Ideas for promoting Greek unity?

[violets]

Big philanthropy events are great for getting to know people in other orgs and for creating a presence on campus. Playground clean ups are always great and you sometimes you can "adopt" a local playground and run activities for the kids on an on-going basis.
I don't know your area at all but what about a Greek Garden? If there's a plot of unused land somewhere; i.e. a former parking lot, you can raise funds in the fall and then do a clean up/ planting in the spring.
How about Christmas/Holiday follies? We used to do this with with our Sigma Chis; we would put together a Christmas Program and then perform at a few local nursing homes.
As for Greek Week activities you could actually do a boys vs. girls competition which is actually lots of fun.
You can also start with something low-key but fun like an ice cream social or pizza night with your Alpha Phis.
Hope this is helpful!

[Tom Earp]

Show a United Greek Force of Charity Events Or anyother Functions that are available to you!

Yes, there is Compitition, but Unification for doing THE GOOD THINGS! is the way to expand!

We Lost a Chapter at Alfred U along with All of the Greeks there because of a Hazing Problem. A Local I beleive did it but it spotlighted all Greeks, Now, They are GONE!

What do you do at Homecoming?

Have found without the Greeks at Home coming, it is the bands first and the horses last!

[ADPiSAI]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
What do you do at Homecoming?

homecoming here is just one big drunken mess... a lot of the alumni come back to the school, there's a football game, too many kegs & eggs parties, and just massive amounts of drunken stupidity. no parades or anything... just lots of alcohol. i usually go away for the weekend.

this year, we do have quite a few of our ADPi alumnae coming up, and i think we're trying to plan a social event with the Beta alumni -- yay for mixing with a different group!!

[exlurker]

ForeverDiamond, it looks like the Greek system at Wichita State University made a real attempt to build Greek unity and get the campus to know the Greeks better with their recent Greek Week. There's an article in the student newspaper at

http://www.thesunflower.com/web/isite.dll?1063172588179

Some of the things they did: a clothing drive, blood drive, open houses, etc. Alpha Phi and Beta both have chapters there, so their chapters at your school might be able to get more info from them if the ideas sound interesting. I believe a new membr of Alpha Phi there posted her rush story on GC six weeks or so ago, too. Although Wichita State is a fairly large school, its Greek system is relatively small, so some of what they did might mesh with concerns at your school.

[BobraFCD]

At Illinois we have Greek Reunion during the summer. All the Greeks would come to campus the second weekend in July to get together.

[wishuweresigdel]

Forever Diamond...i feel your pain with trying to mix w/other greeks. i go to school at rutgers, camden, its the small campus in south jersey. my sisters and i just founded sigma delta tau there in december of this past year and we have been trying to get the greek life back on that campus for 2 years now. we have quite a few sororities and fraternities on campus, but most of them are inactive. one has 1 member, one has 3 members, one has 5 members. we're the biggest w/25 girls. its definetly a challenge getting the greeks together that are there. there's a lot of behind-the-scenes fighting and rivalry going on. but, TEP frat just came back after being suspended and the greek life is picking up again.

our greek week starts on oct. 13. we're having a trivia game that night, tuesday is a bbq during the lunch period and a toga party at night. wednesday is just a chill day. thursday is meet the greeks where we all explain our organization and any interests can ask questions and everything. we're ending the week w/friday having a greek vs. civvy flag football game and saturday night there is a step show that kappa is hosting. the way this was organized is that each greek group that is active takes one day and organizes that event. this makes it very interesting since we are all coming from such different points of view.

some advice to start to get to know the other greeks....just be real casual...have a movie night one night and invite a few members...it doesnt have to be all members in all the groups at one time. this way you can get to know them on a more personal level. my sisters and i like to go bowling every monday night and whoever goes from all the greeks goes. its a good time.

just a few ideas....good luck!!

[Tom Earp]

Is there Intermural Competition, run outs (Fraternity/Soroitys)? With 3 Soroitys and 6 Fraternitys, we did a Float for H C with STG, great interaction as I see it!

With out having to look up, and see who is on Campus, Do you do a House Decoration/Parade? Charity Events, we have a Hot-Tub-A-Thon, with a Soroity each year for Ronnie Mc D house.

If all Alums do is come Back and Get Smashed, wow, that sucks! Especially if it is done with the Chapter! Great Leadership.

Shockers Who!? LOL!

God Kansas has it shares of Mascots!

[ADPiSAI]

you guys are giving me so many great ideas to work with! thank you!

wishuweresigdel ~ home for me is about 15 minutes or so from your school! that's really great that you're getting greek life going again there! i hope that continues to go well for you.

[butterfly2001nc]

For Greek Week, there are some things that we did at North Carolina State University:

-Blood Drive
-All-Day service event (service raleigh)
-Step Show
-Body Image Fair
-Lip Sync
-Serenade
-Bowling
-Movie Nite
-2 speakers
-Cookout
-Award Presentations
-Concert
-Bracket Events (Volleyball, Kickball, Basketball, Tug-of-war)

We also had Greek Week T-shirts that everyone could purchase. perhaps one day out of the week, everyone could wear their shirt together

i like the all-greek formal idea.....how did that work and how many groups were there? PM me bout it!

[wishuweresigdel]

forever diamond....where are you from...im from gloucester twp and went to triton high school.

[honeychile]

The Blood Drive alone will bring you all together, and get some good pr!

The last I heard, the Pitt Greeks provide the largest pool of blood donors in Pittsburgh, and the Central Blood Bank LOVES them!!

[wishuweresigdel]

thats really neat...we live a few towns away from each other....what school do you go to??

[ADPiSAI]

Originally posted by wishuweresigdel
thats really neat...we live a few towns away from each other....what school do you go to??

haha -- nothing close to there! I'm at Bishop's University, in Lennoxville, Quebec!