This week, sororities and fraternities will come together to compete in one of the most intense weeks of the year — Greek Week.

The premise of Greek Week is to randomly combine two fraternities and one sorority to have them get to know each other while raising money for various charities. The events give members from different chapters the chance to connect, while also giving back.

It all started with the greek community attending Relay for Life, where a majority of each team had to stay and participate in the event with random check-ins from Friday evening to Saturday morning. Participating in this event was fulfilling as an individual, and it also was great to see everyone come together to support the fight against cancer. It was great to see a mix of fraternities and sororities play games, such as dodgeball and volleyball, and enjoy their time together. Other events included a successful blood drive for American Red Cross and even a collection of pop can tabs that most of the houses participated in.

If non-greek students end up coming to any of the events, which I highly recommend they do, they should expect to see many people cheering, screaming team names and holding decorative signs with lights and bright colors. My team, for instance, has the theme Zeus vs. Hades, so we are incorporating blues, blacks and grays with symbols of flames and thunderbolts on almost all of our spirit gear.

Greek Week brings out everyone’s competitive side. Chapters push their team to make sure everyone in the group participates by attending and raising as much money as possible. Getting ready can be stressful at times, but it is all worth it in the end when everyone sees their dances, banners and decorations complete.

Although people are competing for as many points as possible, the competitive nature of the event does not prevent participants from bonding with their team. Greek Week events have allowed me to expand my circle of friends. While interacting with the guys through practice for events, there have been times where I have been on the ground laughing so hard I can barely breathe. Seeing the guys try their best to dance is something that never gets old.

This Monday’s event was less intense and acted as more of a bonding event for the entire greek community. Speaker Jim Tuman came to the Breslin Center to talk about his experiences in greek life and how everyone can reflect on their motives and goals to make meaningful decisions about the future. Speakers like him remind greeks that they are part of a meaningful community on campus. Obviously everyone has their opinions about greek life. Some opinions are not the best, but it is speakers such as Tuman who challenge stereotypes about the community and reinforce our decision to be involved in our chapters. Throughout the week, negative stereotypes about greek life will be challenged as we compete in friendly competitions. After all, we are competing to raise money for charities, such as Relay for Life and other individual chapter philanthropy projects.

Tuesday is a dance competition called MTV Night. This is where most experienced female dancers and the best male dancers from each team come together for about a 5-minute routine. With the incorporation of lifts, props and costumes, the task to make everything different usually is the toughest part for this event.

From personal experience participating in this event last year, one of the best parts is getting to know the guys on a more personal level. It’s also great to get back on the dance floor. I danced for about 12 years before college, so choreographing with the other girls in my sorority gives me the chance to dance again.

Wednesday’s event is a dance competition called Songfest, but not all competitors have had experience dancing. Songfest teams usually consist of 15 girls and 15 guys doing a dance and simultaneously singing songs related to their team’s theme. Obviously it is very tough to choreograph a routine that flows well, so planning for this starts very early in the spring semester.

This year, our Songfest team has put in about three hours of work for three days a week since the middle of January. The great thing about this event is that the boys who join have usually never performed dances before, and they tend to need a bit more practice than the girls. A mixture of songs and fun dancing usually is what fills the stage as each team shows what they have to offer.

It is awesome to see what creative and unique things teams come up with for Songfest and MTV Night. As I watch the dances and see the individual themes, banners and T-shirts, I’m always reminded of what it means to be greek. Seeing the personalities shine through makes me proud to be a member of this community.

Christine LaRouere is a State News guest reporter. Reach her at clarouere@statenews.com.