Gamma Phi Beta and SAE Blood Drive Today!!

Members of Gamma Phi Beta in front of their house
Photo by: Gamma Phi Beta CSULB

As a busy semester is winding down, many sororities and fraternities are are still working hard to raise money for their philanthropies. Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon are among these chapters, and are planning to have a successful blood drive today at the Gamma Phi Beta house. Their sorority philanthropy is the Long Beach Red Cross so the event benefitted a cause that they have been working with for quite some time.

"One of the girls wanted to do it after the disaster in Japan, we had done it before and were really excited to do it again" said Heather McFarland, a member Gamma Phi Beta. Of course the Red Cross can not guarantee that the blood will go straight to Japan, but we still know that is going to a great and well respected cause. Gamma Phi Beta has also hosted blood drives in the past and have always had a great turn out, and hope to have the same today.

Recently, the Red Cross has done so much work to help aid the people of Japan. Over 2,500 houses in Japan were completely collapsed with another 2,500 damaged, according to the Red Cross website. In 24 hours, the Red Cross also dispatched 62 response teams which consisted of nearly 400 doctors, nurses, and other staff. They offered medical clinics in the affected areas, as well as assessing just how bad the damage is.

There will also be a bake sale at the house to raise additional money for the cause. They are all homemade and promise to be delicious. The event starts at 12pm and will last until 5pm. They encourage both Greek and non-Greek members to attend and support the Red Cross. "I like to give blood because it is nice to know that I could potentially save a life" McFarland said. It is one of the last philanthropy events of the year, and is a great way to give back to the community.

Greek Week Winners

Banner in the South Plaza Congratulating Greek Week Winners
Photo by: Lianna Cabrera

After all of the festivities came to an end, all of the points were calculated and the winning team was announced today in the Panhellenic, Interfraternal, and Cultural Group Council meetings. This is a new thing for Greek Week because in previous years members would have to wait until the next semester to find out who won.

Team 1, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Kappa, lived up to their team number and ended up taking first place overall. Pi Kappa Phi member Joey Buss was ecstatic saying, "We were shocked when we heard the results, we knew we worked extremely hard but never expected to take it all". Second place was given to team 6 who was Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma who seemed quite proud, especially because they came full force to every event. And third place was given to team 3 which included Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Phi, Delta Chi, and FIJI. They proved that despite some technical difficulties you can still push through and do well in all the other events.

This year's greek week events were both fun for the greek community and beneficial to the community. All of the teams worked extremely hard to at all the events and did their best to have as many of their members participate. Overall, Greek Week brought in just over $20, 000 and donated over 8,200 cans that were given to local rescue missions. "It is always a great event to get excited for because you end up with great greek relations and the rewarding feeling that you are helping someone" said Greek Week Committee member and Panhellenic member Becca Bowdey.

Greek Week Speaker

David Stollman speaking to the first audience about being good leaders.
Photo by: Michael Quibuyen

This year's Greek Week speaker was a breath of fresh that came to both challenge, improve, and grow the greek community. David Stollman, who is a well known speaker for CAMPUSPEAK and former greek member, spoke about growing chapters and creating beneficial leaders. The event took place at Wilson High School where two sessions of David's talk took place. "Sometimes I tend to forget the things greek week speakers talk about, but I was definitely amazed by the things he had to say and I know they will stick with me" said Andrew Silaj, who is a fraternity member and IFC Recruitment chair. His passion for the Greek community shined through, and his honesty and interactive style helps him to connect with and impact his audience.

His "buy in or get out" philosophy spoke to almost every chapter on the Long Beach State campus. Stollman spoke mainly on the image of greek life, and how many of the bad reputations are built on truth and need to be taken care of. "Just imagine how much more we could actually accomplish if we were part of the solution instead of part of the problem" he said. Stollman also offered valuable lessons and stories not only from his own experiences but also from other chapters he has worked with in the past. He shared funny stories about his fraternity days, spoke on hazing, and got the audience to relate. Then he proceeded to explain that many of those binge drinking nights and hazing practices were the main reasons that his chapter no longer exists on his former college campus. This type of raw honesty made the whole room go silent and actually "buy in" to what he was saying. He also encouraged chapters to reach out to him on either Twitter and Facebook with questions or even comments on the presentation. Saying, not only am I a greek life speaker I am currently a sorority advisor so I have definitely have experiences on both sides of the spectrum.

Overall, Stollman's message was successful and definitely affected the mindset of the greek community. One chapter President, Annie Williams, said "He was a really moving and entertaining speaker, I know that we he spoke about definitely impacted my chapter for the positive". His approach was entertaining and his words were simple, but his message had a lasting impact.

Can Castles Contest Kicks off Greek Week Events

Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma planning their can castle design
Photo by: Lianna Cabrera

All of this year's exciting and competitive 2011 Greek Week events are off and running. And as always it will be a week filled with great events that will bring out lots of spirit from all of the different teams. The first event, which took place today from 11-2pm at Beach Circle, was the can castles war.

Can castle building requires each team to either buy or donate as many cans as they possibly can and create a design based on their team superhero or about greek week itself. Whoever can collect the most cans and have the most creative designs will win greek week points for their team. Each team is given about 2 hours to create whatever design they want, and then the greek week committee along with the greek advisor Caitlin Roberts will decide the winners. One greek member, Kirsten Ratliff of Alpha Phi said, "Can castles are always my favorite because you can get creative and really get to know your greek week team better". After the judging is over, all of the cans are donated to a local rescue mission.

Alpha Phi member Kirsten Ratliff guarding cans for her team
Photo By: Lianna Cabrera

The event had a great turn out and numerous bags and boxes full of canned food. But nothing compared to the car loads of cans that were brought in by Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma, who ultimately ended up winning the competition. Greek week committee member Becca Bowdey said, "It was an extremely successful day for all the greek week teams, and we're excited to see this kind of participation continue". Overall, the event brought out a large majority of the greek community and they were able to donate over 3000 cans.

Greek Sing: Superheroes Vs. Villains!

The Superheros Represented in this Year's Greek Week

Yet another exciting Greek Week was kicked off with the fan favorite production put on by the Greek Community called Greek Sing. For those who have never heard of or attended this event, it is a performance that includes singing, dancing, and even a little acting. The tickets sold to the event helped to raise money for Camp One Heartland who provides summer camps for children with AIDS.

For the show, different fraternities and sororities teamed up with their Greek Week partners and were assigned a superhero to portray for the production. As always, all seven teams brought a production that greatly entertained and wowed the audience. The night started off with a little entertainment from the pint size judge, Colin Baiocchi from Little Fockers, break dancing for the whole audience to see. Another well known face judging the performances was Jonathan Bennett, who was best known for playing Aaron Samuels in the movie Mean Girls. After the judge introductions and the singing of the national anthem, the lineup of performances began.

The show started off with team 1, Pi Kappa Phi, Phi Kappa Psi, and Sigma Kappa, portraying the superhero Thor. They were extremely creative with moving backdrops, strong dances, and an attractive Thor played by Pi Kappa Phi member Nick Andrade. Team 2 was assigned Superman and was presented by Delta Zeta, Sigma Pi, and Lambda Theta Phi. They were a force to be reckoned with with strong choreography, acting, and props. Team 3 which included Alpha Phi, Delta Chi, SAE, and FIJI was team Batman and pushed through with a great performance, despite a few minor music malfunctions. Team 4 that included Alpha Omicron Pi, Theta Chi, and Zeta Beta Tau also delivered a strong performance and a great storyline for the portrayal of the Green Lantern. Gamma Phi Beta and Pi Kappa Tau, Team 5, delivered a rather risque and entertaining routine portraying Wonder Woman in a creative way that integrated numerous aspects of greek life. Team Captain America, which included Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma, came in full force with great participation. Lastly, was team 7 who was team Iron Man and included Delta Delta Delta, Sigma Chi, and Pi Kappa Alpha.

The night was an overall success with entertaining performances for a great cause. Delta Gamma held on to their title and took the first place along with Kappa Sigma. With second going to Delta Zeta and Sigma Pi and third place to Alpha Omicron Pi, ZBT, and Theta Chi. The Greek community raised over $18,000 from this event alone to donate to Camp One Heartland which greatly exceeded last years total. It was a successful event and a great start to the rest of Greek Week.

Kappa Sigma Presents: Star and Crescent Ball

Kappa Sigma letters in front of the house, waiting to go to the event
Photo By: Kappa Sigma CSULB

This Year, Kappa Sigma Fraternity has decided to add a new spring philanthropy event to support the Fallen Heroes fund called Star and Crescent Ball. It will take place at La Palapa Restaurant located right by the Belmont Pool, which will be a great setting because it is right by the beach and relatively close to campus. The event promises to be a night of gambling, appetizers, and live music to dance the night away for a good cause.

The Fallen Heroes Fund is an organization that supports the Men and Women of the Armed Forces and their families. According to their website, they have raised nearly $150 million dollars for the families of U.S. and British soldiers who have died in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have also built rehabilitation centers for soldiers who have been catastrophically disabled. Annually, the organization assesses the needs of the soldiers and their families to fit the needs that they have at all times.

Kappa Sigma Fraternity at Long Beach has chosen this cause for the last few years as one of their many philanthropy events. The organizer of the event, Jonah Winn, was extremely excited for the even saying "This is the first time we have ever done an event like this and hope that it extremely successful". The first part of the night will be a showcase of Kappa Sigma's accomplishment during the semester as well as testimonies from Senior Kappa Sigma member's about their favorite experiences. Then the fun part begins with casino games, a performance from local Long Beach band The Brook Lee Catastrophe, pictures, and of course prizes. Then the after party will take place with a huge dance floor and DJ as well as an open bar. "We as Kappa Sigma's like to have a good time, and it makes it even better when we get to support a good cause.

The event will take place Saturday, April 16th with the first half of the night starting at 7pm and the after-party starting at 9:30pm. Tickets are $15 for the after party or $25 for the entire night, with all proceeds going to the Fallen Heroes Fund. It will be a night of fun and philanthropy that encourages all Greek and Non-Greek members to attend.

Stay Safe and Party On

Going out to parties and social events in college is an extremely normal experience. But one thought that isn't very normal in most college students minds is their safety. For the most part the areas of Long Beach that are close to campus are relatively safe. But there are parts that are quite dangerous for both men and women alike. According to the crime report on the City of Long Beach website, in February 2011 alone there were 87 sexual assaults, 6 known forced rapes, and 68 cases of robbery. What is even scarier, is that a few of those sexual assaults and even robberies have occurred to Long Beach State students and Greek members while they were both coming and going to different parties and events.

These issues are quite serious and happen to more people than one tends to think because of the fact that not all crimes are reported. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), sexual assault is the most under reported crime, with more than 60% incidents left untold. Because of this fact they found that though some stories are told and brought to justice, only about 6%, or 15 out of 16 rapists will ever spend a day in jail. This is a frightening fact that one fellow Greek member who recently graduated from CSULB, Vanessa Vance, experienced first hand. "I was walking out with a group of people including two guys". The group she was in was confronted by a man with a gun that demanded any belongings that they had. She described it as one of the scariest moments of her life explaining, "I think as girls we allow the presence of a boy to lower our security defenses". She described this as a life changing event saying that, "People ask why I didn't fight back, and to an extent I did, but all I wanted to do was survive, that's all I could do. The purse can be replaced". This story is proof that assault can happen at anytime and to anyone.

It is important to be aware of your surroundings and the people around you, according to the Long Beach Police homepage. The homepage is full of information and statistics for the city of Long BEach, and offers a few tips to remember when you are out. First of all, whenever possible it is important to travel with a friend because it will make you a less vulnerable target. Also, try to stay in well-lighted areas as much as often as you can, and walk confidently, directly and at a steady pace on the side of the street facing traffic. A rapist looks for a target that is alone or seems vulnerable. So when walking, always walk closer to the curb and avoid doorways, alleys and bushes where an attacker could hide. Lastly, if you think that you are being followed, walk quickly to areas where there are lights and people. So the next time you head out to any event at night, remember some of these important tips.

The Congo Tour goes Greek

Invisible Children Flyer used for the Event
Provided by: Christina DeRobertis

Today, the Invisible Children club on campus is sponsoring a screening for a new film entitled "Tony". The event will take place at 7pm in the USU Ballroom. The screening is completely free and will provide food and a raffle for great Invisible Children Merchandise. What makes this event even more unique is that President Christina DeRobertis announced that they will keep track of how many people from various CSULB clubs or organizations attend the event. The organization with the most people in attendance will have a $100 donation to the philanthropy of their choice.

The film is the second documentary that was produced by the Invisible Children Organization. It is set deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Sudan in the midst of civil war that has been taking place in Africa over the last few years. It chronicles the Invisible Children team going into the battlefield, and helping rehabilitate the young victims of this gruesome war, which are mainly children. The movie is "An in-depth look at the life of a child in Uganda. Tony was one of the boys that the filmmakers got very close to", Robertis said. It also shows the kind of work that Invisible Children is doing in Uganda and other African countries.

The Invisible Children United (ICU) club is a great organization that is looking to change the world for the better. Their goal is to "raise awareness and empower the students of this campus to create real and lasting change for invisible children (or invisible circumstances) all over the world" according to their website. One supporter Tim Caswell, a member of Kappa Sigma, said "I originally showed up to support the cause because someone in the Greek community was one of the main persons putting it on and I wanted to show support. Once I got there I found out what it was about and decided to help in any way that I could".

This is event is one of numerous fundraising events that ICU has throughout the semester. All proceeds that they receive go to Invisible Children's school programs as well as Sacred Heart secondary, which is their sister school in Uganda. If you are interested in donating or getting involved they meet Wednesdays at 5pm in the USU-305. Take advantage of this great club on campus, and help out your Greek organization as well!