practice to hit the stage with their short skits dedicated to the values of the Greek community. On March 24th, fourteen teams took the stage at C.Y. Stephens with teased hair and plenty of blush and lipstick (even for the boys).

What You Didn’t Know About the Top Three Teams…

Delta Delta Delta co-chair, Allison Shindoll, stated that “Shanon Smith, accidentally cut herself so many times while creating the zombie costumes,that co-chairs were not sure if the blood on the shirts was paint or her actual blood.”

Generation X co-chair, Miranda Pollitt, admits that “Our dad specifically shaved his head for our skit! “ Themed Thursdays were always a part of the fun with PhiI-E-I-O pairing. FarmHouse co-chair, Matt Welter, says “The hilarious outfits some of the participants came up with always made me laugh.”

With everyone in Greek Land refreshing their Twitter feeds, Greek Week Central announced that the teams of Phi-I-E-I-O, Generation X, Alpha TriSeps, GreekSquad, and Bob Barker’s Brigade would be moving on to the finals and performing again the Friday of Greek Week.

Lip Sync finals left the audience amazed with everything these five pairings brought to the auditorium. With Vespers not being until Sunday night, we all had to wait on who would place in the top three; however, we were not disappointed with the results: First Place – Alpha TriSeps (Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Phi Epsilon) With Delta Delta Delta co-chair, Taylor Runkel, stating she was “staring at the trophy all throughout Vespers” hearing their name called as the Lip Sync Champions was a great success for the whole pairing. These eight co-chairs had put blood, sweat and tears in to see their Walking Dead skit come to life.

What left the crowd amazed about this pairing was their hip hop dance in the second half of their skit. Sigma Phi Epsilon co-chair, Joe Carnaroli, said, “Typically, every Lip Sync skit features some sort of ‘advanced’ hip-hop style dance. Our Delta Delta Delta co-chairs did a great job putting it together, and was a great fit for the song.”

With Alpha Tau Omega co-chairs, Jon Pevonka and Kyle Millburg, as the “guinea pigs” Millburg said, “it only took a few minutes to get down… for Jon at least. I’m still working on it a little bit.”

Although, Millburg is still working on his dance moves, this pairing of over 150 wowed the audience with this routine.

PI BETA PHI

Second Place – Phi-I-E-I-O

Have you ever been stuck in traffic on Ash Avenue due to screaming women running in the street? Don’t be alarmed it’s just the women of Pi Beta Phi celebrating an exciting moment for the chapter. Every time the women have something exciting to celebrate, whether it be a candle passing, big/little reveal, or initiation, the women of Pi Beta Phi rush to the street to “Pi”.

“Pi” is when the women in attendance of their event or celebration get into a huge circle on Ash Avenue and sing their song to celebrate the chapter.

(Alpha Phi, FarmHouse, and Theta Delta Chi) With a second place finish, Phi-I-E-I-O co-chairs have a lot to be happy about. With it being Alpha Phi’s first Greek Week, Alpha Phi co-chairs Josie Brownmiller and Jessica Bennett “really had no idea what to expect” according to Brownmiller. However, both agreed it was a rewarding experience.

When the lights went out on stage and the jellyfish hit the floor, the crowd went nuts to see the black lights turn on. Jon Siefkes, FarmHouse co-chair, came up for the idea of the jellyfish dance.

Siefkes states, “I ran across a dance competition where the dancers used strings to imitate puppets. I knew I wanted to do something similar and thought that it could fit the profile of a jellyfish. To amp up the performance, I immediately envisioned the jellyfish glowing on stage, and black lights proved to be the perfect tool for this effect.”

Although we were all amazed with the special effect within this skit, FarmHouse co-chair, Matthew Welter, admits “Making sure that we had all the equipment and people to run the special effects took a lot of work to nail down, but turned out awesome!”

Third Place – Generation X (Phi Kappa Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Pi) With a third place trophy, Miranda Pollitt, Pi Beta Phi co-chair, says “To be honest, I don’t think I would change anything. I loved our skit, choreography, set, and characters. Our performance was everything I could have asked for and I know we did everything that we could have done when we finished second cuts on Friday.”

Miranda Pollitt also recapped Generation X’s performance with “The main idea behind our skit was that objects from the house were coming to life. The objects we chose also represented the four pillars. The composite represented sisterhood and brotherhood, the picture frame represented philanthropy, the textbook represented academics, and the trophies represented achievement. We also incorporated the idea of each dance being a different decade or time.

The composite was an 80’s theme with the song Vogue, the picture frame was a 90’s theme with using the song Ice, Ice, Baby, then the rest of the dances were based on early 2000’s and present day songs.”

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GREEK RELATIONS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

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