Greek community unites for Dunn Meadow cookout

Music blared, burgers cooked and people danced. Dunn Meadow was a scene of diversity and unity Friday afternoon as people gathered together for the first Greek Unity cookout.

Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Zeta and Phi Kappa Tau sponsored the event to bring the campus together and raise awareness for their philanthropies, each of which benefits Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall foundation.

There are four greek councils at IU: the Interfraternity Council, Multi-cultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Panhellenic Association. Organizers of Friday’s cookout said they were most excited about it because it brought all four organizations together.

“It’s really neat seeing everyone just talking and eating,” Phi Kappa Tau philanthropic chairman and sophomore John Hageman said. “You don’t see a lot of events like this where all parts of the greek community come together.”

Delta Zeta New Member Educator sophomore Tara Fuller said a lot of greek events are focused on pairings, which unites chapters but limits community-wide socializing.
“This isn’t just a standard greek event,” Fuller said.

But the organizations said they were impressed with the turnout from the entire IU community.

Food was free, and by 4 p.m. food ran out. Junior Jasmine Starks, the president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, said they had hoped to have 600 people in attendance and estimates they did.

Among those who attended were Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith, diversity advisors and IU professors.

Freshman Jasmine Graham came to the cookout with several friends to support the greek community and Hole in the Wall and stayed until the end.

“Usually when I come to events like this it’s either the black sororities or the white sororities,” Graham said. “This is the first one I’ve been to when it’s all of them, and I like all the energy.”

Delta Zeta and Alpha Kappa Alpha focused on planning the event and raising publicity for it while Phi Kappa Tau helped more with preparing food and setting up tables.
Next year they said they hope to make it bigger and incorporate more of the greek community.

“We’re just uniting the campus one cookout at a time,” Starks said.