Jordan Campbell recalls she did not know much about Iowa State’s Greek Community during her senior year of high school. An Ames native, she was familiar with the campus, but had only heard about greek life through friends. Campbell, currently a junior in kinesiology and health, wanted to experience it for herself and signed up for Greek Getaway.

“I guess I wanted to see what the talk was all about. I was pretty sure I wanted to do Formal Recruitment, but I knew this would be a good way to make sure,” Campbell said.

Greek Getaway, which takes place every spring during the weekend of Greek Week, is the opportunity for high school students and college students curious about sororities and fraternities to experience life as a greek at Iowa State.

Fraternity men host students at their chapter houses from Friday until Sunday, while sorority women host students from Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. During the days, students have a schedule jam-packed with activities that help students decide if “greek” is the choice for them.

“I knew I wanted to be greek by the time the weekend was over. It made it a lot easier to know the houses and what the community was about before recruitment,” Campbell said.

Students stay in chapter houses based on their preferences. After students arrive to check in, Rho Gammas, or recruitment counselors, escort students to the chapter house where they will spend the weekend.

The event usually starts off with a barbecue or dinner. Pairings usually eat together, which gives the students an opportunity to interact with others on Greek Getaway and men and women already in chapters. After dinner, each pairing heads to Stephens Auditorium to watch the five performances in Lip Sync Finals. The night does not end there; students get to dance the night away at block parties. Block parties are non-alcoholic parties hosted by fraternities. Typically, each party has a theme. In the past, themes have ranged from carnival to ’80s to luau.

On Saturday, students attend an informational session where they can ask questions about going greek.  Chapter houses give tours of their houses to the potential new members. During Greek Week Olympics, visitors watch competitions such as the bed race, egg joust and live action role-play.

“Watching was hilarious, and it looked like so much fun; I also got to hang out with other girls who were thinking about coming to Iowa State. Now, some of those girls are my friends and even in the same house as I am,” Campbell said.

According to the Greek Affairs office, more than 733 current ISU and high school students are registered for this year’s Greek Getaway. Of the 13 chapters on Iowa State’s campus, each is anticipating about 35 women. The 28 fraternities will host 10 to 15 men.

Those interested have until Friday afternoon to register and can register on the Greek Affairs website at the Office of Greek Affairs website.