Written for The Argo by Esmeralda Rivera

Formal Recruitment for the fraternities and sororities of the National Panhellenic Conference and the Interfraternity Council brought a lot of new members to meet. On Wednesday, March 22, the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority hosted its annual dance competition, titled Search for the Stars. In preparation for the event, all the new member classes formed different dance teams. Unlike many other Greek contests that are typically hosted in the Campus Center Theater, members and guests bought tickets at the Performing Arts Center to see the event.

Throughout the competition, Zeta Tau Alpha promoted breast cancer awareness by raising money for their three philanthropy partners: Bright Pink, the NFL, and the American Cancer Society. The judges were made up of members of different organizations, which included Delta Zeta, Delta Phi Epsilon, Tri Delta, Alpha Chi Rho, and Alpha Sigma Pi. One of the judges was Zeta Tau Alpha’s president.

The event featured many well-performed dances and remixes. The brothers and sisters cheered passionately for all their new member classes, showing their steadfast support. The new members all came out in assorted outfits and showed off their skills through bold dance moves. At the end of their performances, they chanted for their respective fraternities and sororities.

After the show, the ZTA members gave out raffle baskets before announcing the prizes. Delta Zeta won the People’s Choice Award, by a vote from the audience. Tri Delta took the second-place award. The first-place winner for the fraternities was Kappa Sigma, who delivered a comedic and charming performance. Lastly, keeping a winning streak for 2 years in a row, Sigma Delta Tau was awarded the first-place title for the sororities.

Lauren Faustino, ZTA’s historian and Vice President three of Membership, thought that this year’s Search for the Stars turned out well. “We almost had the PAC full, and I loved seeing the turnouts from each club and organization here on campus. I’m so excited for our 25^th Search for the Stars next year,” said Faustino.

Gianna Weikel was the Delta Zeta member on the judging panel and will be graduating this semester with a Biology degree. She enjoyed seeing the new members enjoy themselves, commenting that “I think Sigma Delta Tau kills it every single time, and they really killed it again this year. Search for the Stars is one of my favorite events because it’s right after Recruitment, and right after all the new girls and guys get in. It’s good to see the pledge classes bonding together, being able to go up there.”

From Monday, March 27, to Friday, March 31, Greek Week will take place. The participating Greek organizations will be collecting funds for the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, the co-hosting organization, throughout the week. Tri Sigma is also currently collecting funds for the March of Dimes organization, which works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The March for Babies walk will take place on April 22 in Philadelphia. Anyone can donate to the cause using this link.