Division of Student Affairs

Fraternity and Sorority members at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland engaged in a week long competition which focuses on leadership, community service, and scholarship. The competition, known as "Battle of the Sides," pits Greeks housed on the North Side of campus against those on the South Side in a series of events including a trivia competition, a student/faculty forum, a day of community service, and a nationally recognized speaker.

The Battle began on Thursday, Nov. 13 with The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) Trivia Night. Greek chapters sponsored teams of five to participate in a Jeopardy-inspired competition. All proceeds from the event went to the annual OMA Turkey Drive which provides food to needy families in Cleveland. The competition raised $250 for the Turkey Drive.

The next day, student organizers from the fraternity and sorority governing bodies (the Interfraternity Congress and the Panhellenic Council) presented a panelist discussion to the campus community known as Faculty Forum. The discussion, moderated by the new university Provost, William "Bud" Baeslack, brought together faculty, students, and administrators to discuss the topic, "Is four years and one major enough? - Are our students doing too much?" The discussion focused on students who feel the need to double or triple major, the dichotomy between course work in the arts versus those in the sciences, and the disconnect between liberal arts and more vocational education.

On Saturday, Greek and non-Greek students gathered to participate in a variety of community service activities. These included:

• Making 600 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were donated to the Cleveland Men’s Shelter.
• Putting together 500 needle kits for the Cleveland Free Clinic’s Needle Exchange Program, which aims to dramatically decrease HIV in the Cleveland area.
• Arranging 500 folders containing information and resources from the Cleveland Free Clinic for them to give to patients and the public.
• Helping the organization Replay for Kids repair approximately 200 damaged toys to be reused and given to disabled children.
• Making about 115 holiday decorations for the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland. Students completed a total of 276.5 hours of community service.

Finally, on Sunday, Nov. 16, the Interfraternity Congress and Panhellenic Council capped off the week by hosting a nationally recognized speaker to address issues facing college students. This fall, IFC and PHC chose Brad Karsh from Job Bound to speak on the topic “Finding Jobs in Today’s Economy.” Karsh focused on networking and how Greek students can use the skills and resources provided to them by the Greek Community.

While the real purpose of the week is to provide support to the local community and opportunities for students to grow as leaders, it wouldn’t be a true “battle” without a winner. So, based on participation in the four events, the South Side Greek chapters have once again bested their North Side opponents and emerged victorious in the Battle of the Sides.