College is an important time in students’ lives and can lead to amazing career opportunities and life-changing experiences. But perhaps one overlooked aspect of college is collegian life. Collegians exist to provide students ways to get involved in the college community. At Pensacola Christian College, collegians promote the four pillars of Greek life: unity, academics, leadership, and service.
Getting Involved
Every spring semester, PCC students look forward to Greek Week, a full week of competition, activities, and surprises for the student body. Through all the activities of Greek Week, unity, academics, leadership, and service are emphasized. Senior Joash Goins (FL) looks forward to Greek Week every year. “Greek Week has grown on me over the last four years,” he shared. “It is a key component of current PCC life because it builds school spirit through the events and relaxed mood; students can be more comfortable being themselves. I am all for anything that brings PCC students together and grows their love for the school. We need to build more school spirit and culture!”
Each day this week was packed with activities for students. Monday, collegians competed in Greek Sing. Geared toward encouraging unity and leadership in the collegians, many look forward to this yearly activity. The Alpha Kappa Rho Wolves and the Zeta Sigma Delta Tornadoes won the competition. Tuesday, OneBlood came to campus and students could participate in the Blood Drive; this drive lasted from Tuesday to Thursday. The Alpha Kappa Rho Wolves and the Pi Kappa Delta Cougars collegians had the most students participate. That evening, collegian members met on First Street Field to make tie-dye shirts and s’mores. Many students enjoyed the cooler weather and spent quality time with fellow collegian members.
After a special Wednesday service for the student body, students met at the Sports Center arena for some friendly collegian competitions. The Omega Zeta Rho Aztecs and the Beta Kappa Delta Hornets declared victory. Thursday evening, the student body came together for the All-American Collegian Tailgate. Food trucks parked along Main Drive and 2nd Street, and students were able to enjoy sweet and savory treats. This event kicked off the collegian basketball championships, where men and women collegians faced off to determine which collegians would be victorious. The Zeta Nu Rho Gators won the women’s competition, and the Pi Zeta Delta Wolverines won the men’s competition.
“Every day this week, I ended my day satisfied with a community I’m blessed to be a part of.”
To end the week of events, all collegians came together to enjoy Sunset Cinema. Students arrived at Eagle Field with blankets, food, and friends to watch a movie followed by a surprise drone show recapping the week’s activities. Many students appreciated the opportunities Greek Week opened up for them this week. Sophomore Autumn Tastet (FL) loved being able to spend time with her collegian. “My favorite part of the week was growing closer to some of the girls in my collegian,” she said. “Every day this week, I ended my day satisfied with a community I’m blessed to be a part of.”
Spiritual Reach
Greek Week is a time for students to come together and have fun but also to find their center in Christ. The chapel messages during Greek Week centered on the four pillars of Greek life and how that translates to the Christian walk. This year, senior pastor of NewLife Baptist Church Ray McCormick (Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) came to speak to the student body.
“It’s an amazing tool to encourage the students to come together in order to make a difference for Christ.”
His sermon series encouraged students to love one another as Christ loved (unity), serve as Christ served (service), pursue wisdom to make right decisions (academics), and know God personally in order to lead with influence (leadership). “I loved being able to be a part of Greek Week,” Pastor McCormick shared. “It’s an amazing tool to encourage the students to come together in order to make a difference for Christ.”
Many collegians were also able to participate in the special chapel series through musical specials and testimonies. Omega Chi Delta Wildcats president Cole Sears (HI), Beta Epsilon Rho Bengals chaplain Autumn Tastet Alpha Kappa Rho Wolves vice president Mikayla Stephan (FL), and Omega Kappa Delta Vikings chaplain Joash Goins all gave stirring testimonies about how Christ has worked in their lives.
Speaking about how Christ inspired her to serve through her collegian’s service projects, Autumn challenged the audience. “Find ways to serve in whatever position you are in right now,” she encouraged. “You may be an officer already in your collegian. What can you do to serve others and your community? How can you help your collegian grow to serve better together? Or you may feel like you can’t do anything because you aren’t an officer or don’t have a special service project, but I would encourage you to serve in smaller capacities through opportunities that are all around you.”
Through games, events, and chapel messages, Greek Week encourages the student body to come together and have fun while challenging them to uphold the four pillars of Greek life. Through these challenges, students have experiences that will live with them for the rest of their lives.