The phrase “Without the Greek it’s just a week,” took on a new meaning last week when more than 1,200 Greek members turned out to show what they were made of for Greek Week 2008.

For sororities, Kappa Delta took home a first place over-all finish, Alpha Delta Pi was second and Sigma Kappa finished third. For fraternities, FarmHouse landed a first place finish, Sigma Phi Epsilon took second and Sigma Nu finished third.

Greek Week, which has been a part of Western for more than 40 years, is the biggest competition for Greeks. Twelve fraternities and seven sororities participated in the eight-day competition which included Spring Sing, a banner competition, Greek Feud, a blood drive, events day, philanthropy day and Tug.

The week was successful this year because of the number of active members that participated and those that came to show their support, said Charley Pride, director of student activities and organizations.

“The best thing about Greek Week is that it gives them the ability to compete against their peers,” Pride said. “It is a competition, but they also have a good time.”

Pride said that Greek Week isn’t just a time to compete, but it also allows the Greeks to bond with each other and their own members.

“I hope that Greek Week gave them an opportunity to do things together for specific reasons,” Pride said. “I hope they learned the meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood.”

Owensboro sophomore Julie O’Bryan, a KD, said that Greek Week went well because there was good communication between members and everyone put in hard work.

O’Bryan said that although the entire week is extremely stressful on everyone involved, the week is enjoyable and worth the stress.

“The sisterhood by far is the best part about Greek Week because every sorority comes together and we don’t yell or get angry at each other,” O’Bryan said. “In the end, we are all happy because we put in our best efforts.”

Owensboro sophomore Stephanie Rogier, a Sigma Kappa, said that a good turnout helped Greek Week be an enjoyable and fun experience for all.

Rogier said that her favorite part of Greek Week was Spring Sing because even though it was stressful, it gave her a chance to get closer to her sisters by practicing long hours with them and having fun.

“Greek week is a competition, but it’s also about coming together,” Rogier said. “Getting awards is just a minor part of it because it’s mostly about hard work and working together.”

Reach Alex Booze at diversions@chherald.com.