In an effort to build bridges between greek chapters and the general student body, the National Panhellenic Council held its annual Greek Unity Fest this weekend, and an unusually high attendance showed progress.

Organized by members of Syracuse University’s Panhell, the Greek Unity Fest kicked off Thursday with a talk by author Lawrence Ross. Ross’s book, “The Divine Nine,” describes the histories of the nine chapters of Panhell.

“We decided to introduce an educational program this year to make the event more well-rounded,” said Janiqua Codrington, a senior marketing major and co-chair of the Greek Unity Fest.

Artists Lil’ Kim and Fabolous performed at the War Memorial in Armory Square on Friday night for the fest’s annual concert.

“The students identified which artists they’d like to see perform, and we contacted them,” said Tomas Gonzalez, assistant director of the Office of Greek Life and Experiential Learning. “They were available, so we booked them.”

Members from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta sorority performed in a step show Saturday. The show was so successful that the Schine Box Office began selling another set of 300 tickets after the first 600 were sold, Gonzalez said.

“Usually the step show doesn’t get as much of a good turn out,” said Isaiah Liburd, a junior broadcast journalism major and member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. “But everyone had a good time.”

Tickets to the Greek Unity Fest dance party held Saturday night in Goldstein Auditorium also sold out, Gonzalez said.

The Fest concluded with a barbecue and carnival held at SkyBarn on South Campus on Sunday to end the weekend on a high note, said Anastasia Urtz, dean of students within the Division of Student Affairs, which sponsored the fest. The carnival, originally planned to be held in Goldstein Student Center, included food, games and music.

“I’m really pleased with this location,” Urtz said. “It’s a great space, inside and outside. We ordered this gorgeous weather, too.”

The goal of the annual Greek Unity Fest is to unify the campus and the Syracuse community, said Ruthie McCombs, a senior finance and marketing major and co-chair of the carnival event.

Liburd said that this year’s Greek Unity Fest brought a diverse group of participants from a variety of organizations.

“It’s loosened up the whole campus,” Liburd said. “It’s historically been black organizations, but people from all different races came and had fun. That was part of the goal, to outreach to the whole campus.”

Organizers have worked on the fest’s program since last September, Codrington said. This year’s event, formally known as “Greek Freak,” was larger than it had been in recent years, and Codrington said that she believes it will continue to expand in the future.

“We’ve shown we can do it,” she said. “We work well together within the councils, and it will probably be better than it was this year.”

Published on April 13, 2003 at 12:00 pm