It's all Greek to them

by Caleb Fort

Daily Lobo

UNM's sororities and fraternities raised $10,000 for charity during the past week.

The money went to Camp Enchantment, a camp for children with cancer.

Fundraising was part of annual Greek Week activities.

AndrÇe Johnson, who helped organize the week, said it helps battle stereotypes of the Greek community.

"It is a good thing for all of the Greeks to do. It's good PR because we are doing a lot for the community, and it gives everyone a chance to see that," she said. "I think often Greeks get a bad reputation, but there's also such a strong positive side to what we do."

Participants were awarded points for how much money they raised as well as their participation in other events throughout the week.

The fraternity and sorority with the most points were given trophies at a banquet Saturday.

Pi Kappa Alpha won the fraternity cup, and Kappa Kappa Gamma was the sorority winner. Kappa Kappa Gamma raised $7,000 for the camp.

Jonathan Maple, who accepted the check for Camp Enchantment, said he was ecstatic about how much money was raised.

"There's so much pride swelling up inside right now," he said. "They really did a lot, and I hope they get an idea of how much they did. It will change lives."

Maple's younger brother died of cancer after attending the camp, he said.

Groups could do whatever they wanted to raise money. The most common tactic was soliciting donations from local businesses, said Matt Henderson, who helped organize the week.

Other activities included Greek Sing, a talent show, and the Greek Games, a series of athletic competitions. The games included a Hula Hoop contest, a water balloon toss and a three-legged race.

It wasn't all fun and games, though.

One fraternity member was injured during tug-of-war, and was taken from Johnson Field, where the games were taking place, by an ambulance. Johnson would not disclose his name or the nature of his injury, but said, "He's doing fine."

Henderson said the injury did not diminish the overall quality of the week.

"I think everyone came away from the week with a positive attitude," he said. "I think even despite mishaps here and there, everyone's come away with a really good time and a really good attitude."

In addition to raising money for the camp, the Greeks staged a toy drive for Casa Esperanza, which provides housing for cancer patients and their families in Albuquerque. They also helped touch up Casa's facilities.

That was one of student John Binnert's favorite parts of the week, he said.

"It's great because I went there, and they had me painting walls all day with sorority girls," he said. "Seriously, how much better can you get than that? And you're doing something good for the community."

Greek Week is a great idea, but one week a year of community service is not enough, Binnert said.

"It's the only time of the year where the Greek community really gets together and thrives," he said. "I think there's a lot more things we could do - do more on campus, and get more involved with the community. Greek Week is just a great example of how that can happen."