Aminta Aparicio, VP Public Relations
aaparicio@ucla.edu
ANNUAL EVENTS
Blue & Gold Week Car Smash Sponsored By Panhellenic and IFC
This year, the Student Alumni Association decided to combine two traditions within the UCLA community. Our Homecoming and Beat 'SC Weeks were combined into one big week: Blue and Gold Week. This occurred the week of November 28 through December 2, right before the UCLA-USC football game. The Student Alumni Association decided to reach out to different organizations to plan events during the week, instead of taking the entire project on. The Panhellenic Council, in conjunction with the Interfraternity Council, decided to support Blue and Gold Week.
UCLA Panhellenic planned and executed the Beat 'SC Car Smash, a token event of Beat 'SC Week that the Student Alumni Association was no longer willing to plan. The event involves bringing a red car into the center plaza of the campus, and allowing passersby to hit it with a sledgehammer, illustrating how our football team is going to crush their football team in the game on Sunday. This is one of the best attended and most popular events of Beat 'SC Week, and is open to all students of UCLA.
The Panhellenic Council secured the car and a disc jockey from the local KROQ radio station, along with assisting in the advertisement of the event through flyers and posters. As always, the event was enormously successful, bringing in more than one-hundred participants and attracting the attention of many people on campus. The Panhellenic Council was extremely happy to host this event for the campus, which served to kick-off this new celebration of school spirit and make students feel as if they were a part of the UCLA community.
Bruin Bash Concert & Dance Sponsored By Panhellenic & IFC
The Bruin Bash was a newly created program that was co-sponsored by many on campus organizations, including the Panhellenic Council. In Fall 2005, multiple events were put on as a part of the Bruin Bash in order to orient new students to the UCLA campus before classes begin. These students were welcomed to meet new people and learn about new organizations, while having fun at the same time. The event was an enormous success, and will become a staple at UCLA in the future.
One part of this event was the Activities Fair, which each Panhellenic sorority, along with the council as a whole, participated in. Each chapter was allowed to have a table and women from their chapter at the fair. The Panhellenic Council was able to display their council's prominent place on campus, while welcoming women to UCLA.
Another aspect of Bruin Bash was an enormous concert and dance party for all students at UCLA, sponsored and planned by the Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council. The dance party had over 5,000 people come throughout the night, most of whom were new students. This dance was a productive and entertaining alternative to the normal practice of new students experimenting with alcohol and drugs on their first weekend away from their parents. It showed them that the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils supported safe and fun parties that didn't need to include substance abuse to draw big crowds and be extremely entertaining.
Career Fair Hosted By UCLA Panhellenic
The UCLA Panhellenic Council sponsored a Career Fair for all members of the campus in the winter of 2005. Multiple speakers came to present to a large group of students. Afterwards, they were available to communicate with everyone, offering career advice and even internship opportunities in some cases. Panhellenic helped many men and women find out more about what they would like to accomplish in their future.
Get Tested Week
The UCLA Panhellenic Council co-sponsored Get Tested Week with USAC. This week was a school-wide drive to create awareness about one's own HIV status. Events throughout the week included a speaker and a movie about AIDS, which the Panhellenic women assisted and participated in. The event was highly publicized through flyers and posters on campus, as well as Monday night announcements at each chapter house.
Most importantly, there was free HIV testing everyday in Bruin Plaza that our women were able to encourage and take advantage of. This event was important as it connected the Panhellenic name to sexual health, as well the continued importance about the awareness of HIV--both in our council and in the student population.
Contact
Please feel free to contact me or any of the officers regarding your questions, comments, or concerns. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or becoming involved with Panhellenic, please fill out the Contact Form. Thanks!