The UNM Greek system is planning to use this year's Greek Week to strengthen the sense of community among its organizations and boost its priority of community service events.
"Philanthropy is the number one reason Greek Week exists," said Heidi Lowrimore, overall co-chairperson of Greek Week 2003 and member of the Alpha Xi Omega sorority.
"It is also a really good opportunity to put our name out in a positive way and for us to bond as a community," she said.
Every year, a local business is chosen as the beneficiary of the philanthropic efforts of UNM's Greek Week by members of the greek community. This year's recipient, the Rio Grande Zoo, will receive a large amount of community service from the various Greek organizations and all of the revenue generated through the week's fund-raising efforts, Lowrimore said.
Rebecca Wald, student activities adviser at UNM, said that a considerable amount of time is spent researching local businesses to see who is in the most need of not only money but community service from the greeks at UNM, adding that past recipients have included the Albuquerque Rape Crisis Center and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a national organization researching treatment and prevention of HIV infection in infants and children.
This year's Greek Week, themed "Welcome To The Jungle," will include numerous events, including athletic tournaments, various philanthropic events, creative performances and the annual greek games to be held this Saturday at Johnson Field.
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Wald anticipates that this year's proceeds will bypass the $11,000 that was given to last year's recipient, the UNM Children's Hospital.
"Public service is a big part of our community and one of the key principles of greek life in general," Wald said. "Greek Week is a chance to push that trend a step further and is also a chance for the various organizations that make up the UNM Greek system but don't have that much contact to foster a healthy relationship."
Greek Week is structured on a point system, with the various activities worth various amounts of points. The overall winner of the week's events among the fraternities and sororities is awarded the Greek Cup, a prestigious award that is held in high regard by all of the greek organizations at UNM.
"It is an award that every house on campus values highly," said Joe Garcia, president of UNM's Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. "It signifies the strength and unity that all fraternities and sororities hope to have. We all take it seriously."
Garcia said that Greek Week is important for UNM's fraternities and sororities because it provides an avenue for the local community to know them on a personal level and for the greeks to have the chance to give back to the University and community that support them year-round.
Andrew Steele, overall co-chair of this year's Greek Week and member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, said the revenue that will eventually be donated to the Rio Grande Zoo will be generated through donations from local businesses and various fund-raisers that will be held by the fraternities and sororities at UNM.
"Greek Week is a really positive thing," Steele said. "It is probably the most important event of the year for the greek community as far as public relations. It helps us generate the best image possible while bringing the houses together to work towards a common goal."
