On Wednesday, September 13, students attended Meet the Greeks in the Harwood Arena. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., students were given the opportunity to meet the many different fraternities and sororities here at Kean University. The event was free to any student enrolled at Kean while guests were charged a $5 admission fee. All proceeds go to benefit Kean Dance Marathon (KDM) and the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ. 

Some students attend Meet the Greeks with their mind set on joining a Greek organization. Gabriella Leone, freshman psychology major, was one of the students who was determined to join a sorority. “[I came to Meet the Greeks because I wanted to] join a sorority, make connections, and have fun.” 

Other students, however, teeter between whether they want to go Greek or not. Confusion about what going Greek truly entails can be a deterrent to some students. Meet the Greeks sought to clarify that for all the inquisitive students that attended. 

To the many Greek organizations, this is a considerably important night as there are given the opportunity to reach out to many students curious about Greek life. As a result, the fraternities and sororities on campus made sure to put their best foot forward at Meet the Greeks. 

Each of the Greek organizations was given a table from which they could promote their organization. They went above and beyond with the decorations, doing everything possible to stand out the most. 

Most organizations hung up posters and pictures while others brought in their giant Greek letters. Some fraternities brought in props like swords, shields and even a statue, doing the most to attract any potential Greek members. In addition to the props, Omega Sigma Psi had a photo opportunity for any interested students.

The decorations and props were used to attract the students that attended the event to their organization. However, this was merely just scratching the surface of their organization. Students were interested in deeper matters such as community service, connections and relationships. 

"I'm looking for a sisterhood and what they do for the community," Aleix Robinson, freshman early childhood education, said regarding what she was looking for in a sorority. 

Madison Pujols, junior English education major, said, "I'm looking for a Greek organization that is [not only] fun [but] also goes out and does community service."  

At 5 p.m., students began to flood Harwood Arena. By 6:40 p.m., the stands were filled with students and observers, and the arena was buzzing with activity. It was at this time that members of the Greek Senate welcomed everybody and set the stage for the Greek organizations to reach out to the audience.

For the remainder of the evening, fraternities and sororities of all sizes took the stage to give the audience a glimpse at who they were and what they were about. Some organizations gave short speeches about some of the key differences that help them stand out such as diversity  and accomplishments.

Other fraternities and sororities performed on stage. Some Greek organizations did elaborate dance routines to a bevy of great songs while others did rhythmic step routines. These routines coupled with the music entertained the crowd and kept the atmosphere fun and lively.

The highlight of the night was during the intermission. To break up the many Greek organization's performances, members of the Greek Senate called on six volunteers from the crowd. These volunteers were to dance to the music provided by the DJ, and were eliminated in stages based on who the crowd thought danced the best. 

When the crowd was not singing along with the music at the top of their lungs, they were laughing uncontrollably at the six dancing volunteers. The contest ultimately resulted in a draw, but it was definitely entertaining for everyone at the event.

All in all, Meet the Greeks was a fun event for students who attended, whether one was interested in going Greek or simply came out to have some fun. For those who were interested in joining Greek organizations, this event served as a major benefit. In fact, Greek life as a whole is a huge benefit to the students involved. 

"I have benefited by gaining leadership skills and being involved in community service," said Yuseef Morton, a junior sociology major of Sigma Theta Chi. 

"You build lifelong friendships and career connections. Lots of sisters work in the same field as us which helps us build networks and get jobs," mentioned Corrinne Hoffman, senior history major and Sigma Beta Chi.

Tyler Pryce, senior biology major and Tau Kappa Epsilon, said, "One of the benefits of joining a fraternity is meeting new people from different backgrounds. I wanted to make sure that there was diversity in the Greek organization I chose. Other students who are looking for the same thing will find that we have blacks, white, Hispanics -- we have everybody and that's important."

Based on these responses, it is clear to see that Greek life plays an instrumental role in the lives of students. Meet the Greeks played an even more important role in giving students a glimpse of the Greek organizations on campus. Most importantly, the event was a successful and will have all eyes looking forward to the next Meet the Greeks in the spring semester.