Annual awards reception honors Greek achievement

It was a toned-down version of the Oscars. In a room filled with red and blue balloons, food and soft drinks, the Greek system held its annual Greek Awards Reception last night. Almost 175 fraternity brothers, sorority sisters and alumni showed up to recognize their chapters' accomplishments at the Penn Tower Hotel. The three-hour event was sponsored by the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, the Greek Alumni Council and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Order of Omega President Lisa Nass was the Mistress of Ceremonies. The big Interfraternity Council winner was the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, which won the coveted Crawford C. Madeira Cup for Fraternity Excellence, as well as four other awards and two runner-ups. In the Bicultural Inter-Greek Council, Sigma Lambda Upsilon Senoritas Latinas Unidas won the first ever BIG-C Award for Excellence, in addition to three other awards and one runner-up. And in the Panhellenic Council, Alpha Phi won the prestigious Helen S. Berkowitz Award for Sorority Excellence, as well as six other awards. In addition, Kappa Alpha Psi won the Most Improved Fraternity award, while Kappa Alpha Theta won the Most Improved Sorority award. The awards were presented by former BIG-C President Mia Piggee, former IFC President Jeffrey Blount, and former Panhel President Debbie Frank. Over 65 awards were presented in 23 different categories, ranging from alumni and alumnae relations and charitable activities to risk management and non-alcoholic social events. The evening began with brief performances from Off The Beat and The Inspiration, and speeches by GAC Chairperson Chris Albani, Kappa Alpha Psi President Allison Rouse and D. Jason DeSousa, associate executive director for the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. Greeted with boos and hisses for his role in proposing the new Alcohol Management Policy, Albani spoke about the need for change in the Greek system. He called for audience members to "become the leaders on this campus once again," and to prepare themselves "for the real world as future leaders." Rouse spoke about the vital roles which predominantly black fraternities and sororities play in the University community, and then introduced the keynote speaker DeSousa. Rouse described DeSousa as "an African-American man who has not only made a place for himself but a place for African American sororities as well as fraternities." DeSousa called for fraternities to be more protective of women and their rights, and to put an end to the increasing trends of rape, attempted rape and sexual coercion on college campuses. "The reality is that women do not owe sex as payment for a wonderful date," he said. "If it is against her will, it is against the law." DeSousa also called for fraternities and sororities to take stands on racial harassment and hazing issues. In other awards, Director of Student Life Programs Terri White won the award for outstanding administrator, Phi Sigma Kappa President Hayden Horowitz won outstanding sophomore as the only sophomore chapter president and Erik Paulino and Elizabeth Cedillo won outstanding senior awards. OFSA Director Tricia Phaup, former Assistant OFSA Director Eric Newman and OFSA Programming Coordinator Bernice Dowdy were also recognized as outstanding advisors for Panhel, the IFC and the BIG-C, respectively.