The frantic “click-clack” of heels echoed throughout the Alpha Delta Pi sorority house on Monday night.
Jamee Hawn, a fourth-year European studies student, rushed to the door to meet both of the faculty members she had invited.
She greeted them with a smile and handshake as she welcomed them into the house.
Meanwhile, House Director Joan Kaas wove in and out of the circles of students and faculty that were forming and quickly surveyed the dining room to make sure everything was prepared.
The sorority hosted its quarterly scholarship dinner on Monday, when members of the sorority invited faculty to have dinner at their house. This quarter there were nine professors and two teaching assistants present, according to Alpha Delta Pi scholarship chair Kelly Quinn, who planned the event.
Usually between five and 10 faculty members attend.
Most sororities and some fraternities have been hosting similar dinners either quarterly or annually for as long as anyone can remember, said Greek adviser Mande Adams.
“It’s to bridge the gap between in-class and out-of-classroom experience,” Adams said.
Around 5:15 p.m., students greeted their professors and TAs in the foyer and took them to the living room, where they mingled with one another before filing into the dining hall for dinner.
Despite the formal setting of the dinner, both the guests and the sorority members maintained an informal chatter throughout the evening, often erupting in laughter and even cheering when each member introduced her guest.
Students said that conversation topics ranged from matters covered in class to subjects that would never be brought up in a formal setting, such as the condition of fraternity houses.
“We were discussing course materials in a way that you couldn’t in the classroom,” said Scandinavian section lecturer Patrick Wen, who came as Hawn’s guest. “It was more of a “˜What do you really think?'”
Wen said he considers these dinners and informal social events beneficial for students who are nervous or unwilling to express their true opinions in class.
Other sororities, including Delta Gamma and Kappa Kappa Gamma, held their quarterly professor dinners on Monday night as well.
The long-standing tradition provides professors and TAs with a multi-faceted view of Greek life as opposed to the one-sided perception of sororities they may have, said Kappa Kappa Gamma President Rachel Duyson, a fourth-year economics student.
Oftentimes at these events, sorority members with high GPAs are recognized before the house and guests to highlight the academic achievements of the house in front of faculty.
Quinn, a fourth-year English student, said students find it beneficial to get to know professors and show them facets of their personalities outside of the classroom. Students looking for letters of recommendation also benefit, she said.
“It’s a good opportunity, in a large university like UCLA, to actually get to talk to your professor,” Quinn said.
Other students do not participate in the dinners for personal gain, but as a gesture of gratitude to teachers who have impacted their educational career.
“I don’t invite (professors) because I need something from them,” Hawn said. “I appreciate the enthusiasm and dedication (Wen) shows in class, and this is our way of saying thank you.”