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(04/20/10 11:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Zeta Tau Alpha’s Big Man on Campus won’t be until mid-October, but philanthropy chairwoman and sophomore Kalina Dalecki is already creating and staffing 16 different committees that will ultimately help sponsor the event. This is the life of a philanthropy chair. Each greek organization has one, while the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association have vice presidents of community involvement. These are the people who ensure all the organizations sponsor and attend philanthropic events both within the greek community and the Bloomington community at large. “It’s necessary,” said junior and IFC vice president of community involvement Joe Hodorowicz. “We have the numbers. So why not? Why not do your part? It’s so easy to live that relaxed life being a college student, but challenge yourself.” While philanthropic chairs focus more on raising money, Hodorowicz tries to educate chapters about causes and inform of them of volunteering opportunities. “Once you offer education about your causes, it’s a lot easier to get involved. That’s key,” Hodorowicz said. “With education comes passion.” Dalecki said it was her involvement in and the success of last year’s event that made her want to take more of a leadership role within the house. “When the time came around, that show came around and we raised that total, it was just the best feeling ever,” Dalecki said. “All the little things and hard work we did — what we’re doing really does help people and make a difference.” Sorority members elected Dalecki to the position in November, shortly after the 2009 BMOC. Her role involves a lot of organization, planning and keeping track of other philanthropies happening throughout the campus.“There is a lot of responsibility always trying to organize 140 girls,” Dalecki said. “And that does get tiring and stressful, especially trying to stay on top of your school work, trying to stay involved and get everything done while working on such a large event.”Though Dalecki can only anticipate, she said she is most excited about the senses of relief and accomplishment that will accompany a successful BMOC.Sigma Chi philanthropy chairman and sophomore Andrew Morrow was elected by his fraternity in September and was largely responsible for planning and orchestrating last week’s philanthropic event Derby Days. “It’s exciting to give back to so many charities,” Morrow said. “As a philanthropy chair, I’m philanthropy-minded, and a lot of people are. They want to help out as much as they can. But there’s so much going on that it gets frustrating because you can’t help out everybody.”Executive officers seem to agree that it takes a lot of balance and planning.“With the greek community, we’re really lucky because we can network, but all students should be philanthropically minded,” Morrow said. “Hopefully you just do more good at the end of the day than you thought you could.”
(04/13/10 1:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Irma Denney said she has enough stories to write a book. Her tales include a 10-foot high teepee she tore down herself, tables on roofs and motorcycles on tables, and arriving to work to find her office door missing.Denney said being a fraternity house director keeps her young. She has been one for 25 years, splitting her time between Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kappa Psi. Though she has never been a live-in director, she has her own office, where she plans menus, orders food, resolves maintenance issues, oversees staff, schedules events and communicates with the fraternity members. And when she goes home at night or for the weekend, she is still on stand-by. Her phone rings constantly.“I’ve been called at 2:30 in the morning with the fire alarms going off,” Denney said. “It’s hard to know when there’s a problem if you’re not there. But being there 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the constant noise and questions would disturb you. I think that’s why I’ve been a house mom for so long. I get to come home.”All the sororities have live-in house moms, so Suzie Kyle, on the other hand, lives in her own apartment on the main floor of the Delta Gamma house. She has been the house director there for 20 years.“It’s like running a small hotel,” Kyle said. “But this is my home.”But the job is as much about being there emotionally as it is about being there to oversee the day-to-day operations. Living in the house allows Kyle to form a unique relationship with the women. Though the sisters come to her with problems including failed tests, ex-boyfriends or fights with friends, she said she also gets to experience and hear all the good things, too.“Seeing the girls as they are when we get them as freshmen or move in as sophomores and how they grow and change over the three years that I’m here is most rewarding,” Kyle said. “And they come back and they’re a little bit older and they might be a little bit wiser, and they all have their own lives. But when they come back they’re all back in college again.”And that’s where Kyle seems content to remain — in college, as a DG. In 1999, the sorority initiated her, and she now has alumni status. Her granddaughter, a freshman at Butler University, recently pledged Delta Gamma.Whereas Kyle is referred to as “Mom Kyle,” Denney said she sees her role as more of guide, helping the men make the right decisions.“I think a lot of the time, they’ll give you the answer they think you want to hear,” Denney said. “They’re all really close. You don’t tell on your brothers. But all my boys are good, positive people.”Denney said Phi Psi is good to her. And for that she is as loyal to the men as they are to each other. “It’s a busy life,” Denney said. “But I wouldn’t have it — or want it — any other way.”Such house directors seem to be a rare find. After Zeta Tau Alpha’s house director resigned last semester, the sorority has formed a committee to conduct interviews and meet candidates for the open position.“Without a house director, we wouldn’t have everything maintained,” said Lauren Ratcliff, president and sophomore. “It would be hard for a college student to balance all that a house director does, and it would be hard to ask an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old member to take on that responsibility.”Ratcliff said hiring is a tough process because the women want to find the perfect person for the job: someone with a good balance of business sense and emotional support and who will stay for several years — someone like Denney or Kyle.“On a daily basis Irma is talking with our housing corporation, managing our kitchen staff, working with alumni and handling the budget. There’s stuff she does that I don’t even know about,” Phi Psi President Christopher Held said. “All-in-all, it’s the little things she does. Simply put, she does everything.”
(04/12/10 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>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.
(04/12/10 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life organizers describe the relay as symbolic of one’s bout with cancer. The first lap is full of anxious excitement: an uncertainty about the future, what will be endured and how it all will end. Survivors led the first lap at IU’s Relay on Saturday. Wearing purple shirts that set them apart from the rest of the participants, each took the stage to celebrate how long they had been cancer-free. Thirty-three teams comprised of between five and 70 people registered. All teams are required to have someone relaying at all times. By nightfall, organizers said it seemed everyone knew what they were doing — as a cancer patient comes to understand radiation sessions, or the recovery process. It’s a routine. Even for the rookie participants. Freshman Julianna McHale was at the relay with her sorority, Phi Mu. As other participants tried to sleep or took a break or took care of other commitments across campus, McHart said she was adamant not only in staying, but in staying awake for the whole thing.“I’ve been inspired,” McHart said. “I owe it — out of respect, I think — to the survivors and the people battling cancer.” A third of the way through the event, McHart said she had already walked 15 laps. The relay is typically at the Hayes track, but because it is being resurfaced, organizers moved it to the DeVault Alumni Center on 17th Street. They said they liked the location better because it was more accessible and visible. As relaying briefly stopped for the somber luminaria ceremony at sunset, so, too, did people walking and driving along 17th Street. Some cheered, some yelled, others just slowed down. Senior and Event Development Chairwoman Cortney Frahm became involved in Relay after participating with her sorority during her freshman year. She spoke during the luminaria ceremony, sharing the story of a vibrant young girl who finally lost her battle with cancer. “There have been many people in my life who have inspired me to fight cancer, but no one has inspired me as much as her,” Frahm said. “She knew what was happening, and she wanted to fight cancer because that is the monster kids should be scared of.” Following Frahm’s opening speech, each participant was presented with a glow stick and asked to crack it when their reason for relaying flashed across the screen: for a child, a friend, a family member. Participants then took a silent lap around the track, observing all the luminarias set up in honor of cancer patients. Some snapped pictures, others held hands or hugged. Many cried. And with that began the final stretch of the 15-hour relay. Team Development Chairman Neil Black is a fifth-year senior. He withdrew from school two years ago to focus all his attention on winning his own battle against cancer. He said he participated in relays in high school but appreciates them more for the personal meaning they carry for him. “Before I had cancer, I just thought it was a good cause,” Black said. “It’s very significant to me now. I had to get chemo and radiation, the whole nine yards. The event is just to get away from and manage the stress and worry associated with a cancer diagnosis.” Organizers told participants they would feel exhausted and drained by the time the race was over. But like a patient who has just battled cancer, there would be a sense of relief: of their having overcome something, of staying until the end, and of winning. “A lot of people say you can relate Relay to cancer,” Frahm said. “You definitely don’t go through any of the hardships, but you feel those emotions. In the beginning you’re so excited, and by the end you’re dead tired, but you know did something good.”
(04/09/10 3:06am)
This weekend, five events will raise money for greek philanthropies.
(04/09/10 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Few, if any, of the greek organizations scattered throughout IU’s campus recycled two years ago. That bothered senior Clare Crosh. A member of Phi Mu, the then-sophomore banded together with another greek woman and founded Greeks Go Green.In the second semester of that year, the Office of Student Organizations and Leadership Development recognized Greeks Go Green as an official club. And while Crosh said progress has been slow, the community has been supportive and is becoming more environmentally conscious.Green Day, which is the official kick-off event for Sustain IU Week, is in part sponsored by Greeks Go Green. This is the event’s second year and Crosh said it is her “baby.”“What it comes down to is that people don’t understand or know what goes on in the environment,” Crosh said. “And if they did, once they’re made aware of it, they can really start changing.”Residence Halls Association director of environmentalism and junior Aarthi Devanathan planned the event with Crosh. It stemmed from separate ideas both organizations had last year.Devenathan said RHA and Greeks Go Green working together helps unite the entire campus. The event is also open to everyone.“I’m really excited to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same over the last year.”The women said they are expecting a larger crowd than last year because they have more funding for the event and have spent more time marketing.Crosh said she hopes their efforts will be felt on a more individual level. Greeks Go Green has gained members and support this year. The graduating senior said she feels good about the state in which she’ll be leaving the club and the event she helped found.Junior Skyler Roeshot is now the president of Greeks Go Green.“I really just want things to get done,” Roeshot said. “We’ll get things done. We have to take things as a step-by-step process.”Crosh said she knows she cannot force people to recycle or conserve resources or take care of the environment. But she said she hopes Green Day will get people motivated.“Greeks Go Green, Green Day, it all brings environmental awareness,” Crosh said. “And that puts the power of change into their hands. And Green Day will really show people that this is a crisis and that there’s not enough being done.”
(04/07/10 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pi Kappa Alpha philanthropy co-chairmen, freshmen Bob DeMint and Zach Williams, were pledges a semester ago. The two men now have less than a week to coordinate final details of the fraternity’s annual Cycle-a-Thon, to begin 4:30 p.m. today at the corner of Fee Lane and 10th Street.But as new as the men are to their philanthropic chair responsibilities, the fraternity is new to this event, too. “This is only the second year of our Cycle-a-Thon, so it is a relatively new project not only for Zach and Bob but the chapter as a whole,” said Pi Kappa Alpha president and sophomore AJ Maingot. “Both have been willing to ask questions and take advice from the older brothers about not only the Cycle-a-Thon but their position overall.” The Cycle-a-Thon lasts 24 hours, with participants riding stationary bicycles in half-hour increments. Though each member of the fraternity is expected to cycle at least once, Pi Kappa Alpha has extended the invitation to include anyone in the greek or IU communities. DeMint and Williams are ironing the final details, recruiting people to ride, getting help from sponsors and deciding how many bicycles to have on site. They are expecting 90 to 120 people will cycle for their cause at some point in the day. Last year the fraternity raised $1,500 for the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington. Williams and DeMint said they hope to at least match that amount.“Whatever happens, it’s just definitely good to have something going on,” DeMint said. “When asked to be the philanthropy chair, I knew about the Cycle-a-Thon and that it was our big event. But I like just being able to get out there and get the community motivated and focus on the positive aspect of being in a fraternity.” Both men said the hardest part is finding people to cycle during the early hours of the morning. Regardless, they said they have been excited by the response, humbled by the support of their brothers and motivated by the cause driving it all. “The simple fact that groups like Pi Kappa Alpha who continue to come back and support our programming for the Boys & Girls Club are immensely valuable to us,” said Jeff Baldwin, executive director of The Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington. “They understand their gift will change the community.”
(04/02/10 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a typical Wednesday night for Alpha Tau Omega senior Joe Murphy. He threw a small party at his apartment on Seventh and Lincoln. Many of his brothers were there and more would arrive shortly. The mood was relaxed as the men shared jokes, told stories about the week and made plans for the weekend.But everyone at the party had been recently deactivated from the fraternity that brought them together. ATO has been under close scrutiny by campus officials and its national headquarters for alcohol violations. Rumors of the chapter being kicked off campus swirled until a membership review panel was sent in to evaluate how the fraternity functioned and which members were in violation of rules and expectations. The fraternity and its house on Third Street were saved, but many of the brothers were not.“This last set of events, the way this last year has gone down, is really more of a disappointment than anything,” Murphy said. “But the way that a lot of the guys are sticking together is just an example of our brotherhood.” Sophomore Matt Kasik was ATO’s social chair until the review, and was one of the first members deactivated. He said the nature of his responsibilities brought him unnecessary attention. Because social chairs plan the parties, they are the ones blamed for the trouble that often arises. “It got to a point where we ran out of rope,” Kasik said. “A big aspect of the membership review was trying to get us to point fingers at other guys in the house. There was definitely a sense of their trying to get us to throw each other under the bus, and that’s not what a brotherhood is.” The review came late in the year, so it made finding alternative living accommodations difficult, Kasik said. But many of the men will room together and live in apartments and houses close to each other. “Ideally, no one would have gotten kicked out and we all would have just moved forward,” Kasik said. “But as it is, no one will live in the house. And those who were kept in are not outcasts. There’s no animosity.” For now, Kasik describes the restructuring process as “impossible.” “Everyone joined the house knowing there was a rep of getting in trouble,” Kasik said. “We always just kinda got away with it, and we can’t do that anymore. It’s hard, and I’ll miss waking up in the morning and having my friends all right there.” Junior Clay Gordon was another casualty of the membership review and deactivated as well. He appealed that decision and was reinstated as an ATO alumnus, which means he is still considered a legitimate member but does not pay national dues and cannot go to ATO functions. “I got kicked out, but I got back in,” Gordon said. “I just wanted to prove that I could get back in. It’s been pretty embarrassing, so it’s definitely good to still have that membership.” All the seniors live out, but the rest of the members will live in their house through the end of the year. Remaining brothers do not have the numbers to keep the house full, so they said it probably will be leased to another organization. Regardless of where they end up, they said they will remain close. “We’re brothers first,” Murphy said. “Taus for life.”
(03/26/10 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Phi Mu’s involvement in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life each year is personal, Phi Mu team captains, senior Anna Berg and sophomore Kadie Mancuso, explained to the sorority’s newest pledge class. An alumna died of ovarian cancer, Berg is a cancer survivor herself — and deaf in one ear because of it — and at the informational meeting the sisters shared the reasons they “relay” by remembering those affected by the disease.“A lot of people in our chapter have been affected by cancer, and a lot of people in our chapter are involved,” Mancuso said. “It is a time to celebrate, remember and fight back.”Though the whole house supports Relay for Life, it is an initiation activity and bonding experience for the newest class of sisters. To help Phi Mu remain one of the top-raising greek organizations on campus, Mancuso and Berg asked each girl to register by initiation and raise $200 each before the race on April 10.The sorority has raised $4,000 for the cause online, and it also received cash and check donations. “I look forward to this bonding experience and getting to know the new girls,” Berg said. “Being a cancer survivor, it’s really nice because it’s the one time of the year I can recognize the fight I had to go through and celebrate being cancer-free.”This will be Berg’s fourth year participating. She said the hardest part is not staying up late, walking around the track in the middle of the night or sleeping in tents in the middle of the field. Rather, she said she struggles with the luminaria ceremony, during which candles are lit to recognize those affected by cancer. Berg is not the only one who gets emotional.Freshman Leah Westrick was in fourth grade when her grandmother passed away of ovarian cancer. She started her own Relay for Life team then and is excited about participating on Phi Mu’s team.“I just remember the ceremony and seeing pictures of my grandmother battling ovarian cancer and all these people crying. They were so proud of their relatives,” Westrick said. “It’s overwhelming and so moving to see so many people get together for one purpose.” Westrick is now the philanthropy chair for her pledge class, answering questions about Relay and helping the sisters raise money. Even the older sisters who do not walk or raise the $200 lend their support; many serve on committees that organize the campus-wide event.With two weeks left, the sorority said its members are excited.“I just want to make this an enjoyable experience,” Westrick said. “That way the girls will do all this again.”
(03/22/10 2:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Alex Ruff pledged Pi Kappa Alpha spring semester of his freshman year. He took his turn as a pledge by cleaning up, sober driving, attending events and learning all the fraternity’s rituals and traditions.But he never moved into the house — because they don’t have one.About 17 percent of IU’s campus is greek. All 19 social sororities have houses, but several fraternities are considered off-campus. The Interfraternity Council recognizes and represents these chapters. They sponsor pair parties, have Little 500 teams, perform in IU Sing and attend events. But they do not have a single unifying house in which they all live.“We’re a lot more easygoing,” Ruff said. “We allow our members’ lives to revolve around other things — athletics or academics. In another fraternity, the social aspect is kind of glaring, in your face. You go home to it.”Pi Kappa Alpha had a house on Third Street but lost it and its charter in 2003 for disciplinary violations. The University has since bulldozed the house while the men reorganized the chapter and have been off-campus ever since. IFC vice president of communications and junior Doug Donoghue said most off-campus fraternities aspire to have houses, but there are not any vacant houses and the University will not zone more land for greek housing. But other schools offer only off-campus arrangements. There are 10 sororities at Ball State University and none have houses. Their pledge classes are smaller (no more than 20 girls per class) and members meet in suites in the student center. Jessica Dietrich is a senior at BSU and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.“It has pros and cons,” Dietrich said. “When you live with each other all the time, you start to get on each other’s nerves. So it’s nice because we can be together when we need to be, but we can also have our space.” And because all the sororities are off-campus, Dietrich said there is a sense of equality among them, which creates a closer greek community. “When you don’t live with your sisters, you meet other people,” Dietrich said. “And a lot of greeks are friends with other greeks who are not necessarily in their fraternity or sorority.” But recruitment is difficult. At BSU, the Panhellenic Association rents convention centers and hotel rooms throughout Muncie to accommodate the crowds of women. Dietrich said the process changes each year, and it is difficult because no one has one big location for the sisters and potential new members to meet. Ruff said being off-campus is difficult because they are competing for new members against fraternities that have big houses. “A lot of people come to college looking for that house, and that experience, and that’s what they’re looking to get out of a fraternity,” Ruff said.IU’s PHA has not expanded to include more sororities since the late 1990s. Currently, there are seven chapters not on campus. Whether a chapter is housed or unhoused, the process for colonization is the same, requiring votes from IFC or PHA before it can be organized.PHA president and junior Maggie Wittman said she likes that IU houses its greek chapters because of the sense of community living together creates. “I like my living situation,” Wittman said. “It allows me to grow close to my sisters and not just those in my pledge class. But living out of a sorority house forces you to make the extra effort to grow closer and really appreciate the time you have together.” Ruff said Pi Kappa Alpha has a committee of members that helps find living arrangements that keep the brothers living together and close to each other. He said such arrangements are more cost-efficient than living in a single, big house. He also stresses the importance of getting involved. Though houses are important, valuable for pairings and recruitment, Ruff said the emphasis on being involved, going to events and excelling at other events gains attention.“We’re trying to grow,” Ruff said. “We offer unique opportunities, and people interested in greek life should give off-campus fraternities a look, too.”
(03/08/10 1:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Tyler Crow, Hoosier Sweetheart executive director, sat backstage Friday building a piano out of duct tape and black poster board as well as answering final questions with auditorium staff. Such work was necessary to ensure the third annual event, a talent show sponsored by Sigma Phi Epsilon and performed by sorority women to raise money for YouthAIDS, was successful. The brothers met their fundraising goal. This year’s event set a new record and earned $17,407.“It’s steadily grown each year,” Crow said. “I enjoy it because it’s something I started. To look back and to see it progressing and see it get better makes me feel happy that what we have done has actually made an impact.” To recruit talent, the members of the fraternity visit each sorority in the fall. Many houses recommend acts or promote the event to their members. This year 14 women participated. “We’ve gotten a really good reception,” Crow said. “From past experiences, they love it. One of the ways we get contestants now is through that support.”Each contestant is expected to raise a certain amount of money through selling T-shirts and tickets as well as gathering donations from family and friends. A Sig Ep brother is assigned to each girl to act as a coach to help solicit funds, offer support and improve the acts. “As a senior going out, I really wanted to get involved,” coach Tyler Coward said. “We’re just here for moral support, but being able to meet all the girls who are representing their sororities and acknowledge all their hard work is fun.” Contestant and senior Sarah Emery, a member of the Alpha Delta Pi, played her piccolo in the contest.“I figured Hoosier Sweetheart was a great way to get in more philanthropy time and donate my time to a good cause,” Emery said. “And I really wanted to be able to represent my house. This is a really great thing to do.” The Hoosier Sweetheart title is awarded for an overall combination of spirit, talent and money raised. Though it was Emery’s first year competing, she won the contest.Other contestants were recognized separately for spirit, talent, and fundraising. Some sang, others danced and still others played instruments. Meghan Hunter, a freshman in Alpha Omicron Pi, sat in the front row and cheered on her sisters.“I came to support my house and see the show,” Hunter said. “It was a lot of fun, and they were all really talented.”
(03/02/10 4:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An e-mail to each of the members of the Sigma Pi fraternity early last summer announced the chapter lost its house on campus. What followed was a semester of reconstruction.The brothers will move back into their house on the North Jordan extension in fall 2010.Alumni and national representatives visited the chapter, reeducated members on fraternal values, placed an emphasis on academics and redefined how executive members would lead.“The toughest part was back in the fall, before everyone came to visit, keeping people’s spirits up,” Sigma Pi president and junior Will Mason said. “A lot of people thought nothing was going to happen, nothing good was going to come of it or nothing was going to be put back together.” This weekend marked Sigma Pi’s Founders Day, and the men celebrated by travelling to Indianapolis and meeting with leaders in Sigma Pi and higher education leaders.Mason said the celebrating continues as members remain in close contact with the national organization. In addition, 21 new members just pledged Sigma Pi, and the men said they are excited for the Beta chapter’s progress. “The executive office, working in tandem with Beta alumni, went through a trusteeship with the new members,” said Sigma Pi Fraternity, International Executive Director Mark Briscoe. “We’re very proud of the young men in the chapter and of their accomplishments.”Mason explained that the process is “starting over” and identified a “core group” of members, whom he said were determined to get back on campus. “We had all gotten to the point where we were involved in the house. None of us wanted to go elsewhere,” said sophomore Vance Johnston, who now oversees risk management and alumni relations. Both Mason and Johnston said the most challenging part of living off-campus was being separated from each other. Without a central location, they said it was difficult to hold chapter meetings, organize events or get to know each other.“It was hard to find one area where everybody could live,” Mason said. “From what I’ve seen, people sacrificed their time and energy to make sure everything for the house works.”
(02/22/10 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the curtain fell on the last act during Saturday’s portion of IU Sing, “Pop! All that was pop. All that is pop. All that will pop,” the pop stopped for another year, and the IU Student Foundation directors and committee members took the stage. It was a long two days and a grueling six months. Members thanked each other, their directors and the song leaders and performers for their “talent and commitment to keeping IU Sing one of IU’s longest traditions alive,” one steering committee member said.In its 78th year, IU Sing included 20 acts, organized, created and performed by student organizations with more than 3,000 people involved in the entire production. Saturday marked the second and final night. Seven “Division A” acts, containing more than 82 participants, completed the line-up. But the auditorium was packed both nights. There was assigned seating and the audience was lively. IUSF Steering Committee member and senior Vanessa Pinna attributes this to ticket sales, which she said were “inspiring.” Ticket sales increased this year despite tickets costing $20 each night. With this being the first year for the philanthropic donation, however, IUSF members said the price was worth it. “This year’s show is much more modernized,” Pinna said. “They’re not using a band, they’re using recorded music. And there is the philanthropy award, so any single philanthropy on campus could have benefited.” Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Nu took overall first place Saturday for “American Love Story: Gladiator Style.”Grateful and excited for their win, the four song leaders shared laughs and pictures following Saturday’s show.“I’ve always been a huge fan of American Gladiator on ESPN,” Sigma Nu song leader and junior Mitch Garrett said. “So as soon as I thought of pop, ’80s music, the ’80s, gladiators, I knew our skit right away.” Missy Kuklenski was in town for Chi Omega’s Mom’s Weekend with her daughter, freshman Paige Kuklenski, who performed Saturday. “It was excellent; very, very well done,” Missy Kuklenski said. “The timing was perfect and the Straight No Chaser in between was a huge surprise and very, very fun.”The judges were equally enthusiastic. IUSF asked five honorary guests to judge each performance on things such as musicality, entertainment and incorporation of pop. Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith sat amidst the crowd, reviewing acts and scribbling notes that were then collected and figured into the final, overall score. He said he really enjoyed all of the talent displayed.“I’m honored and delighted to be here,” Goldsmith said. “It was great to watch how folks took the theme and thought about the theme and incorporated into the creation of the act.” Kappa Kappa Gamma and Theta Chi won overall first place Friday night. Their act, “Twilight,” put a twist on the best-selling novel by placing characters Edward and Jacob in a dance-off.Other, more specific awards, such as the “People’s Choice Award,” which was decided by the amount of money placed in each act’s sack in the auditorium lobby; or the George E. Schlafer award, given in honor of the “father” of IU Sing; helped recognize a wider variety of acts. Kappa Alpha Theta and Phi Gamma Delta’s “Saved by the Bell: Bayside’s Best” on Friday and Alpha Xi Delta and Phi Kappa Psi’s “Saving Woodstock” on Saturday each took home several of those awards.Almost everyone in the auditorium agreed it was a lot of hard work. But it was worth it. “It was great,” said Gamma Phi Beta song leader and junior Caitlin Meyer. “I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s the biggest tradition here. Especially for the greek system, it just brings all the houses closer together.”
(02/20/10 5:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kappa Kappa Gamma and Theta Chi took first place for their five-minute skit, "Twilight" at IU Sing in the Friday Division B competition.Their act was the fourth of thirteen acts to perform in: "Pop! All that was pop. All that is pop. All that will pop," and was met with much cheering and applause.Division B acts were made up of 81 or less members and the "Twilight" act had about 65 people.The sorority and fraternity pair has been practicing since mid-January. Song leaders were selected in September and began working on the skit in October."Kappa needed someone to be song leader and I said I would," song leader and sophomore Emmet Drews said. "It was long, but very rewarding."Their skit featured a dance-off between "Edward" and "Jacob" in an attempt to win the affection of the new girl in town."I'm really proud of my girls," Drews said. "They've worked very hard."Second and third place awards were given to the Christian Student Fellowship for "Pacman: Fame Over" and Delta Zeta "Mean Girls," respectively.Tonight concludes the 78th production of IU Sing. Seven groups in Division A, which have 82 or more members, will perform beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the IU auditorium.
(02/19/10 6:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tina Fey, Ninja Turtles and ’N Sync graced the IU Auditorium with their presence Wednesday as students took the stage to practice for IU Sing’s 78th production, “POP: All that was Pop, All that is Pop, All that will Pop.”Sororities and fraternities have been paired for months, skits have been written since October and practice has occurred several hours a week since mid-January. But three weeks ago, Delta Zeta sorority lost its partner because the fraternity is on probation.Song leaders, with the help of older members of the house, paired together and rewrote the entire program. Replacing “Harry Potter” with “Mean Girls,” their practice Wednesday night yielded one of the biggest, most optimistic responses of the evening.“We thought ‘well, what’s a good pop thing that has to do with all girls?’” sophomore song leader Kira Johnson said. “And we came up with ‘Mean Girls’ because it’s standard and everybody knows what that is. Since we only have girls, we’re going to try to make it as funny as it can be.” Each skit has four song leaders who select material, write songs and choreograph, but Delta Zeta has two.“The main part was motivating the girls since they didn’t have a pair,” Johnson said. “What was the point, you know? But people do it. Everybody got really close.” The entire house offered help and support. As is typical, the newest pledge class is to perform the skit, so the older sisters offered support behind the scenes, whether assisting in script writing or motivating the performers. “This is not meant to be an event that only freshmen do,” said IU Student Foundation Steering Committee member and senior Vanessa Pinna. “But, unfortunately, by interesting patterns it seems to be something only freshmen do. Greek houses make the younger members do it as a bonding experience. So it’s really neat when we have organizations with full classes of participants.” Freshman Molly Kortz said she felt support throughout practices with Delta Zeta. Having a lead role in the skit, Kortz said it was stressful but everyone pulled together. “It’s been a good fit,” she said. “I thought I’d be more nervous than I was, but I’m excited. All our girls have worked really hard.” And so Delta Zeta will perform the skit Friday night. “Their act is honestly much stronger without the men,” Pinna said.
(02/15/10 2:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 1999 a bonfire collapsed, killing 12 people and injuring countless others at Texas A&M University. The bonfire had been an ongoing tradition for decades, and the administration had never paid any attention to the dangers of it. Seemingly irrelevant, the story revealed risk management specialist Kim Novak’s purpose for visiting IU: The greek community needs to learn how to care for each of its members. “I’m not telling you not to party. I’m telling you to party and to party with care for the people around you,” Novak said. Administrative changes and mounting violations have forced the greek community to take responsibility for and re-evaluate its behaviors and procedures, said Interfraternity Council Vice President of Risk Management junior Justin Shukas. Shukas has a budget for guest speakers, and the Student Activities Office suggested he invite Novak to speak to IU’s campus. Novak has been touring the country giving similar lectures and advice for nearly a decade.“She’s known by a lot of greek communities,” Shukas said. “So I think it was the perfect fit for what we need right now. She has been on our campus for the past 10 years, so she really has an understanding of what’s going on.” Novak was at IU for three days last week giving structured lectures to chapter officers and meeting with greek organizations, including IFC and the Panhellenic Association, to restructure how they hold chapters accountable, patrol parties and keep their members safe.“I really wish more people could have heard her message of care and community,” Shukas said. “She really talked about the changing atmosphere and stressed that our community is so large that change takes more than one person. We have to start being more accountable to ourselves.” Shukas estimated that between 100 and 125 members from the four greek organizations were present at each lecture.Alpha Epsilon Phi’s New Member Educator, sophomore Emily Feinstein, attended Novak’s first presentation and said it forced her to appreciate how big the greek community is and how important its members are. “That whole thing about A&M,” Feinstein said, “No one seemed to know it was wrong at the time. It opened my eyes to kind of be looking around all the time.”Phi Kappa Psi President senior Chris Held attended more of the intense, specific lectures. He is familiar with Novak and has previously attended her conferences. He said this year’s topic was more personalized and pertinent. He said he has already sensed changes.“In the immediate sense we’re going to tighten our risk management procedures and make them more effective,” Held said. “Furthermore, I’m hoping that this serves as a stepping stone in IFC and PHA improving relations with the University.” In an era when college enrollment, scholarship money and diverse educational opportunities are available to the masses, Novak pointed out that the greek community remains steady and is not gaining in popularity. It all comes down to safety. In a greek community of this size, its officers and Novak agree that extra precautions become necessary.Shukas said IU needs to set an example for other greek communities.“I think a lot of people are watching our greek system right now,” Shukas said. “And I think we have to be the start of change. It’s not easy, but it’s something that has to be done. We’re going to be proactive and be more accountable than we have been in the past.”
(02/15/10 2:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the Center for Latin American and Carribean Studies began collecting donations to aid Haiti following last month’s earthquake, sorority Alpha Xi Delta was quick to offer support. Returning from an informational meeting about Cram the Container, a donation drive in which CLACS pledged to fill a cargo hold full of supplies such as personal hygiene items and food, members agreed to designate the sorority as a drop-off site. “We decided to be a drop-off location to be a part of the bigger picture,” sophomore Meredith Stasa, philanthropy chair, said. “A lot of the time you hear about these things, but you don’t know really know how you can help. We wanted to give people an outlet. It’s convenient.” All the sorority’s members knew about the drop-off site, and flyers advertising the philanthropy were posted throughout the house. There was a sign-in sheet posted, where donations accumulated, which kept track of who donated what. “Two hundred thousand people have been affected by this earthquake,” sophomore and President Jennie Grimner said. “That’s five times the size of the school. So imagine that many people gone. By donating anything you’re helping people out tremendously.” Following the informational meeting, Alpha Xi Delta sent an e-mail informing all the chapters of its involvement with the supply drive. Both Grimner and Stasa said they were excited by the response. Girls in the house have been supportive and other chapters have invited them to speak at chapter and gavel meetings or even just stop by to dinners. “Right after it happened, we were just going to go around and put boxes everywhere, but then Alpha Xi Delta e-mailed us about what they were doing,” Sigma Alpha Mu Philanthropy Chair sophomore Aaron Frazen said. “We got everyone in the frat to donate something. It was really uniting.”There were two opportunities to drop supplies off at the container on Wednesday and Saturday. The container had to be filled by Saturday night, so Grimner, Stasa and several other members of Alpha Xi Delta spent Saturday boxing up all the supplies and dropping them off at the stadium. “We decided one of our big goals for the year was to get more involved with service events, so this was a great way for our chapter to start off the year,” Grimner said.
(02/10/10 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sophomore Maddy Bornstein rushed for a sorority more than a year ago. She still vividly remembers the process though. But not in the sense that she can recall conversations she had with other women, or what the foyer of each of the 19 houses looks like. She does remember being cold.She remembers the moment at what was then called 6 party when it seemed “weird” – foreshadowing, she said, that she would not get a bid by the time the whole process was over.And in the end, she remembers trying to scramble to find a living situation. “We definitely have a lot of greek students who come in and take whatever we have left,” Melissa Brown, who works for Pavillion Properties said. She said the company is usually able to rent to the students and does see an increase in leases after rush.According to IU Panhellenic Association Vice-President of Recruitment and junior Nicole Solman,1498 women rushed beginning in December and 874 were offered a bid.Bornstein and her friends started looking for houses and apartments immediately following rush but did not sign a lease until March.“The fraternities rush earlier, so I wish sororities did, too,” Bornstein said. “In January, everyone’s already got a place to live. We could have found a better place to live or lived with our friends.”IU’s recruitment process is unique both in how and when women rush. Solman said rushing in January allows women to transition into college, get involved on campus and do well academically before joining a sorority. IU also operates on a bed total, which means the houses accept as many girls as they have room for regardless of how many girls are actually rushing.“The bed system has not always been an issue with numbers,” Soloman said. “It’s what works best for our chapters. We like to have the opportunity to allow all our women to live in the sorority house and have that experience.”Though PHA offers its potential new members support through rush counselors and house tours and lectures, there will always be people similar to Bornstein who make it all the way to the end with nothing to show for it. And people such as freshman Jackie Head become too overwhelmed to finish the process entirely.Head, similar to Bornstein, rushed because her friends were but did not have her heart set on going greek. Initially she planned to live off-campus and had even signed a lease but rushed anyway, for the experience. “I went into it with the mentality that if it’s supposed to work out it will, but if doesn’t I don’t really care,” Head said “But after 8 party, it just felt kinda weird. I could only see myself in two of houses I got back for 8 party, and I didn’t get any of those back for 3 party, so I decided to just drop.”Both girls agree that what they would have valued most from the greek experience, they can still have on their own. Head volunteered frequently in high school and said she realizes now that she does not have to be greek to continue volunteering, and she hopes to take a leadership role with IU Dance Marathon. “I thought rushing would be an easy way to branch out,” Head said. “There is so much information thrown at you at once when you are a freshman. I’m not involved now, but next year, now, I know what clubs I want to be involved in and where I want to help out.”Bornstein said she was slow to get involved because she thought rushing would give her so many opportunities. Not getting a bid instead forced her to figure out what she wanted out of college and how she wanted to be involved. Now she volunteers at the IU Art Museum, is joining the independent council and is writing a blog. “College is the one time in your life when you are away from home,” Bornstein said. “It’s about finding the individual in you. There are always ways to get involved.”
(02/04/10 1:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On-campus apartments, at their inception in the 1940s, began as housing for IU students with families. Tenants had to show a marriage certificate before they could even sign a lease.However, policies have changed, and today any IU student can apply for residence.“It’s convenient, with everything I get when I live in a dorm,” senior Lacy Thompson said. “It’s just a lot easier to get to my classes when I live here.” Thompson explored off-campus living options but decided to live in the University Apartments West – one of six apartment complexes on campus – and has lived there since her sophomore year. Residential Programs and Services, which manages dorms and on-campus apartments, continuously surveys their residents about how to improve living options. In response to what students want, “New Housing 2010,” the construction project on 10th Street, is currently being leased for the 2010-11 school year.“This style of living will be unique to campus,” Sara Ivey Lucas, RPS assistant director for assignments, said. “Students want a private bathroom. They want a single room, but still some community space.”New Housing rooms are an entirely new option. They are not just apartments because they offer dorm amenities – resident assistants, community educators, lounges and activity spaces. The one-, two- and four-bedroom apartments are single-gender and may be randomly filled by RPS. But, they offer the privacy that dorms do not. They come fully furnished, and each unit has its own kitchen, washer and dryer. There are no communal bathrooms, and students of legal drinking age are permitted to drink alcohol in their apartments. Ivey-Lucus said RPS hopes such accommodations will attract and retain upperclassmen. Of the 820 spaces available, more than 600 students have already signed up. Sophomore Alexa Freeman lives in Willkie now but plans to live in New Housing next fall. She said she likes the appeal of living on campus with a kitchen where she can cook on her own. “It’s an actual apartment and it’s on campus,” Freeman said. “Everything is brand new. I’m really excited. I think everyone is.”This option and these apartments have been a long time in the making. Ivey Lucas said plans began 12 to 15 years ago. “I think that being able to say, ‘Yeah, I was a part of the group that first lived in New Student Housing,’ and being able to build it from the ground up is a great opportunity,” Ivey-Lucas said.
(02/03/10 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A month ago IU women who wanted to go greek were returning from winter break early. But they had Rho Gammas to meet with, dress codes to abide by, houses to tour and specific schedules that told them where they had to be when. It was the only chance they had all year to join sororities. The men take a more casual approach. The Interfraternity Council kicked off spring recruitment in the Indiana Memorial Union on Friday and about 316 men attended.Though each of the 28 chapters could set up a table, several houses were not represented at all. Men who attended were not required to visit every table but could chose houses to visit. “If we could change it up, I would prefer to do it how the girls do it,” said sophomore Jeff Poczatek, recruitment chairman for Pi Kappa Phi. “It’s a little more proper, a formal way and you really get to meet the people before you give them bids.” But IFC’s more flexible approach to recruitment and pledging has its benefits, too. Men have two opportunities to rush – once in the fall, which is more formal and attracts bigger crowds, and again in the spring. Senior Jay Tipton, IFC’s vice president of recruitment, said spring rush allows men to adjust more to college, learn what it means to go greek, become more familiar with the individual chapters and even learn from the experiences their friends had in the fall. Freshman Danny Malter, who was visiting tables at Friday’s kick-off, rushed in the fall and is doing so again because he has met more people and has a better understanding of what he wants in a house and an overall greek experience. “With rushing you can always meet more people,” Malter said. “Everyday I’m continuing to meet new people. I’ve mostly been to parties so far, but it’s been good.” Tipton said this experience is typical in spring rush. It is smaller, more casual and shorter, lasting three weeks as opposed to the fall semester’s four. Men already have specific houses in mind, which they have already been in contact with, and the specific houses are more familiar with the men rushing. “Many men may have tried rushing in the fall and it didn’t work out, or they didn’t find a house they really liked to the extent of a bid,” Tipton said. “And we want guys to join our community. Giving them more opportunities, the more likelihood that we’ll get more, better guys to do it.” Possible members are often invited to several events from watching football games, to eating pizza or just attending fraternity events before they are offered a formal bid. Though spring rush officially kicked off Friday, Tipton said that several bids have probably already been extended and more will be offered at the end of this weekend and early next week. Junior Travis Nier, vice president of recruitment for Delta Upsilon, sat at his chapter’s table Friday, meeting potential new members and answering questions. “Joining the greek community is big, and it’s going to affect you for the rest of your life,” Nier said. “So make sure you understand it now. And just take your time.”