Greek Week ends with annual 'Meet the Greeks' gathering

Approximately 126 women signed up for the Panhellenic Council's winter rush as members of the University's fraternities and sororities lined both sides of Locust Walk Friday afternoon at the annual "Meet the Greeks" gathering. The event, along with Thursday's movie screening and Friday night's all-Greek mixer in Moravian Court, capped off Greek Week, a week-long series of events designed to celebrate Greek life on campus. "There were lots of freshmen out finding out about the Greek system and there was a lot of interaction between the houses, which was fun to see," said Panhel President Becca Iverson, a College senior and Chi Omega sister. Most freshmen who checked out the tables said they enjoyed meeting the Greek representatives. College freshman Ben Miles, who will participate in rush this winter, said he enjoyed approaching the members of various fraternities to talk about rush policies. "I felt comfortable going up to the fraternity tables," Miles said. Registration for IFC rush will begin next week. Later that night, the all-Greek mixer took in a smaller showing than usual, according to IFC President Mark Metzl, who attributed the low attendance to Friday night's cold weather. "But there was good attendance at the respective alcohol-serving establishments [Mad 4 Mex and the New Deck Tavern]," the College senior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother said. The cool temperatures did not seem to keep students away from the screening of Dead Poets Society on College Green Thursday night, however. According to Metzl, more than 200 came and went over the course of the two-hour showing. While "Meet the Greeks," the mixer and the movie screening are traditional Greek Week events, this year's celebration saw a few new activities, including a student-faculty tea, which was held early in the week. Provost Robert Barchi, who attended the tea, said such casual interactions between students and faculty "open up another dimension of our community of scholars that is often unappreciated in the bustle of the lecture hall." Other events included a coffee house at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house Wednesday and the Clark Park Festival last Saturday. The coffee house -- which kicked off the Greeks' 2000 for 2000 campaign to complete 2,000 hours of community service by the year 2000 -- attracted more than 300 students. The approximately $400 raised is being donated to Philadelphians Concerned About Housing, a local organization that provides housing and social services to low-income, single-parent families in the area. And members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority went Saturday to the shelter on 61st Street to begin a long-term project to refurbish the facility.

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