‘Airband’ show, community service focus of Greek Weekend

Event Date: 
April 11, 2019 - 8:00 AM to April 14, 2019 - 5:00 PM
Location: 
on campus

Starting April 11, the Fraternity and Sorority Life will host Greek Weekend. For four days, the focus will be to provide students an opportunity to give back to the community and promote unity within fraternity and sorority chapters, as well as within the larger Greek community.

Twenty fraternities and sororities are scheduled to participate in this year’s Greek Weekend: eight Panhellenic Association organizations, six Interfraternity Council organizations, four Independent Greek Council organizations, one Diversified Greek Council organization and one National Panhellenic Council organization.

 “Game Night” is the weekends’ theme, and organizers are spearheading the Greek Weekend Day of Service. Volunteer opportunities will be promoted during the weekend. In the past, students have: cooked dinner for the Hospitality House, created tie blankets with the Linus Project, created calendars and banners for the children's hospital, and made no-sew blankets for the animal shelter. Students also have volunteered at the Jamil Niner Student Pantry and cleaned four adopt-a-spots around campus.

“These projects not only benefit the community, but they create lasting partnerships,” said Melissa Knutsen a, graduate assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life and second-year Master of Public Health student.

During Greek Awards, which wraps up the weekend, Fraternity and Sorority Life recognizes organizations that have excelled at educational programming, philanthropy and community service.

“Our students put in a great deal of work, and it is wonderful to see them receive recognition for that effort,” Knutsen said.

“Airband,” the main Greek Weekend event, showcases Greek organizations as they compete in eight-minute dance/acting skits planned and executed by competing chapters.

More than 1,500 Greek students are expected to participate in this year’s Greek Weekend.

“Personally, this is a time where I get to reflect on all of the wonderful and exciting things my chapter has done all year, from community service events, to socials and everything in between,“ stated Kelly Gamble, who is a Greek  Weekend executive board member majoring in Child and Family Development. “As a senior, this year will be bittersweet. It will be the last time I get to put on a crazy, fun outfit and share my sisterhood with everyone. It will be the last time I get to serve the community with my sisters, and it will be the last time I get to show my Niner pride, as a Greek, before graduation.”

Airband is scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday, April 12, in Halton Arena. Admission is free and open to the entire campus community. UNC Charlotte faculty and staff, as well as their families, are welcome to attend the event.

“We want this event to be something that our Greek organizations enjoy and take pride in, but also something that the entire UNC Charlotte community engages in and looks forward to each year,” said Gamble.