On Aug. 26, the Mustangs will be scoring a new kind of touchdown.
All eight Panhellenic sororites will be hosting the football team for dinner Monday night at 5 p.m. Over 120 people are expected to attend, including Athletic Director Jim Copeland and SMU’s new head football coach, Phil Bennett.
Working with the Athletics Committee, the Panhellenic Executive officers and delegates met to devise ways to increase support for athletics on-campus. It was decided that each sorority could adopt players for the entire season, and thus bridge the gap between athletics and the rest of the SMU community.
Amber Mathews, coordinator of student activities and Panhellenic programs, is hoping the event will boost school spirit, on and off the field.
Each house will be hosting10-15 guests Monday evening. In addition to the event, each sorority will hang banners in the stadium during football games, decorate the football lockers, bake cookies for the players and end the games with a follow-up picnic.
“It’s not about what group you are in,” Mathews said. “It’s all about being a Mustang.”
Rebecca Panoff, vice president of public relations for SMU’s Panhellenic Council, also saw the plan as a good way to connect athletes with greek life.
In conjunction with Shawn Heilbron, director of marketing for athletics, the Council hopes to raise awareness of sporting events on-campus as well as develop a stronger connection between student organizations.
The eight sororities will meet in Oct. to discuss further plans and a possible liaison with the Interfraternity Council.
Heilbron sees the interaction between the athletics department and student organizations as a mutually beneficial arrangement.
“[It is a] reciprocal relationship where everyone is helping everyone,” Heilbron said.
By getting more students involved in the football games, Heilbron believes the players will feel more supported and the games will become a strong part of life on-campus.
Heilbron also demonstrated his enthusiasm for Coach Bennett’s presence on-campus this year. Heilbron says Bennett is amazing and believes he really values the students at SMU.
The Panhellenic Council is looking forward to attending the games this semester.
“It’s time to get excited over football,” Panoff said.