Greek Getaway will be free for current ISU students to register for; a first for this event.

The greek community holds a weekend dedicated to prospective and current students to come and see firsthand what the greek community is about. This year’s event is scheduled for April 1 to 3.

“All junior and seniors in high school are encouraged to come to Greek Getaway,” said Natalie Jennison, junior in English education. “We also welcome all college transfer students and undergrads at Iowa State University.”

Jennison is the recruitment counselors chairwoman for the Collegiate Panhellenic Council and works with the recruitment chairpersons from the Interfraternity Council, Collegiate Panhellenic Council and Greek Affairs advisers to make this weekend a success.

As the recruitment counselors chairwoman, Jennison works with selected members from each chapter to be Rho Gammas or recruitment counselors, to help bring the potential new members to the various activities and answer questions they may have. Rho Gammas are members from both fraternities and sororities.

“Many of the fraternities put on substance-free block parties with various themes and activities on Friday night,” Jennison said. “We also have our Lip Sync finals on Friday. Saturday is filled with chapter tours, Greek Olympics, Polar Bear Plunge and Greek Pizza philanthropy lunch.”

With the efforts put on by the head councils, each chapter has its own recruitment team put on events and plan ahead of time what they will bring to the table during Greek Getaway.

“The potential new members get to know the members of the house during block parties, and five or six houses are selected to host block parties each year,” said Rob Roe, sophomore in pre-business and recruitment chairman for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

The individual houses and Greek Affairs understand the importance of Greek Getaway, from both an informational and recruitment standpoint, and put more than just effort into the event.

“Iowa State does a great job putting in the time and money to put this event of,” Roe said. “It also helps the houses get a head start before summer with recruitment and forecast what the next year will have in store, all based on how many people come through Greek Getaway.”

Greek Getaway is one of the largest tools the greek community uses to help acclimate incoming and current students to the greek community. Especially for those that are unsure about joining a fraternity or sorority, it may help to choose to join or not.

“At the time, I wasn’t really thinking about going greek,” said Madison Green, freshman in open option. “Greek Getaway did help me get a taste of what it might be like to be in a sorority.”

“The greek students treated me so well while I was attending Greek Getaway,” Green said. “I loved all the girls where I was staying and my Rho Gamma was so helpful and super nice. It really eased my nerves when I first got there.”

Green and other students who attended Greek Getaway in the past were able to experience lip sync, house tours, block parties and Greek Olympics, a special event in which chapters compete.

“I really enjoyed watching [Greek] Olympics because it showed how much fun it was to be in a house and the competition against the other houses. It was a lot of fun to watch,” Green said.

“Greek Getaway is important for the greek community and [ISU] campus because we get a chance to show the leadership, academic, community service and friendships we value so much,” Jennison said. “Students can get a first hand look at what being apart of the greek community truly means. Not only do they get to see the greek community but they can also see the beautiful [ISU] campus.”

Some incoming students and current students hold stereotypes against the greek community, and this event works to rebut those stereotypes and show the many different personalities that make up the greek community.

“Greek Getaway shows off the greek community in a positive light and kind of breaks the stereotypes some of them might have coming into in like I had,” Green said. “Even though I didn’t formally rush, I still had girls that remembered me all the way from Greek Getaway in the spring and that meant a lot to me. Greek Getaway is a great way for high school students to get their ‘foot-in-the-door’ to the greek community.”

Students register online and are able to choose which sorority or fraternity they stay at, or they will be put in one randomly. Women stay in sororities and men stay in fraternities.