The 27th annual Greek Award winners were announced Wednesday night at an awards ceremony, which recognized fraternities, sororities and individuals in the Greek community who have stood out during the past year.

Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority took the Dean’s Cup for Fraternal Excellence, the highest honor given to a Greek organization at the event. Last year’s winners were Beta Theta Pi and Alpha Delta Pi.

Each of the awards, which include Outstanding Chapter Community Service, Highest GPA and Most Improved Chapter, are judged on a points system. The chapter with the overall highest score wins the Dean’s Cup.

Judges included faculty from various Emory departments, including Campus Life; Residence Life and Housing; Student Leadership and Service; Development and Alumni Relations; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life; Student Conduct; Athletics; Multicultural Affairs; and the Clairmont Area Director.

In addition to the Dean’s Cup, Alpha Phi Alpha also won awards for Outstanding Chapter Community Service, Service Project of the Year, Excellence in Fundraising, Educational Program of the Year, Most Improved Chapter, Excellence in Standards and Judicial Procedures and two individual awards, including Gregory Bailey’s Chapter Advisor of the Year award and College junior Jonathan Hill’s New Member of the Year award.

College senior and Alpha Phi Alpha president Robert Pierre said that he is proud of his fraternity, because the brothers have put in a lot of work and participated in “service that matters, not just what’s convenient.”

“It’s a great honor, my chapter is really proud of our efforts,” Pierre said. “It’s really great to bring the trophy back to our fraternity again especially with the stiff competition.”

Delta Delta Delta were also awarded the Most Improved Chapter award and the Outstanding Community Servant, given to College senior Melissa Danesh.

College junior Josh Berman, who is a member of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT), won Greek Man of the Year for the work he has done for both his fraternity and for the Greek community in general.

“He’s been a tremendous asset to this fraternity,” College junior and ZBT president Ben Gordon said. “One area he’s helped us in is the housing process, being so involved in RHA [Residence Hall Association].”

Even though Berman has never held a position in the fraternity, Gordon said, Berman has gone “above and beyond his call of duty” to help Greek life have a voice within the University housing process.

“It was a great opportunity to have [Berman] recognized for all the work he’s done not just for our fraternity but also for the Greek community at large,” Gordon said.

Berman said that he was not expecting the nomination.

“The fact that I was up for the award at all was really surprising because we had a number of really qualified candidates,” Berman said. “As a junior, it’s really an honor. It was a nice acknowledgement for the work I had done.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s College junior Anni-Michele Jean-Pierre won Greek Woman of the Year.

Kappa Sigma won the Outstanding Brotherhood award, and College junior and Kappa Sigma president Thomas Quigley won President of the Year.

Quigley said that the awards are a “nice nod” to the work his fraternity has done.

“Our chapter has only been at Emory for four years, so for me personally, it’s amazing to see us winning all these awards. It just goes to show how dedicated our brothers are to working for the fraternity,” he said.

Quigley added that he is grateful for his individual award.

“There have been lots of little things happening over the course of the year that make me really proud of my fraternity, and getting this award is great because it means other people see those things too,” he said.

Quigley added that he was surprised at winning the award and is proud to have received this award.

“I am incredibly grateful to all the brothers that have tirelessly helped throughout the year,” Quigley said.

Kappa Kappa Gamma won Outstanding Campus Involvement and Outstanding Alumni Relations, and College senior and Kappa Kappa Gamma president Kirsten Skillrud won sorority President of the Year.

“I worked so hard as president, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done — harder than any organic chemistry class I’ve ever taken at Emory. It’s trying to keep 140 women happy,” Skillrud said. “I’ve interacted with all of the presidents, and they are some of the hardest working people at Emory. So to be recognized as outstanding is just amazing.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma’s awards, Skillrud added, were “very fitting” because the sorority just held a 50th anniversary event in which hundreds of alumni attended, including attendance from every single woman from the first pledge class.

National Pan-Hellenic sorority Delta Phi Lambda won Outstanding Educational Program of the Year and Most Creative Non-Alcoholic Social Event.

Last year, the sorority won Outstanding Campus Involvement.

“To get two awards this year shows how much we’ve improved,” College junior and Delta Phi Lambda president Melissa Duong said. “We’re bettering ourselves every year, and it’s nice to see that we’re being recognized on campus.”

The night’s awards also honored Alpha Tau Omega for Outstanding Campus Involvement and Sigma Delta Tau for Outstanding Sisterhood.

Alpha Delta Pi received an award for Highest GPA and Kappa Alpha Theta for Excellence in Standards and Judicial Procedures.

The Greek Awards were started in 1983 to recognize individuals and chapters who exemplify excellent leadership, service, scholarship, education and programming.
Other awards and winners can be seen on the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life’s website.

— Contact Alice Chen.