Reigning over Greektown
Published April 20, 2007
Chi Omega sorority member Emily Ferner said she has loved participating in Greek life because it is wonderful for getting involved on- and off-campus. She has loved meeting new people by being involved, and she said she would never have met many of them had she not been so active in Greek life.
Ferner, who has played soccer since she was 5 years old, said she is excited about Greek Week mainly for the sports competitions.
"When you go to college, a lot of people give up playing sports," Ferner said. "It's just really fun to play them again."
Kate Gibbs of Delta Gamma sorority said she didn't expect to be picked for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16.
"I was really surprised," she said. "I thought it would be neat if it happened, but I knew other really qualified people who were going out for it, so I was a little surprised to get picked over them."
For Gibbs, Greek Week is a great time. She said she enjoys the service that fraternity and sorority chapters do for the community, but she also likes playing the sports.
Gibbs has also been a Summer Welcome leader and was one of the student coordinators for Greek Week this year.
Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity member Caleb Colbert said being selected for the Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16 is an honor. He said he enjoys the excitement and seeing everyone in the Greek community work together for a common goal during Greek Week.
"Being involved in the Greek community has given me the chance to give back to the community and allowed me to network with other leaders on campus," he said.
As a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, Jacob Griesenauer said he has made lifelong friends with the other members of his chapter, and when they nominated him for Greek Week Royalty, he said he was flattered.
"I thought it was a really cool honor," he said. "The fact that I made it this far is an honor for myself and my chapter."
Griesenauer said the best part of Greek Week is the sports tournaments because he loves competing in athletic events.
Griesenauer has served as the president of his chapter, vice president of programming in the Interfraternity Council and an advising assistant in the College of Business.
Kappa Alpha Theta sorority's Emily Matthews said she was excited to be selected for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16.
Although Matthews has always been involved in Greek Week skits, one of her friends was also part of Greek Week Royalty and she thinks it will be a lot of fun.
Matthews said Greek Week is a great event for everyone because it's fun during the busy spring.
"It's a good uniting force for everyone during the spring and a good way to bring everybody together," Matthews said.
Matthews is a member of the MU Tour Team and a reporter for KOMU/Channel 8.
When Natalie Metzger, a Kappa Alpha Theta sorority member, heard she had been selected for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16, she said she was shocked. She said there were so many other deserving candidates that "never in 100 years" did she think she would make it to the Sweet 16.
Metzger said she enjoys the service aspect of Greek Week. She has volunteered for the Special Olympics, and this year, she has volunteered at the Humane Society.
"Being a part of my Greek chapter has allowed me to be involved in so many things on campus," Metzger said. "It opened my eyes to so many organizations I wouldn't have known about if I wasn't Greek."
After a long day, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member Emily Shannon was asleep when she missed the 1:30 a.m. call asking if she would be interested in being a member of Greek Week Royalty. She was frantic the next morning.
Shannon was worried she missed her chance to be part of the royalty, but fortunately, she finally contacted the Royalty Committee and ecstatically accepted their offer.
She said Greek Week allows her, and others, to expand horizons and make new friends.
"The most beneficial thing about being involved in Greek life has been being able to be a part of something bigger than you are and banding together with a lot of people who share common interests," Shannon said.
Beta Theta Pi fraternity member Jim Barry said he was thrilled and honored when he was selected for Greek Week Royalty.
Barry, who is also the IFC president, said the competition and service Greek Week provides, along with the excitement it brings to campus, is what makes it a great event.
"Out of all the competition, so much good comes out of it," he said. "All the service we're able to give back to the community is unbelievable."
Jonathan Levin of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity said the Greek community enjoys working together during Greek Week.
"You can't do anything by yourself," Levin said. "Anything meaningful needs to be done with other people, and through my work in the Greek community, I've made lifelong friends."
Levin said Greek Week's games, skits and teamwork makes the event a great experience and a good time.
Ever since his freshman year, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member Brandon Scott said he wanted to be a member of the Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16.
"I got a phone call at 1 a.m., and the guy said, 'Do you want to be Greek Week Royalty?'" Scott said. "I said, 'Absolutely.'"
Scott said Greek Week's camaraderie allows participants to meet great people. The event also provides the thrill of competition and a really fun time.
Gavin Shelton, Phi Kappa Theta fraternity member, said Greek life has given him the opportunity to better understand the community and get involved.
He was excited and proud to be selected for Greek Week Royalty because he said not every chapter has a member selected as royalty.
Shelton said Greek Week has a fun, competitive spirit and helps the community.
"The goal of Greek Week is to bring all the houses together," he said. "It's cool that they all come together and help out the beneficiaries they support."
Lacey Hanson, Phi Mu sorority member, said she thought it was a joke when she first heard she had been selected for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16.
"I was definitely surprised," Hanson said. "But I am honored and happy to represent Phi Mu."
She said Greek Week is a great way to get to better know people. But her favorite part of the event is the spirit each chapter shows. It's an adrenaline rush, she said.
Hanson, a former columnist for The Maneater, served as president of Phi Mu during 2005 and 2006. She has also been a Summer Welcome leader and a senator in the Missouri Students Association.
Brad Hohenstein of Beta Theta Pi fraternity is one of three members from his fraternity to be selected for Greek Week's Royalty Sweet 16. He said he is proud of his chapter.
"It's incredible," he said. "It's a great reflection of the Greek community and a demonstration of all the hard work the guys in our house put forth."
Hohenstein said watching chapters come together to work for one cause and seeing all the beneficiaries get the money they need is the best part of Greek Week.
Beta Theta Pi fraternity member Tom Koenigsfeld said his favorite part of Greek life is being able to build relationships with both chapter members and the community as a whole.
He and two other members of his fraternity were selected for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16, which he said this reflects well on his chapter.
The skits during Greek Week are the best part of Greek Week, Koenigsfeld said.
"Finally getting on stage and performing in front of everyone is a great realization of all the hard work put into the event," he said.
Besides being an officer in Beta Theta Pi for three years, Koenigsfeld also plays music in Columbia venues.
Delta Delta Delta sorority member Heather John said she was excited and honored to be selected for Greek Week Royalty's Sweet 16.
John said Greek Week is a great event because it helps the community.
"It's cool to see how much the Greek Community can do when they all come together for one cause," she said.
John also likes the activities and performances during Greek Week.
"My favorite part of Greek Week is Fling because you get to see all the other house's creativity, and it's always really fun," John said.
John has served as president of her sorority and co-founded a baseball league for disabled children.
Alpha Delta Pi sorority member Hannah Castellano said she never thought she would make it to the Sweet 16 Greek Week Royalty. But when she found out, she was really surprised and honored.
Greek life has allowed Castellano to get to know others outside her sorority and to respect everyone's differences.
"I feel like I have found a family here at MU," she said.
Castellano said she loves watching everyone compete and play sports on Stankowski Field during Greek Week, but the best part of the event is the money it raises for Columbia organizations.