Joy and disappointment filled the Student Life Center Monday evening at the annual Chancellor Alexander Heard Greek Awards, where Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta sorority won chapter of the year for their respective councils.

The Greek award banquet celebrated its 26th year with a mixture of first-time winners and repeats winning the 11 council-wide awards.

Alpha Delta Pi is not unaccustomed to winning Heard awards and celebrated their second year in a row winning chapter of the year for Panhellenic Council in addition to the multiple other awards they walked home with, which included outstanding educational project, outstanding campus involvement, Order of Omega academic excellence and faculty relations.

“We were very excited to win the chapter of the year award two years in a row,” said former Alpha Delta Pi President Lindsay Cullum. “We had also won the other awards previously, and it was really humbling to know that the faculty was seeing the progress that we were making on making a positive impression on Vanderbilt.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Phi Beta had their first taste of success when they won chapter of the year for Interfraternity Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council, respectively.

Sigma Phi Epsilon won three additional awards, including outstanding faculty relations, which stresses the importance of creating relationships with the faculty, and Order of Omega academic excellence, which rewards the chapters with the highest grade point averages. Sigma Phi Epsilon President Jon Michael Reese expressed the dedication his brothers had to improving their chapter this year.

“I was really excited. I think we deserved the awards,” Reese said. “It was a team effort, and all the brothers put in a lot of work.”

The president of the Zeta Phi Beta, Kirstie Kwarteng, expressed similar sentiments.

“I was ecstatic when we won,” she said. “It is such a blessing, and we are all really happy.”

While the three Greek organizations that won chapter of the year walked away with several awards, awards such as outstanding community service project, outstanding philanthropy project and most improved chapters were won by other chapters.

“We have been trying to do things together as Greek organizations,” Cullum said, “I think a lot of us have been going above and beyond to help Greek unity.”

The Heard awards were created in honor of former Chancellor Alexander Heard. Since their creation in 1982, the awards have been highly sought after, and all three Greek councils compete.

“There are four committees comprised of Vanderbilt faculty and staff, who select the winners for Panhellenic, NPHC, IFC and individual awards,” said Tanner Marcantel, assistant director of Greek life.

The awards application process required chapters to write essays and create presentations explaining why their chapter was worthy of an award.

“Four of our members created a 25-minute presentation for chapter of the year along with a three-page presentation,” Cullum said. “We wanted to express that Greek life really has a positive influence on campus.”

—Lakendra Scott can be reached at lakendra.j.scott@vanderbilt.edu