The Central Michigan University chapters of Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Kappa hosted a Senior Prom at the facility, 1945 Churchill Blvd., to entertain and socialize with residents of the nursing home.

Fraternity brothers, sorority sisters and residents dressed up for the event and mingled at tables set up throughout the main room. Attendees danced to classic and modern hits before residents elected two of their peers as king and queen of the night.

Maplewood residents Marie Krenski and Jack Anson were voted as king and queen and crowned by Homecoming Gold Ambassador and Clarkston senior Meredith Clark. After receiving the crown, Anson kissed his 99-year-old queen on the cheek.

“On behalf of the nursing home, I’d like to thank the sorority and the fraternity for putting this event together because this truly is community service,” Anson said.

Residents Doris Himebaugh and Lucile Moor said they were flattered by the fraternity brothers after they escorted them from their rooms and presented them roses.

“The boys were very nice,” Himebaugh said. “They brought us out to the table and seated us and acted very gentlemanly.”

Both Moor and Himebaugh said CMU students’ continued involvement with the nursing home is appreciated by the residents.

“We always enjoy the students’ company,” Moor said. “They’re always very polite with us and helpful if someone needs assistance.”

Riverview sophomore Dan Milligan, a current pledge of Beta Theta Pi, said he helped plan the event to give back to the Mount Pleasant community and interact with the senior citizens.

“It’s a great way to show that Greek Life is here for Mount Pleasant and CMU as a whole,” Milligan said.

Sigma Kappa member Kali Walther, a Howell senior, said the event was rewarding for members of the sorority to host.Walther said the sorority used to host a senior prom in years past and decided to bring the event back.

“We usually come here every Thursday night to play bingo with the residents, but we thought the prom would be a fun idea to bring back,” Walther said. “It’s always fun for everyone to get dressed up and socialize.”

Mouzourakis, a Garden City senior, is serving as SGA president this academic year. Although she is majoring in international business, Mouzourakis said she was naturally drawn to politics.

“When I came to Central Michigan University, I knew I wanted to continue getting involved in student government,” Mouzourakis said. “I like politics and helping people. I really want to make a difference on campus.”

Dave Breed, Muskegon senior and vice president of SGA, said the plan to run for office began when the pair met their freshman year. Breed said Mouzourakis’ drive and ambition makes her the perfect person for the presidency — that, and the energy boost she receives from her love of coffee.

“She’s completely obsessed with coffee, she’ll literally drink six to seven cups a day,” Breed said. “Ever since I’ve known her, she’s been drinking coffee.”

Both of Mouzourakis’s parents are Greek immigrants, making her and her two older sisters first generation American.

Growing up in a house where the main language was Greek, Mouzourakis said her upbringing was very similar to the film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

In addition to Greek, Mouzourakis has studied Japanese for seven years. She has travelled to Japan twice, once at age 16 and again when she studied abroad during the summer of 2008.

And while Mouzourakis has made the most of her CMU experience, she said she almost never even came.

‘What you see is what you get’

Mouzourakis had always planned to go to the University of Michigan and had in fact been accepted, but once she received the Leader Advancement Scholarship from CMU, her career choice became solidified.

“The opportunities that you have at CMU are much greater than at a big institution,” she said. “I feel like I’ve taken advantage of all the opportunities, and maybe I wouldn’t have at a bigger, more overwhelming school.”

It was through LAS that Mouzourakis met her roommate of three years, Alecia Smith. The Pinconning senior said she and Mouzourakis hit it off from the start and her fierce loyalty and sense of humor is what made the friendship last.

“I think at meetings a lot of times she puts on a serious, more professional front, but she’s hilarious,” Smith said. “If you spend more than an hour with her out of a professional setting then she’ll have you laughing. What you see is what you get with her.”

After graduation in the spring, Mouzourakis said she plans to go to law school to become an environmental lawyer, in order to give representation to the animals that can’t hire a lawyer for themselves. Mouzourakis is also a vegetarian and said she would definitely describe herself as an environmentalist.

In the little spare time she has, Mouzourakis said she enjoys reading, watching political television and doing yoga, preferably to the music of Lady Gaga.

Mouzourakis attended her first Lady Gaga concert Sept. 4 adorned in fake eyelashes, red lip stick and a bow in her hair.

“I may be the biggest Lady Gaga fan you have ever met, I am 100 percent a Little Monster,” Mouzourakis said. “The concert was absolutely amazing. Her performance of Paparazzi was my favorite, it was very artsy and visually cool.”

And although her life is hectic, she said wouldn’t want it any other way.

In July, CMU adopted an academic standards policy for fraternities and sororities, requiring prospective members to have a 2.5 GPA.

“What we do, we have a grade release form that interested students must fill out,” said Tom Idema, assistant director of Student Life. “We use the high school GPA for freshmen and, as long as they have a 2.5 cumulative GPA from high school, then they can rush.”

Fraternities have only experienced small trouble with the new rules. They have a rolling recruitment and can continue to recruit potential members throughout the year.

Fraternities have to ensure their potential members submit the grade release form before offering bids. So far, two have tried to offer bids to students whose GPA did not meet the requirements.

“In general, when fraternities do bid a potential new member whose GPA is below a 2.5, they are unaware of it,” said Chris Dutot, Phi Kappa Tau President and Midland senior.

Sigma Tau Gamma President Carl Fraser said looking at a student’s GPA is helpful when selecting new members.

“GPA is a good indicator of what potential members are going to be like in your chapter academically,” the Richmond senior said.

Though it is too early to be sure, Idema said the GPA requirement does not seem to have had an effect on fraternity recruitment, and Fraser and Dutot agree.

“It was a successful recruitment semester for Phi Kappa Tau, as well as other fraternities despite the new requirement, and I think asking for a higher GPA standard does more good than bad,” Dutot said.

Sororities unphased

There were not any noticeable changes during sorority recruitment.

According to Idema, sororities have not been affected by the new GPA requirement because of their formal recruitment structure.

“When the sororities began their formal recruitment process, the women interested had to fill out the grade release form ahead of time,” Idema said. “When it came time for recruitment, we knew that every woman interested had the grades.”

SAE’s Poker and Wings Night from CMLifeVideo on Vimeo.

One student is organizing a movement to gather Greeks and other students to move the tailgating to Main Street. Warren senior Joshua Thomas of Alpha Kappa Psi believes the policy changes are unnecessary.

He said it feels like the university is confining what students can do, and that tailgating is a tradition it should not tamper with.

“We would probably still tailgate because it’s a tradition, but we’d expand around (as well),” Thomas said.

Mount Pleasant sophomore Tay Jackson’s efforts can be found on the Facebook group, “Student Tailgating on Main St.”

The new tailgating policy includes a limit of six alcoholic beverages or one pint of alcoholic beverage per person. Sound systems beyond stock car radios are no not permitted.

The group currently has more than 400 members.

Its description for “Student Tailgating on Main St.” narrates the group’s efforts as being focused toward trying to bring the pregame atmosphere back to the students.

“My vision for the group is like how Michigan State does it — all apartments and student housing areas surrounding campus just grill out then move to the game.” Jackson said in an e-mail.

Jackson said this is likely a better alternative to the practices followed before.

“The old CMU system was obviously out of hand and I’m guessing was too much of a liability for the school. So why even still promote a tailgate when students could spread it out around all the areas of housing and not concentrate a riot in one parking lot?” Jackson said.

For some students, the changes do not seem to be all that restrictive.

“The only thing that seemed different to me was (that there can be) no external sound systems,” Port Huron junior and Alpha Phi Omega member Robert VanBuskirk said.