Greeks shoot hoops for charitable causes

Members of the Greek system spent Friday night on the basketball court at Gimbel Gymnasium as part of the first "Rec Night," an event added to their annual Greek Week. Representative teams from 20 fraternities and two sororities competed in the night-time basketball tournament which ran from 8 p.m. until midnight. Rec Night was added to Greek Week this year to provide a fun alternative to the usual Friday night fare. To show support, the fraternities and sororities who were involved agreed not to hold any parties that night. The event raised almost $1,500 for Big Brothers Big Sisters, the designated Greek Week charity. The money came from the $50 sign-up fee for the three-person basketball teams, $2 door fee for general admission to the gym and various donations made by fraternities and sororities. Almost all the money raised will go to the charity, because the night had few expenses, organizers said. The gym was provided by the university free of charge and most of the food served was donated by several local vendors. Many fraternities entered a team into the tournament or contributed money for the cause. And while only two sororities played basketball, others attended and donated money. The event was for charity, but the competition was still fierce throughout the tournament. In the end, Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity defeated Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity for the win in the men's tournament. The triumphant team will receive a plaque for the victory, in addition to points gained toward the Greek Week competition. In the sorority tournament, it was Alpha Chi Omega sorority who won by defeating Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. While the team was happy about their win, they wished that more sororities were represented. "The event should be hyped up more among the sororities," said Alpha Chi Omega team member Elyse Epstein, a College junior. "But it was a lot of fun." The organizers of the event were pleased with the results, they said Friday night. "We were not sure of the interest," said Interfraternity Council Greek Week Chairperson Scott Litman, a College senior. "But this has been an incredibly successful event and has made a lot of money for charity." Co-organizer Joanne Pasternack, a College junior who is Panhellenic Council Greek Week Chairperson, is just as enthusiastic. "We're excited to have an opportunity to expose people to Panhel and the IFC before rush," said the Alpha Phi sister. "We're happy to be getting off on the right foot this year." Director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Tricia Phaup, OFSA's Assistant Director for Programming Thom Carroll and Bicultural Inter-Greek Council President Wayne Wilson, a Wharton senior, helped Litman and Pasternack coordinate the evening activity. While basketball was the major event of Rec Night, the entire gym was open to Greeks and non-Greeks who paid the general admission fee. Over 125 people appeared to participate in the night's activities. The pool was open, and a game of water polo was held. Squash courts and other facilities were also available for use.