Monday kicked off the University’s annual Greek Week, a weeklong event in which sororities and fraternities come together to compete in games and events while simultaneously raising money for charities. The theme for the week is “Greeks Giving Back.”

“The purpose of Greek Week is for greek students across campus to come together and give back to the Tuscaloosa community,” said Ashley Getwan, vice president of the Panhellenic Association. “To that end, we not only had to plan service projects for the week, but we also selected the non-profits that we want to make donations to with the proceeds from Greek Week ticket sales.

“We chose these non-profits based on a grant application that each interested organization submitted. The grant application was also implemented this year to make donation selections more objective and unbiased.”

This year, the greek organizations are working with charities such as the West Alabama Food Bank, American Red Cross, Children’s Hospital of Birmingham, Veteran’s Hospital of Tuscaloosa and the Forest Manor Nursing Home, Getwan said.

Sororities and fraternities participating in Greek Week are paired with two or three other organizations, with 15 pairings overall, said Getwan, who is a member of Chi Omega and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry. Members who wished to participate or attend all of the week’s events purchased a $10 ticket, though $3 tickets are available for individual events.

Ross Mullins, a junior majoring in finance and a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said he was one of two ATO Greek Week representatives last year, which meant he was responsible for getting members of his fraternity involved at events.

“Once people get involved, it really is beneficial,” he said. “New relationships were formed because Greek Week really encompasses the entire Greek community.”

A packet was distributed to the organizations involved naming the times and dates of each day’s event, along with the rules and regulations that govern specific events, said Adam Rudolphy, a Phi Kappa Psi senior majoring in criminal justice.

On Monday greeks affiliated with numerous organizations met at Bama Lanes to compete in a bowling competition. A group gathered at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house Tuesday for dodge ball, and today greeks will compete in Olympic games on the Quad from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Thursday is reserved for Greek Sing, which is themed “Where da Gold At?” To compete in Greek Sing, a group must have a minimum of four boys and no more than six boys.

“A few years ago, I got together with three girls and five other guys, and we danced to Bob Seger’s ‘Old Time Rock and Roll,’” Rudolphy said. “It took us about 45 minutes to prepare.”

Culminating the week will be a cookout on sorority row Saturday. Getwan said the week’s main purpose is raising money for charities and philanthropy events.

“We donate all of the proceeds of Greek Week and Cookout ticket sales to the selected non-profits,” she said. “I hope that students will truly see the impact that they can have on one person, and that they will be inspired to continue volunteering.”