Greek Week is underway at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, bringing together fraternities and sororities for a series of events that are open to the public.
“There are competitions but the way we have it this year, they’ll be collaborating with each other,” said Rolando Gonzalez, student program adviser for Fraternity and Sorority Life. “Instead of just competition and creating any type of animosity towards each other or any type of negative collaborations, we are actually encouraging that by teaming them up.”
There are six sororities, seven fraternities and two co-ed fraternities.
The festivities started Sunday with the the Greek Week Kickoff.
Gonzalez said this was a welcome back for students.
“We know that they are returning from Spring Break week, so rather than having them come back at a slow pace and everyone getting back into an academic schedule we want to have that,” he said.
Today there will be a flag football game at 6 p.m. in the UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
On Tuesday, Student Involvement will collaborate with the Campus Programming Board for a Field Day from noon to 1:30 p.m. on North Quad in Edinburg. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, organizations can show their pride during the baseball game between the UTRGV Vaqueros and the Texas State University Bobcats in the UTRGV Baseball Stadium for $2 Tuesday/Greek Night. Admission is free for students.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a Beach Volleyball Tournament at the UREC on the Edinburg campus.
Greek Week will wrap up with a talent show at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Student Union Theater in Edinburg.
“No matter which chapter you belong to, whether it’s a fraternity or sorority, you come together as one and it’s basically the best time in your undergraduate year,” said Clarissa Laura Rodriguez, an English senior and president of the Delta Zeta sorority.
The organization that wins the trophy won’t be revealed until the end of the semester during the Greek Gala.
“We don’t want for it to be about the trophy,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not just about the competition during that week, it’s more about the spirit and having that good clean fun and be social with each other.”
Troy Olson, a chemistry junior and president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, said Greek Week “allows us to show them all these philanthropies that we are doing work for, activities that we get to do.”
Tau Kappa Epsilon has raised money this academic year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
For more information about Greek Week, call the Office of Student Involvement at 665-2660.
