Julie Ryan/Collegian
Freshmen Cara Goggins (L) and Kimberlee White eat salad and enjoy the fellowship during the Greek Progressive Dinner.
All six fraternities and sororities united over the weekend to put on their first progressive dinner for Hillsdale students. It gave all classes, Greeks and independents an opportunity to come together and skip a Saga meal Sunday night. Benefits from the evening went to the Hillsdale County Special Olympics.
Senior Tracy Hacke, philanthropy chair for Pi Beta Phi sorority, assisted in coordinating the event and said nearly $320 was raised.
Senior Sigma Chi Jonathan Schuler, in charge of advertising the event, said he was happy with the evening’s turnout. Although the 62 students that attended the dinner was a number lower than estimated, Schuler said the Greeks plan on having more progressive dinners and hope to increase attendance in the future.
“No one had ever done this before, so it was harder to get people to come,” Schuler said.
Freshman Amber Harmon attended the dinner and said it helped her in her continuing decision of joining a sorority.
“Going to the progressive dinner gave me a more encompassing picture of the Greek houses and Greek life,” Harmon said. “It was a lot of fun getting to meet the Greek men and women involved and benefiting the Hillsdale County Special Olympics.”
The students involved took several months to plan the menu and organize the evening. The dinner consisted of salad, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread and cheesecake.
Junior Joy Miller, a member of the Panhellenic Council, assisted with the planning and also guided groups from sorority house to house.
“We are hoping to get some publicity,” Miller said. “We want to support Greek life and get our image out there. We want to serve the community and we hope to do that by raising money for the Hillsdale County Special Olympics. We want to support them and give something back to the community.”
Junior Abbie Clevenger, student coordinator of Best Buddies and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, suggested that the proceeds of the evening benefit the Hillsdale County Special Olympics.
“Tracy [Hacke] and I came up with the [progressive dinner] on our own,” Schuler said. “We were trying to figure out how to get more Greek unity with philanthropy.”
The unity within the Greek community was evident during the event as three to four students from each Greek house served at each sorority house. That allowed for each of the three groups of guests to meet new people at each house.
The friendly atmosphere of Chi Omega sorority welcomed the visitors in for their first course: salad. Guests were ushered into the living room where they could enjoy the Green Bay-Atlanta football game on television or talk with the hosts about their house. Chi Omega also seated the guests at smaller tables, which allowed for intimate conversations.
The Pi Beta Phi sorority house had fun dinner music playing and the chance to talk with a sorority member at each table. Baskets of warm garlic bread and plates full of spaghetti and meatballs had nobody missing Saga. The dinner guests were split up into smaller groups for a personal and extensive tour of the house.
The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house looked inviting with hosts waiting in anticipation of the guests and the next course, dessert.
Both the guests and Greek hosts sat down to enjoy the meal, which was served by Greek men and women.
The members of the sorority offered a tour of their house, with the history of the sorority exuding from the pictures on the walls.
Freshman Courtney Yeutter enjoyed the time she spent at each house.
“It was a really good opportunity to get to know different people and to see the different aspects of Hillsdale College student life,” Yeutter said.
Greek representatives said they hope to have a progressive dinner in the near future with the faculty as guests.