Greek Week will honor “50 Years of Greek” through nine days of activities, including athletic and philanthropy events facilitated by university fraternity and sorority chapters. 

Bowling Green senior Abby Potter, Greek Week chair and Kappa Delta sorority member, said the experience allows the chapters to bond through friendly rivalries in games and service events. 

“I’m most looking forward to the unity and competition,” she said. “It’s a great time to celebrate and come together as a whole.”

Potter said the various events throughout the week will showcase the theme “50 Years of Greek.”

She said most Greek chapters came to the university in 1965, and the various sororities and fraternities will celebrate their “histories and successes” through their banners displayed in DSU, their performances at Spring Sing on Sunday, April 19 and their donations to “CANstruct for a Cause” on Saturday, April 25. 

Alex Kennedy, Greek activities coordinator, said the events have a long history.

“A lot of events have been going on since the 60s,” she said. “We incorporated them into one week to celebrate Greek unity.”

Greek Week will kick off Saturday, April 18 with a tailgate on South Lawn at 10 a.m. followed by a football scrimmage game.

Spring Sing features song and dance performances by each chapter, and it will take place at Diddle Arena at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Preston Center will house a blood drive on from Monday, April 20 to Wednesday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Potter said last year’s drive collected over 12,000 pints of blood.

The sororities and fraternities will participate in several “minute to win it” games on Thursday.

Nashville junior Jonny Garcia, overall Greek Week chair and Sigma Phi Epsilon member, said games this year will include potato sack races, penny wars and a watermelon eating contest. 

On Friday, tug-o-war (commonly referred to as “tug”) will take place at the Agriculture Farm and “Greek Feud” will go on at Downing Student Union Auditorium. 

Garcia said his fraternity’s tug team has been conditioning for the event for over two months. 

For the 25th anniversary of Philanthropy Day, chapters— in partnership with the Alive Center— will engage in “CANstruct for a Cause,”an event in which students collect cans based on 250 needs listed by local food banks and build a unique structure out of them. These events take place on Saturday.

Convocation on Sunday at Knicely Conference Center will announce the winner of Greek Week, and will recognize chapters and members who are outstanding in areas such as philanthropy, leadership and academics. 

Garcia said money generated from  chapter fees fund Greek Week events, and the remaining sum after the week is over will be donated to charities. 

Garcia said he encourages non-Greek students to come to Greek Week events as well, because it may change negative stereotypes they have about fraternities and sororities through seeing the “philanthropical aspects [of Greek life] not in the media.” 

“I think it’s important we have all members of our university come to events,” he said.

Potter said Greek Week allows all the chapters to unite to give back to the community. 

“Greek Week is important because it allows us to take time out of the Spring semester, which is often hectic, to come together to support the common good,” she said.