The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is sponsoring Greekend, a weekend packed with Greek Week-like activities over this upcoming weekend.

Saturday will feature a special event for members of the Greek community at the football game against James Madison.

Greekend continues Sunday with capture the flag with teams comprised of five to eight members from each of the nine Panhellenic sororities and 10 IFC Fraternities on Sheehan Beach. Greekend concludes with an All- Greek Mass.

Some of the events are “Wildcat Point” events, generating points for the different chapters on campus.

“The overall atmosphere is different,” IFC President, Adam Hopkins said when asked about the differences between this year’s Greekend and Greekend from previous years.

He noted that the major difference in the atmosphere lies in the different mindsets between Greekend and the larger Greek Week, held in the spring.

“Greek Week is a friendly competition; Greekend is more about supporting each other, as well as showing our support for other on-campus organizations,” he said.

Hopkins said that this year’s event will be different from the events from previous years because the focus will be more on competitive events rather than simply the usual barbecue and a mass strictly for members of the Greek community.

The changes to Greekend will allow “more exposure for the Greek system and more Greek unity,” Anthony Albanese, Vice President of Public Relations for the IFC, said.

This year’s Greek Mass will be open to the entire Villanova community with special seating for fraternity and sorority members.

“The primary reason we made some changes to our traditional Greekend schedule was really just to keep things fresh and fun,” Hopkins said. “Kate [Bernay, Panhellenic president] and I thought changing things up would be a positive thing for the entire Greek community.”

Greekend has also changed from previous years by focusing more on the community aspect of fraternity and sorority life. The Greek Mass will honor Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, and the focus of the weekend will be directed towards non-Greeks as well as current members of Villanova fraternities and sororities.

“We want the event to be just a great opportunity for all of the Greeks, as well as the non-Greeks, to come together for some amazing events,” Hopkins said.  “Beyond fostering good relationships, we try to use this event as a positive recruiting tool and to show the Villanova community all of the positive things we as Greeks partake in.”

By changing the traditional lineup for Greekend, both the IFC and Panhellenic are hoping to change the traditional image of fraternity and sorority life and attract potential new members during upcoming recruitment events.

“Greekend is more of a ‘well-rounded’ event,” Hopkins said.  “We try to have some fun, recruit some new members and even allow some time for reflection by attending a mass.”