Greek Week coffee house puts emphasis on service

Members of the Greek community kicked off their 2000 for 2000 campaign -- an initiative to complete 2,000 hours of community service by the year 2000 -- with a coffee house last night at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house on Locust Walk. The event was part of Greek Week, a week-long series of events designed to celebrate Greek life on campus and co-sponsored by the InterFraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, the Bicultural InterGreek Council and the Undergraduate Assembly. The mock coffee house -- which attracted over 300 students, Greeks and non-Greeks alike -- offered coffee donated by Bucks County Coffee and entertainment provided by the Penn performing arts groups Off the Beat, Counterparts, Pennsylvania 6-5000, the Virgin House Jazz Band and Arts House Dance. Tickets to attend the event cost $3 without a mug and $2 for students who brought their own mugs. Proceeds will be given to Philadelphians Concerned About Housing, a local organization that provides housing and social services to low-income single-parent families in the area. According to Panhel President Becca Iverson, a College senior and Chi Omega sister, the primary goal of the event was to draw attention to the 2000 for 2000 Campaign. Other Greek Week activities this week have included the "Welcome to the Neighborhood" festival in Clark Park and a faculty tea Monday at the Veranda. According to IFC President Mark Metzl, all of the activities target academic, community service and social initiatives. "All students say they would like to hang out with their professors outside the classroom and the professors say the same thing," said Metzl, a College senior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother. "This was one of the few efforts made for student-faculty interaction outside the classroom." Deputy Provost and English Professor Peter Conn, who attended the event, said he enjoyed getting the opportunity to have "some good discussion" with several of the students in attendance. Director of College Houses and Academic Services David Brownlee said student-faculty teas seemed to be more common when he began teaching at Penn in 1980. "[The tea] is a natural idea," Brownlee said. "The nice thing about it is that it's a very simple, very effective way of breaking the University down into small, knowable pieces." The Greeks extended the festivities to the West Philadelphia community on Saturday at the Clark Park festival at 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. Greek Week will continue through Friday, culminating that evening with an all-Greek mixer in the Moravian Court. That afternoon, students will be able to "Meet the Greeks" on Locust Walk, an event designed to target those interesting in spring rush. The event was postponed from Tuesday due to inclement weather. And tonight there will be a screening of Dead Poets Society on College Green. The UA announced Sunday that it will contribute $2,715 toward the event.

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