Greek Life offers many recreational opportunities at the University of Maine, with 13 percent of undergraduates involved in fraternities or sororities. This past week saw a celebration of said groups, with the annual UMaine Greek Week, hosted by the UMaine Interfraternity Council and UMaine Panhellenic Council. The theme this year was “Bummer it’s Not Summer,” and included four main events with teams from Greek organizations competing for points. The top prize was a sizable trophy, a printed Greek Week champions banner and $200 towards Fall Rush shirts.
The first event to kick off the week was the Canoe Bailout on Monday, April 9 at 7 p.m. At the Wallace Pool in the Memorial Gym, teams competed to knock each other out of battling canoes. Ten fraternities and seven sororities began the tournament, with Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon coming out on top to win $30 Orono House of Pizza gift cards.
The following day there was a Bowling Night event at 4:30 p.m. at Old Town Bowling Alley. There was a sizable turnout and the event provided a space for Greek organizations to meet, mingle and bond.
One of the more highly anticipated competitions of the week was the talent show, taking place on April 11 at 7 p.m. in the Collins Center for the Arts.
Greek Week culminated in the final event, a lawn games celebration, on Thursday, April 12 at 2 p.m. on the University Mall. Greek organizations were encouraged to bring food for a potluck (points were awarded for each dish) and take part in an array of lawn games splayed out on the grass. Spike ball, KanJam, Frisbee and slacklining were just a few of the choices. Luckily the weather was very cooperative, with sunny skies and mild temperatures gracing the event. Many people brought their dogs, much to the delight of everyone present. The mall was alive with school spirit and the mood was relaxed and celebratory.
At 3:30 p.m. the winners of the week were announced after totaling all of the cumulative points. Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) won for the fraternities and Alpha Phi won for the sororities.
Two students spearheaded the event: third-year Bioengineering student and ATO brother, Austin Steward, and third-year Human Nutrition and Dietetics student and Chi Omega sister, Cheyanne Cersoli. Steward was pleased with the success of the events.
“There was a lot of active participation from sororities and fraternities all week and I think the events went really well. It’s also a beautiful day, we really lucked out on the weather. Even the potluck went great, and that was completely dependent on participation. I’m really happy with the outcome,” he said. Cersoli agreed, remarking, “There was a really great turnout for the events, especially today. So many people brought dishes, many more than we thought would. And the weather is great.”
Greek Week is an annual celebration and will reoccur next spring semester. For more information about UMaine’s Interfraternity Council or Panhellenic Council you can visit their Facebook pages or stop by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs in Room 141 of the Memorial Union.
