Greek Week is a yearly event that the Greek organizations hold in late April or early May, right before finals. This event started in 2007 when the Greeks were trying to hold an event that showcased the talents of the Greek community, while reflecting the traditions that they hold dear to them. Claudia Mercado, the first Greek adviser, helped the United Greek Council found this event the semester after she took office.
Greek Week is an event that the Greek community at NEIU looks forward to every year. Present in one form or another at many college campuses with a Greek life, this event is a chance for the Greeks to shine amongst their peers. On some campuses this event takes the form of actual sporting events, with each Greek Organization composing their own separate team. On other campuses, Greek Week takes a form similar to the format seen at NEIU, with a variety of events taking place over a week.
The first year set the standard for the events that appeared in the following years. The first day of the Greek Week was an introductory event about what Greek organizations were and what their effect was on the college campus. It was appropriately dubbed “Its all Greek to me!” In 2008, this event was substituted for a discussion about hazing. This event eventually evolved into “Meet the Greeks” in 2009, where the Greeks could show the campus what their organization was about, as well as what made them unique from the other Greek organizations.
Another staple of Greek Week is the community service project. Each year the Greeks get together and contribute to a community service project during a set time. The first year was donating brown bag lunches to a local charity. The next two years were focused on contributing to the Albany Park Community Center. This is a way for all the Greeks to collaborate on one project to better their community.
The final and largest event of Greek Week is the talent show. In the first year it was called “Pan-D’monium” and was focused solely on the Greek’s abilities to strut their stuff on stage. After the first year, it was changed to a talent show to incorporate all the Greek organizations. Many Greeks still stroll for this show. Even though it is a talent show, only Greeks are allowed to participate and compete.
While only Greeks are allowed to participate in the events and compete for the prize, other students and the campus community are welcome to observe the events. Many Greeks see this event as a way to show off their teamwork skills in a competitive setting (as opposed to teamwork as an organization). If a person is interested in finding out more about the individuals in a given Greek organization, attending these events as a spectator is a good way to start.