Friendly competition, philanthropy and fun are all part of this year’s Greek Week.
The events kicked off April 7. Greek chapters of Ferris brought Mardi Gras to campus as this year’s theme.
The annual event will celebrate the achievements of the 21 Ferris Greek organizations and gives the Greek community the opportunity to connect with other chapters.
“The main purpose we have Greek Week is to bond with all the social Greek chapters on campus,” Greek Week coordinator Stephanie Mellinger said. “It’s always fun to have some friendly competition, but in the end, we come together- raising money for a great cause and participating in The Big Event.”
According to Interfraternity Adviser Mark Schuelke, Greek Week has been a tradition on campus for more than 30 years.
The participating Greek chapters come together to compete while raising funds and awareness for this year’s Greek Week focus, the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“We chose Make-A-Wish Foundation because it provides opportunities to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have them,” Mellinger said. “Being Greek means being part of a family that wants to help students and the community.”
Yesterday there were Lip Sync, Dodgeball and Dress Up competitions at Crossroads Charter Academy.
Greek comedian Evan Wecksell will be performing at 7 p.m on Thursday in Williams Auditorium.
“I’m excited for lip sync because it is always fun to participate and to see what the other organizations put together when paired,” said Amanda Jewell, a senior in health care systems administration and pre-diagnostic medical sonography, as well as the Lambda Kappa Sigma Social Chair.
According to Mellinger, the highlight of Greek Week is the Big Event because it embodies what being Greek is all about.
This year, Ferris Greek organizations completed over 1,200 hours of community service.
“It’s great to see students give back to the community,” Jewell said. “Since I’m the Big Event Director for this year, I can’t wait to see everything come together to make a difference in Big Rapids.”
Greek chapters will compete at the Chili Cook-Off, Lip Sync, Dress Up competition, Greek Games and Penny Wars based on a point system. They will be given additional points for participating in the Greek Week events.
Winning chapters of the Greek Week events will be honored at the 14th annual Torchbearer Award Ceremony on April 30.