Spring Semester Second Half Crush

My high school had two semesters and four quarters so each half of the semester was clearly marked with a grade and a finals week that signified the end of sections. This lead to a more enjoyable break without extensive homework to do as new content was beginning after break ended! However at UPS and most colleges I believe, there are no two quarters within a semester, all the work and learning leads to a semester grade and midterms is a very real busy week but often vary in intensity and actual timing due to various types of assignments.

Beyond that with graduation and the end of the year imminent, there are so many events and extracurriculars that all students are participating in and attending. Of course spring is also the best season!! Senior and junior performances, thesis presentations, national subject conferences, and much much more!

Here’s a small snippet of the weekend plans that are coming up this last few weeks before graduation!*

April 1st: Largest home track meet, Puget Sound Decision Day, Phi Sigma (STEM) Research Symposium, (for me) Theta Formal, Senior Theatre Festival (STF) Performances

April 8th: Parents Weekend: Luau, STF, Opera Performance

April 15th: Sigma Chi Derby Days Philanthropy, RDG Performances, STF, Underground Sound Concert, Garden Level Concert; Easter; Pesach

April 22nd: Jacobsen Series Performance, STF, ASUPS Lectures w/ Janaya Khan

April 29th: Relay for Life, Tacoma Bike Swap,

Mary 6th: READING PERIOD

May 14th: COMMENCEMENT

 

*These are all events I’m aware of! Not including club activities, other greek life philanthropies and formals, etc.

 

GREEK WEEK

Every semester the InterFraternal Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (Panhell) Programmers plan Greek Week. It’s basically the homecoming equivalent for Greek Life here at Puget Sound. We have a theme, we go to a volleyball game, host study hours, have a guest speaker, have a knowledge bowl competition, fundraising component  and last but definitely not least Greek Olympics. Its a full week for each of the houses to spend time within the whole Greek community cheering our volleyball team on at their rival game versus PLU, get those studying on for midterms, test our general knowledge for a fun night hosted by Order of Omega, the academic society within Greek Life and get a little athletic with tug-o-war, three-legged race, and more events at Greek Olympics.

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This year’s event was themed medieval with members of Greek Life encouraged to dress as knights, peasants, princes and princesses, dragons, wizards and witches and more for activities.

In my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, shorthand known as theta, Greek Week is an opportunity for our chapter to come together and have fun! (Because a little friendly competition always is fun 🙂 And I definitely had fun this semester because our chapter got really into it, decorating outfits for the medieval themed dress up together, crafted props for our logger outfits with axes and supporting each other through the events, cheering our team on at knowledge bowl and participating or fanatically cheering at greek olympics! it was also cool and always fun to see how spirited the other sororities and fraternities were, it really was a week full of greek love and support reminding us about the bonds in greek life and the values we uphold. #thinkgreek #upstheta

Greek Life at the Puge

Puget Sound is not your typical college, it’s not massively big or crazy but that community friendly, super green, comfortable liberal arts feel. And the same welcoming fun lies in Greek Life.

My only perspective of Greek Life was through Legally Blonde, Greek the TV show and the media; loud, raging, superficial cliques of people. Puget Sound is completely different, with Greek Recruitment in January first year students have a chance to become adapted to Puget Sound and meet a variety of people, and someone is likely to be in Greek Life! Recruitment was four long days/nights of smiling, chit-chat, talking about myself and watching Friends & Boy Meets World in between. My cheeks hurt, I had reading to complete, and my head hurt. Every house was completely welcoming, willing to answer questions, and share how much their sorority is a knit-group of sisters.

Bid Night was amazingly fun to see the rest of the girls who joined the same house as me, as well as meeting 70 of my new sisters in all kinds of wacky costumes (wedding dresses, princesses and face paint ensued)! I was really excited to get to know everyone better and it was so much more fun to find out we were going to go roller skating, and I’ve never been! I fell on my butt and boy did it hurt but everyone was really sweet making sure I was okay. Along with some cheesy pizza, homemade photobooth and props and candy bar, the night and my introduction to Greek Life and Kappa Alpha Theta was real sweet!

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It’s only been a few short weeks since Recruitment and everyone has been really gracious answering questions, getting coffee and altogether inviting us over to the House to watch the SuperBowl or the Olympics and I think it’s definitely been a fabulous addition to my life at the Puge. It’s interesting to learn the history of my female fraternity (first ever!) as well as our individual chapter here at Puget Sound along with Panhellenic and the other Houses (Sigma Chi Valentine’s & Beta singing at Chapter). So many fun events have already happened I can’t wait to see what other adventures Greek life holds for me!