Penn's Greek organizations plan for Homecoming weekend

This Homecoming weekend, Greek students may see some older “brothers” at open house fraternity parties.

Almost all Greek organizations will host events at their chapter houses for alumni in order to celebrate Homecoming. Most events will take place on Saturday, the same day as the Homecoming football game.

Sigma Alpha Mu brother and 1983 College graduate Michael Fuchs returned last year to the SAM chapter house.

“You never know who is going to be there,” Fuchs said. “I do feel a connection to the current students. We share traditions and your composite may be up on the wall.”

Fuchs added that in the 1980s, SAM was “a high academic-achieving” fraternity that shared “quite a rivalry” with Sigma Nu — the fraternity house next door.

The Office of Student Affairs/Fraternity Sorority Life “encourages alumni to maintain ties with each other and their undergraduate chapters,” Director Scott Reikofski wrote in an email.

While OSA/FSL does not organize any official events, individual chapters entertain their alumni, he added.

This year, Zeta Beta Tau fraternity is planning an event that goes beyond alumni mingling. A memorial service for ZBT alumnus and 1948 Wharton graduate Arthur Horwitz, who passed away over the summer, will take place at the chapter house on Saturday, ZBT Alumni Chairman and College sophomore Roy Weiss said.

Horwitz was president of the ZBT National Organization from 1972-1973. Horwitz “was president during a difficult period … and helped counteract the anti-organization mindset of the times,” according to an email invitation.

The current brothers will open their doors to all ZBT alumni to help hang Horwitz’ portrait in the lobby of their chapter house, Weiss added.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon plans to use homecoming weekend as means to thank alumni. SAE brothers who graduated in the 1960s funded improvements in the chapter house’s dining room, SAE Alumni Chairman and Wharton and Engineering junior Jack Robinson said.

All SAE alumni are invited to the chapter house on homecoming weekend. Robinson also expects “better or equal turn out” than last year’s events.

Greek alumni who graduated over 25 years ago still feel a connection and share memories when they return to campus for homecoming weekend.

“We don’t know any of the existing brothers, none were born when we went to college,” Sigma Nu fraternity alumnus and 1986 College graduate Joseph Lorenc said. “It’s funny, you still have memories of the bar, the pool tables and the common rooms. A lot of them have the same footprints.”

Lorenc added that he had stronger ties with the football team, yet the fraternity still uses email updates and social media for reunions.

“It’s tough. You go back when you’re single with no children and no responsibility. Then you hit a point where you start having other commitments.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.