Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Rachel Baye The Delta Delta Delta sorority is awarded for having above-average GPAs at the Greek Week Faculty Tea in The Castle fraternity. [Click to enlarge]

While students gain knowledge and skills from their professors in the classroom, they rarely have the opportunity to interact with them in a social setting.

Last night, campus Greek organizations provided one such opportunity, hosting the second biannual Faculty Tea as part of Greek Week. About 50 professors met with Greek community members in the Psi Upsilon ("The Castle") fraternity, providing an informal setting for interaction between faculty and students.

The Multicultural Greek Council, the Panhellenic Council,and the InterFraternity Council held the event to thank Penn professors, faculty and police for their help and support and to provide a venue for networking.

The academic success of fraternities and sororities was strongly stressed at the tea.

According to Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, 454 of the about 2,000 students in the Greek system have GPAs of 3.75 or above.

Reuben Lubaspoke, executive vice president of the IFC, emphasized the importance of showing professors that "the stereotypes about Greek life aren't necessarily true."

"We succeed academically," Lubaspoke said. "This is first and foremost an academic institution."

He and Reikofski cited fraternity GPA quotas, study hours, tutoring services and furnished house libraries as ways for Greek students to succeed academically.

The tea also provided an opportunity for students to learn about professors' lives inside and outside the classroom.

Lyuba Gitman, executive vice president of the Panhellenic Council, said she spoke with a professor about Australia for over 20 minutes and learned about a class she may be interested in taking from another professor.

Students at the event also stressed the importance of the opportunities Greek life creates, such as leadership skills, a tight-knit community and many philanthropic opportunities.

Film Studies professor Emory Van Cleve attended the event because he "thought it would be interesting to speak with students, see who the other faculty were and see what it's like to be inside The Castle."

As an undergraduate at Princeton, Van Cleve joined an eating club which was "very similar to where I am standing right now."

His wife, Creative Writing professor Kathy DeMarco Van Cleve, was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta at Penn 20 years ago.

"I just don't remember many events like this happening 20 years ago," she said. "I think this gathering of students and professors in an informal atmosphere is really commendable."

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