Greek Week at Culver-Stockton College gave students a chance to compete and collaborate, all while helping bolster our Greek community. As a freshman in the Chi Omega Sorority and a member of the Fall 2025 pledge class, I was excited to participate after hearing all of the build-up around the event. I am also the treasurer for my chapter and the community service director, and this dual role lets me not only enjoy the festivities but also help promote them, which makes it even more special.
“Penny Wars” was an ongoing competition throughout Greek Week, as fraternities and sororities competed to earn the most points through spare change. Each organization could collect pennies to gain points, while placing silver coins in the other buckets helped deduct from their totals. Many participants, including myself, made trips to the bank to exchange cash for coins. On the final day, enough people got involved that the bank began running out of coins to give people. Setting aside the friendly competition, “Penny Wars” ultimately served a greater purpose, as all of the money collected was donated to the winning organization’s philanthropy.
The volleyball and tug-of-war tournaments on Monday started the week strong with friendly competition. In volleyball, Chi Omega played against Tri Sigma and Sigma Kappa. In the end, we tied for first place with Tri Sigma. During the tug-of-war, Chi Omega won, which made us feel better about our previous tie. Before we played, we cheered on the fraternities during their games, which kept the excitement going and was a fun chance to come together before we stepped onto the field ourselves.
A St. Patrick’s Day-themed mocktail bar on Tuesday was a welcome change of pace. This event was a fun and relaxed break between classes that let students interact with each other while enjoying mocktails made by volunteers who worked the event. It was short and simple, but still brought students from all over campus together during a busy week of schoolwork.
The event “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Wednesday was lively and a fun event to attend, even if you weren’t necessarily participating. Two representatives from each Greek organization worked through what looked like easy trivia questions, but they often turned out to be harder than they thought. In the end, Chi Omega and Sigma Kappa were tied, and the winner was decided by a round of rock-paper-scissors. Even though we came in second, the event was one of the most fun things we did all week.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the events on Thursday and Friday due to scheduling conflicts. Freshman Sofia Grimsley, Chi Omega’s Scholarship Chair, gave some insight into these experiences, which were a casino night based on The Great Gatsby and a lock-in, respectively. “Casino night was so much fun! It was a great excuse to dress up with friends and promote Greek unity at the same time.” She went on to stress how important working together is by saying, “Greek unity is so important, so it was great that this event gave everyone the chance to have fun while also working together.”
The lock-in on Friday also made a big impression. “My favorite thing about this night was that there were events to do for everyone,” Grimsley said. “Everyone had the chance to participate, whether it was in inflatable jousting, corn hole, spike ball, or just hanging out with classmates.”
Ultimately, Delta Upsilon won the fraternity title, and Tri Sigma won the sorority title. A cookout in the fraternity parking lot marked the end of the week and was a fun way to begin the weekend as well. Grimsley added, “I loved the chance to relax and just focus on making memories, and this was a much-needed break from the stress of classes.”
Overall, Greek Week reinforced my decision to join Greek life and reminded me that it is not purely about competition or responsibilities, but rather, enjoying the experience and building connections. Greek life gives students useful skills that they can use outside of college. In Chi Omega, we especially reinforce that this is a sisterhood and support network that lasts for a lifetime. Without the work of the Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council, Greek Week would not have been possible.
