Music thumping throughout Hamilton Village kicked off the semester for those who attended the 12th annual Zeta Day this weekend.
Zeta Phi Beta, an African-American sorority and BiCultural InterGreek Council member, held its annual event to introduce people to the organization on Saturday afternoon outside of W.E.B. DuBois College House. The sorority began the tradition of Zeta Day in 1990, and the event has been going strong ever since.
Minority students and residents from all over the Philadelphia area enjoyed the various festivities and refreshments at Zeta Day.
"It's a way for freshmen to get to know black groups on campus," BIG-C President and Zeta Phi Beta President Tia Rideout said.
Along with educating students about African-American groups, Zeta Day provided a place to talk and relax. People ate free hot dogs, soda and chips, and watched sorority members dance to the music.
Although the turnout was modest at the beginning of the event, with only about 50 people, more arrived as the event progressed. According to Rideout, roughly 150 students came to Zeta Day to see the exhibition step show later in the afternoon.
Four BIG-C sororities and fraternities -- Sigma Gamma Rho, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta -- participated in the step show.
Zeta Day this year also included a "50-50" raffle, where the winner received half of the $332 pot raised by selling tickets. A portion of the remaining half was then donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Besides Penn students, many African-American students from neighboring universities and colleges came to support Penn's BIG-C, as is typical in BIG-C events. Most BIG-C member organizations draw its members from universities throughout the city rather than relying on Penn's student body alone.
Many of these visitors seemed to be enjoying Zeta Day, and appreciated the importance of the event.
"It's an event to unify all Greeks -- not just Zetas," said Danielle Hill, a sophomore from neighboring Chestnut Hill University.
Temple University graduate student Alli Chambers echoed Hill's sentiments.
"So far, it's a nice gathering," he said.
While Chambers did enjoy the event, he noted that the majority of students present were African American.
"I don't especially expect the whole campus to show up," he said, pointing to the "predominantly white" composition of the Penn student body.
The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity member added that he wished a more diverse group of students would attend the event.
But not just students attended Zeta Day, as various community members stopped by for the Zeta Day festivities.
"It's a very nice event," Philadelphia resident Josephine White said. White, a former Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania employee, offered a table of free cakes and cookies to those at Zeta Day.
Rideout, a College senior, said that the annual event even brought some Greek alumni back together.
It was "also a reunion, because some people in my chapter -- alumnae -- came back," she said.
Rideout added that she was pleased with this year's turnout at Zeta Day.
"People had a good time," she said. "I think it's a really good event for freshmen. It was really successful."
