Greek Week, once a long-forgotten tradition, is back at UCLA this week for its second straight year.
The week, which consists of five days of events, will feature community service, a talent show, competitive games and a faculty appreciation day.
Fraternities and sororities from different councils are grouped into ten different teams and are awarded points based on their performance in the events.
At the end of the week, the points are totaled to determine the winning team.
Megan Ward, vice president of public relations for the UCLA Panhellenic Council, said though the winning fraternities and sororities will mainly compete for honor, there will be awards, as well.
“Last year … each house on the winning team won a trophy and bragging rights,” she said.
The week kicks off today with a rally in Bruin Plaza.
Tuesday evening are the Greek Games, a collection of competitive events that Interfraternity Council Chair Brian Chung said should not be missed.
These games will include tug-of-war and pyramid building.
“The Greek Games on Tuesday night … in Drake Stadium are the biggest showing of the Greeks coming together,” he said.
Wednesday will focus on philanthropy, as the competing teams will work together to create backpacks for underprivileged children, said Sara Claster, chair of the Panhellenic Council.
Each team will be given certain school supplies, such as rulers and pencils, and will collaborate to assemble the backpacks, Ward said.
“We hope to create 2,008 total backpacks,” she said.
The week continues with faculty appreciation day on Thursday, followed by a talent show the following Monday. During the talent show, the winning teams will be recognized.
Though there are numerous activities included in this year’s Greek Week, organizers say they hope the event will continue to expand in the future.
The committee hopes to get more people involved while adding even more philanthropic aspects, Claster said.
“We hope to make it like Dance Marathon, where they contribute to a number of good organizations like the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation,” she said.
Chung said he hopes an expansion of the week would make a profound impact on the UCLA community.
“We’re just trying to show UCLA what the Greek community can do when it comes together as a whole,” he said.
The organizers of Greek Week 2008 said they also hope that the event broadens awareness about the Greek community on campus.
Claster said the organizers want students to realize that the Greek life is about more than socializing.
“A lot of times people look at the Greek life as just the houses, but it’s actually a really large community on UCLA’s campus,” she said.