"Miami students, not greek Miami students"

BY SEEMA A. CHOUDHARY
SEPT. 25, 2007

Greek Week kicked off last Thursday with opening ceremonies at Millet Hall. The theme was “Greek Week 2007: Work Hard, Play Harder: Without the Greek, It’s Just a Week.” This week-long competition brings all the fraternities and sororities at Miami together with events ranging from volleyball, a blood drive, and this year a leadership conference.

The events of Greek Week are based upon a point distribution system. Each event is declared either a major or minor event. Major events require more people to participate, attract larger audiences, and hold traditional values such as Puddle Pool and Bandstand. The range of points begins at three and can weigh as much as 50 points. The leadership conference was valued at 20 points, carrying a larger weight in the competition.

The Perlmutter Leadership Conference is sponsored by the Student Activities and Leadership Office. Denny Roberts, associate vice president of student affairs, gave the welcome address. “Miami has numerous leadership learning opportunities, including clubs, organizations, service, conferences, and residential groups. The largest of these is the Annual Perlmutter Leadership Conference,” said Roberts. “One of the greatest benefits of Perlmutter is that participants get to know one another and they learn more about the other leadership programs included as part of "Miami's Leadership Commitment." In the past year those in attendance included, Associated Student Government (ASG), Campus Activities Council, Resident Hall Association (RHA) and Program Board (PB) Members.

Graduate student Liz Householder is the newest 2007 advisor for Greek Week. There currently sits two student chairs so Householder views herself more as a coach. She mentors the chairs making sure ideas are fully thought out. This conference has only been used one other time for Greek Week. Jeremy S. Bragg, assistant director of student activities and leadership, worked with the Greek executive council to move the conference earlier in the fall to make it a part of the week’s events.

This year Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council waived the registration fee for two members from each chapter to attend. Since the conference targets the development of leadership, Greek week coordinators wanted to use this conference again since leadership “…hits close to home, and is what the Greek community values,” said Householder. “It even helps to boost the attendance for the conference.”

Andy Ferguson, a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and an off-campus senator for the Associated Student Government, last year attended the leadership conference for ASG. This year, he came to support his fraternity. “I think it is great that the Greek community is being a part of Perlmutter because they are the largest organization of leaders, even larger than ASG,” he said.

Toward students who aren’t Greek and feel left out due to all the dominant influence on campus, Householder noted, “…that in itself is the worst consequence that happens, and we never want to corner Greek culture.” Householder commented that since the week has ended, the executive committee is re-evaluating its goals, debating whether the week is building community or tearing it apart. “We want to be known as Miami students, not Greek Miami students,” said Householder.

The closing of Greek Week took place Sunday with a dance competition, “Bandstand,” at Oxford’s uptown park. The sorority Delta Delta Delta took first place with Sigma Pi winning the competition for the fraternities.