As the Greek Week sets in at UCSC, IGC organizers reflect on how the Greek system is growing.

Rain, a change in venue, and a four hour delay was not enough to stop the girls of Gamma Phi Beta from hosting its charity volleyball tournament last Sunday. The money raised at the event went towards Campfire USA, a not-for-profit youth development organization.

Despite the rain last Tuesday night, approximately 400 students packed the Stevenson Event Center for this year’s Cultural Celebration Night (CCN) to enjoy an evening of free food and performances showcasing the heritage of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community at UC Santa Cruz.

It’s about that time of night: eleven o’ clock — maybe 11:45 on a lucky night. Less inebriated attendees sense it will happen any minute. It’s sudden but predictable: knock on door, music stops, expletives are hurled, beers fall out of hands — the cops have arrived to break up yet another Santa Cruz house party.

This recurring scenario seems to be something that students have grown to accept. It has become an unavoidable part of attending college in a city that refuses to be called a ‘college town’.

In the 1980s some students went through a battle to get the university’s approval of Greek organizations, while others went through great lengths to oppose their formation. Today the establishment of Greek organizations at UCSC remains controversial.

As of right now, the way I’m feeling toward Theta Chi fraternity can best be summed up with one finger. With a passenger-side window and a repair bill of $256, it’s fair to say that I’m pretty heated. Last Saturday, the Theta Chi fraternity threw a luau-themed day party at 161 Archer St. that took six police cars and two motorcycle cops to break up. By midafternoon, an estimated 200 students were in attendance, and most (if not all) of them were intoxicated. Once the party had been broken up, guests were left to drunkenly lurk around the neighborhood. Meanwhile, residents and families of the area were furious about the noise, vandalism and disrespect Theta Chi’s festivity caused.