If a room filled with toned, tanned and buff fraternity boys sounds highly appealing, then you might want to clear your schedule this Saturday night.
No, this is not a “Jersey Shore” audition, but rather the 26th annual Greek God Competition. Hosted annually by the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, Greek God is a Homecoming Weekend staple that never fails to attract masses of students and alumni.
While usually known as an entertaining body-building competition, the Greek God Competition is also a great way to give back to the community. Each year, Alpha Epsilon Phi donates the proceeds to the sorority’s national philanthropy, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation. This year the sorority will also contribute money to Sharsheret for women’s breast cancer, another one of the sorority’s national philanthropies. Last year, AEPhi was able to raise $7,400, and this year they hope to raise around $8,200.
During the weeks before the event, competing fraternities are able to raise additional money through “Penny Wars,” a fundraiser where participants can add money to large pretzel jars on display at the Greek God ticketing table. Each fraternity has its own jar, and as an added incentive to donate, proceeds from Penny Wars are a contributing factor to the fraternity’s ranking in the competition.
This year, seven fraternities will bring the heat to secure the highly prestigious title of Binghamton University’s Greek God. Competing frats include Pi Lambda Phi, Chi Phi, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Chi, Zeta Beta Tau, Phi Kappa Psi and Alpha Sigma Phi.
Each contestant participates in a series of performances that contribute to his overall score, including an essay, an elaborate entrance on a handmade chariot usually followed by a short skit, a longer formal wear skit that usually features a song and a dance, and of course — the moment that truly separates the boys from the men — the pose down. Generally clad in a skimpy pair of shorts that displays the fraternity’s Greek letters on the backside, the pose down is the contestant’s opportunity to showcase his chiseled, rock-hard abs. This part is usually judged by local fitness professionals and health professors, who look for creativity, stage presence and a hard-earned physique. For the top three finalists, there is a question round as well.
AEPhi members Rachel Serwetz and Shelby Gerstenhaber are the event’s co-chairs. According to Serwetz, helping plan Greek God has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
“I encourage everyone to come because, while you’re donating to great charities, you’re also able to watch the show of a lifetime and get to see all of the hard work that the frats have put in,” said Serwetz, a junior majoring in human development. “The fraternities get so into it and it really is very entertaining.”
The Greek God Competition will be held at the West Gym and doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be sold all week in the New University Union. They will also be available at the door for $12.