BY EMILY INNES — STAFF WRITER
One of the Centre social scene’s most notable characteristics is its Greek life. The small school setting makes our system a little different than most schools, but the fraternities and sororities are known for their continual positive presence on campus. Throughout the year, the different organizations host a variety of events for their philanthropies or simply to provide an opportunity for community and friendship. Several events tend to be a collaboration between a sorority and a fraternity, such as this past Family Weekend’s joint philanthropy endeavors. However, with the addition of Kappa Delta on campus, Centre’s Greek women decided to do something a little different this year. Excitement over an addition to the Greek community compelled the social chairs of many of the sororities to host a Panhellenic Tailgate this past Saturday, becoming a joint effort between Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Delta (note: Kappa Kappa Gamma had a scheduling conflict with their chapter wide service event the same morning). It was a perfect way to bring as many sorority women as possible together, which is especially important as the competitive spirit of recruitment creeps up with spring semester quickly approaching.
Junior Alex Cody, Director of Social Enrichment for Alpha Delta Pi, spearheaded the idea and the other sororities quickly hopped on board with great enthusiasm.
“I always tailgated when I was younger, and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere” Cody said, “I thought it would be great to do something similar with as many of the other Panhellenic organizations as we could,”
She thought a tailgate provided the perfect opportunity to not only be Panhellenic, but to come together to support Centre, who hosted the NCAA women’s soccer tournament this weekend, as well as celebrated Senior Day for the football, cheer, and dance teams.
Kappa Delta’s representative for the planning was Morgan Babey, who said that Centre’s newest Greek chapter was very excited for the event. Many Kappa Delta women were at the tailgate, giving the other sorority members a chance to welcome them to the Greek community and begin creating bonds between chapters.
“I think having a [Panhellenic] tailgate allows other chapters to have the opportunity to know the other women involved in Greek life on campus,” Babey said.
Being an inaugural event, there are inevitably things to improve upon, but all participating sororities felt it went extremely well. Although Cody originally initiated the idea, it was definitely a collaboration of all the organizations participating, “It’s all of our event,” she said. The sororities split all the duties up evenly, giving each chapter a different aspect of the event to focus on. Everyone pitched in ideas about how the event should go, and there was a general consensus for continuing the event in the coming years.
Cody hopes the tailgate will encourage future collaborations between sororities, and greatly appreciated the enthusiasm exhibited by all the chapters.
“We’re at a point where we are able to support each other as a Panhellenic community,” Cody said, and thinks these opportunities for community and inter-sorority friendships are especially important at a time when the broader community is facing divisiveness in the aftermath of the election. Centre’s Greek life continues to unite and support each other, serving as a source of optimism and positivity for affiliated and non-affiliated students alike.