Greek Week and Dance Competition to be Held in Fall 2022
Greek Week at Elon University is a week-long event for all Greek organizations. The week includes an intense dance competition and many different events which help bring Greek organizations together as a whole. This year, due to COVID, the event was pushed to the fall of 2022 instead of the spring. Many students were extremely upset about this as the week is important to many students involved in Greek life on campus.
Editor’s Note: Elon Panhellenic reached out to The Edge Magazine, informing us that the scheduling of the Greek Week event was adjusted in 2020, pre-pandemic, to become a fall event. It was publicly announced that the Spring 2020 Greek Week (that did not happen due to COVID-19) would be the last time this event would occur in the spring, with plans to continue the tradition in the fall in the coming years. Opinions expressed in this article may or may not have been formed with this knowledge in mind.
We spoke to three different students who had strong opinions on the delay of Greek Week. All names will be kept confidential due to the severity of the issue.
This article is meant for students to be heard– therefore quotes from the students will be the majority of this article therefore their opinions, worries and needs are heard. These students feel neglected by the school and feel as if their contributions to Panhellenic do not mean enough to this campus nor the administration. These quotes of real students should be of concern to the administration and Panhellenic community, as many students are fed up and tired of feeling unheard.
Anonymous Source #1 - Elon Senior:
“I absolutely do NOT agree with the delay of Greek Week dances to the fall. First of all, the underclassmen have no idea how to run an event like this due to zero previous experience. The current seniors are the only ones left on campus to explain the traditions, importance and excitement of this tradition. There are many seniors that have been looking forward to choreographing this dance since they were freshmen, and to rob them of this experience when there are multiple alternatives to having this event, is one of the worst of many things this school has done to the Greek community. Greek Week is one of the best ways to welcome new members and show them how united the Greek community is, as well as support our philanthropies, and doing it in the fall will have significantly less benefits.”
“Years ago, Greek week used to be a whole week of events for the Greek community. I have heard alumni speak about the excitement and pride they have felt during this week. I have two older siblings that have graduated from Elon, and the stories they have shared about it are a major reason why I wanted to come to Elon. The school’s attempt to destroy Greek life has been limited this week to only one day of a dance competition. Still, the unity that comes along with just this one day is something that the Greek community values and loves for years.”
“As a graduating senior, the delay of Greek Week to the fall is one of the most disheartening news I have heard in my four years here. Greek week is my favorite event on campus and I have been looking forward to it happening again since participating the first time. My grade has been robbed of traditional abroad experiences, better education and many other events. We pay our dues to the school, we raise money for our philanthropies, and still, the school seems to not want to accept us. The underclassmen have no idea of the importance of this event, and if it does happen like Elon claims it will, they will have no idea how to run it. “
“The delay of Greek Week is an obvious attempt to get rid of the Greek life community. We could go to an outside venue like the expensive football stadium we pay tuition for, stream dances virtually, or even cut the time of each dance. We were all mandated to get the booster for recruitment, and we could wear masks. Stating that we have limited time to plan this event is also a poor excuse. Recruitment directors had to learn how to run virtual recruitment in less than two weeks after a whole semester's work of in-person practices with no sympathy from the school. I have talked to multiple alumni who have withdrawn their Elon Day donations due to the unfairness Elon has towards their beloved Greek community.”
“Elon has not tried to host this event this year in any way. Students have reached out and pitched ideas to them and they do not budge. I myself have emailed Jordan King and received no response. I know for a fact that I will not be telling potential first-years who want to be in Greek life to come to Elon, especially since the new raise of its tuition this year is not worth the horrible treatment they will receive once they join a Greek organization.”
Anonymous Source #2:
“I really believe that the Greek community is not treated with the same respect as other organizations or groups. I have had a lot of experience working with Panhellenic the past two years, and personally feel that many of the decisions that are made are not taken with the same importance or regard as other groups. It has felt that with every attempt to make events or plans happen; any idea is disregarded and every excuse is “COVID.” Our members of this community are going out of their way jumping hurdles to come up with ways to continue these experiences in a safe way; however, with every valid and respectable idea, we continue to get shut down. Our community should be following the same guidelines as everyone else. If our student body can attend a basketball game indoors with masks and vaccinations–please help me in explaining the difference with a Greek event.”
Anonymous Source #3:
“I absolutely disagree with the postponement of the Greek Week Dance Competition - I think it makes Elon Panhellenic look like a joke. I understand it can be a lot to plan, but at this point, it looks like the administration is scrambling and using COVID as an excuse. Greek life is about tradition, and the work we’ve put in to teach our younger girls about sorority life because they can’t experience it is mentally exhausting - especially when we all care about it so much. Not to mention - we willingly pay to be in our organizations; we aren’t getting paid overtime.”
“Two years of online recruitment was bad enough - especially when we watched other schools around us on social media rush in person. It made Elon feel like a joke to us. Now with another thing we were all looking forward to being pushed out of the seniors’ reach - it almost feels intentional. The class of 2022 is the only group of girls that have experienced both In-person recruitment and greek dance. There is no instruction manual for being in a sorority - it’s motivated by being excited to do something that the sorority has always done. I think the school has taken advantage of the pandemic to weaken sororities and to disturb the momentum that was cherished for so long. Chances are I’m not going to look back on “The Good Ol’ Days” and think about my Comparative Politics class. I’m going to think about how I felt on Bid Day when we got a new group of girls to welcome into our sisterhood.”
“The Pandemic has isolated people–and Elon is encouraging this positive feedback loop in the name of “safety.” Girls have sought out sisterhood in this time, and the leaders in these sisterhoods are in an uphill battle against the school in an already difficult situation to continue the strength of our organizations. Dancing is really outside of some people's comfort zone - experiencing something like that with your sisters is embarrassing and awkward at first because realistically nobody knows what they’re doing. As you go through the routines it gets easier and more fun. You get to come together and leave it all on the floor. As a freshman, I was too scared to do it. I finally thought I was going to do it this year as a senior and I’m so disappointed that I didn't get to.”
“The standard that the women of Panhellenic have been held to compared to other organizations on campus is absolutely astounding. Like — we can literally just wear masks. I went to see my friend’s play not too long ago and there were easily 200 people in the audience, and the performers were unmasked. How on Earth can Panhellenic shut the door in our faces without any opportunity for discourse while watching other programs function? The tolerance is simply not there, despite the majority of alumni donations to Elon being in the name of their Greek organization. It’s obvious to me that the administration is using the pandemic to their advantage to stifle Greek life through major disruptive decisions. They have no idea how much any of this means to us.”
“Adults look at sororities and think that we’re gossip circles and drinking buddies. It’s so patronizing when you look at what we actually accomplish together. The strength and diligence that it takes to keep the spirit alive is something I don’t think I’ll ever experience again in my life. Elon promised me preparation for my life, and it’s ironic how stifled I feel when fighting for something I am passionate about. The love we have for each other is astounding, and I just want a normal experience.”
“As much as we want to speak up about how we feel, we know that Panhellenic has reacted personally to women speaking up. We know that our organizations would be jeopardized if we spoke out against them, so my choice to be anonymous is for my chapter.”