The annual crooning and swooning celebration of Gone Greek Night stirred the Sorority Quads on Saturday evening, but heightened safety measures helped give the traditionally raucous a more G-rated feel.
Hoping to eliminate sexual misconduct and to reduce fighting between different fraternities, Greek officials asked fraternity and sorority members to phase out the sexist and derogatory song lyrics that have pervaded past celebrations.
“I don’t think we were living up to our potential for this event,” said Elizabeth Kos, interim area coordinator for Greek affairs. “It’s a celebration of going Greek, but we lose a lot of the values that we have on this night. This year and last year there has been a lot of movement to make Gone Greek Night more fun and more appropriate for the whole range of people participating.”
For the first time, fraternities were required to eat dinner at the sororities, and the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association posted their officers in purple jackets to provide security and direct traffic.
“This is the most peaceful Gone Greek Night in history,” said IFC Vice President of Programming Ayan Bagchi. “The big difference this year compared to last year is mandatory dinners at the sororities, and there is no alcohol at the sorority houses.”
Women lined up on their porches to chant house songs to men in formal attire bearing roses. The new fraternity pledges serenaded women with ballads like “My Girl,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Hooked on a Feeling.” Some sororities were treated to vocal percussion and intricate harmonizing by the a cappella group Asterik, posing as fictional fraternity Tau Iota Tau.
McCormick freshman Ryan Sochol invoked the spirit of Michael Flatley, casting aside shirt and shame to become the Lord of the Phi Kappa Psi Dance, while his fellow pledges provided music and dance support.
“I figured it was kind of old to sing songs like Miles Davis year after year, and doing some Irish dancing would be really fun,” Sochol said.
After the serenades, different houses went to private parties at venues such as The Keg of Evanston, 810 Grove St., and the Evanston Hilton Garden Inn, 1818 Maple Ave. Eight houses took an hourlong drive west to North Beach, a club in Hoffman Estates, which featured dancing, indoor beach volleyball and bowling.
Most after-parties provided non-alcoholic options for under-age members and dry fraternities, said Sigma Phi Epsilon President Nate Grobe.
“We wanted to take the emphasis off of alcohol because in the past Gone Greek Night has just been going to bars,” said Grobe, a McCormick junior. “We want everyone to be involved.”
Panhel President Peggy Yu said one of her goals for Gone Greek Night was to tone down the interhouse rivalries and objectionable song lyrics.
“(Fraternities and sororities) did a really good job of taking away songs that objectify and degrade women and that are competitive with other sororities,” Yu said. “We still have a ways to go but we’ve taken the first big step. Things are a lot tamer, and people are a lot more respectful.”
