Greek Weekend may be kicking off this afternoon, but four fraternities and sororities have already had a head start in their philanthropic endeavors.
The first annual American Cancer Society Benefit -- organized by Alpha Chi Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma and Sigma Kappa -- is predicted to raise between $5,000 and $7,000 for the American Cancer Society, according to the event's planners.
"We sold around 750 tickets, and we are anticipating selling around 300 at the door" of Transit Nightclub -- located at 600 Spring Garden Street -- event organizer and Beta Theta Pi Philanthropy Chairman Benjamin Klein said.
"One of the great things about this is that we're raising a significant amount of money ... for a great cause," said event co-organizer and Kappa Sigma Social Chairman Evan Jellie, who describes himself as "Ben [Klein's] right-hand man."
The ACS benefit, while raising money for charity, also aims to increase communication between fraternity and sorority houses.
"I think on Penn's campus a lot of fraternities never really get along that well, and [now] we're working together to show what we can do as a group," Jellie said.
Reinvigorating the Greek image seemed to be a clear goal for the night.
"Back in December, I wanted to organize an event that would bring the Greek community together and help reshape its image in the eyes of the University community," Klein said. "Realistically, in the past, fraternities and sororities have received a lot of negative PR, and I'd like to do the whole system justice and show that the Greek system can be a platform for change."
Klein further envisioned the ACS benefit as a means of realizing his desire to "effect change ... and break down barriers between fraternity and fraternity, sorority and sorority."
The event was applauded by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.
"Community service is one of the main tenets of fraternities and sororities," OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said. "It is always very rewarding to see such collaborative efforts as these chapters have exemplified here."
Although most of the night's attendees were Penn students, the benefit event also attracted students from other universities, including Drexel and Villanova.
"It's amazing," said University of Missouri sophomore Leslie Cumpton, who was staying with a friend at Penn for her spring break. "We all got tickets and decided to have a good time and help out the [American] Cancer Society."
The ACS benefit will likely become an annual staple for Penn's Greek community.
"This is going to be the beginning of a tradition," Klein said, adding that "this is the first of many, and next year we hope to include more organizations to make it a campus-wide affair."
