Greek Week is a special time for members of fraternities and sororities across campus, but a strange concept to most people outside the Greek community.

It’s mostly about unity. But without the proper information, I could see how it might look like an exclusive week we use strut around campus and act like we’re better than everybody.

I speak for myself and other Eastern Greeks when I say we don’t wish for Tugs and Airband to be confusing concepts to non-Greeks. It pains me to hear that ever-annoying phrase, “It’s all Greek to me.” Because it doesn’t have to be – it just takes a little open-mindedness and maybe actually coming out to an event to cure that mindset.

The Greek community is like a family, but it doesn’t have to be super exclusive. Yes, we proudly wear our jackets and show off our letters around campus, which sometimes translates to the idea that sororities and fraternities are giant cliques. Rather than a clique, the organizations can be more like support structures than anything. We come out to support one another during Pyramids and canoe races, and even during the events that might not be the most fun visually, like Collegiate Bowl. This kind of support follows even after Greek Week, whether it’s a group of girls going to watch a member in a theater production, or a group of guys going out to watch a member play baseball. Any of those events – baseball, school plays, Pyramids, canoe races – they’re all open to everyone. And if people gave them a chance, they might just be surprised at what a good time they could have.

If people wanted to attend the events, the rest of the campus could be a part of our family as well – without paying dues or having to make lifelong commitments to our national organizations. People have to look past the sometimes-intimidating sizes of our groups, and realize that we, as a whole, are just another productive member of a larger family otherwise known as the student body of Eastern Illinois University.

Greek Week – it’s much like Homecoming, only instead of having school spirit, we show spirit for the Greek community and for the organizations we represent daily. This week gives us a renewed sense of pride in our groups collectively.

During the time leading up to Greek Week, we spend an enormous amount of time with our brothers and sisters to prepare for events like Greek Sing, Tugs and Airband. We form even closer bonds with those people and share a common sense of pride when competition finally arrives and we get to show off all we’ve been practicing for – which would be even more special to share with the entire campus rather than just each other.

But my non-Greek friends, for the most part, don’t show any interest in the events. Some of them think Greek Week doesn’t involve them, that it’s something they could not possibly enjoy, because they “don’t know anybody,” or because they are not involved with the organizations. I don’t like to accept those excuses.

First, the Greek community at Eastern is one of the largest for a school this size, with nine sororities and 10 fraternities. There is a pretty good possibility most people know at least one member.

Second, just because someone isn’t involved with a competition, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to go support those who are. When I was a sophomore at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, my roommate was a theater major/dance minor. I have never had coordination, I’ve never been able to pretend I’m someone else on stage and I can’t remember more than two lines of a monologue, but I went to every performance of hers to support her. She was like family to me.

I felt that support when one of my friends took time out of his day to wander over to the campus pond to watch Alpha Sigma Alpha stack a pyramid, even though we didn’t place. I wanted to show him something I was proud of.

On a larger scale, we Greeks want to show the campus community what we can do – we want Eastern to support us just as we support one another. Who knows? They might have so much fun that we see them out there again next year.