Poets covered life lessons from love and hate to religion and personal struggles for a crowd of about 70 students at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. open mic and poetry slam Tuesday night. The Gamma Pi chapter of the sorority hosted the event at 7:22 p.m. in the LSU Student Union’s Magnolia Room. Kristen Lonon, chapter president, said the poetry slam is one of several events planned for Sigma Gamma Rho week. She said the sorority scheduled the event to begin at the unusual time to represent the sorority’s founding year, 1922. Lonon said the sorority started to organize open mic nights a few semesters ago after noticing an increase in student interest in the events, which were previously uncommon on campus. Je’da McGlothan, business freshman and one of three student judges for the poetry slam, said open mic nights allow students to express talents without restrictions. “You can just be yourself,” McGlothan said. “The love you feel after you go up and perform is just crazy.” Darek Jackson, political science junior, performed at the chapter’s first two open mic nights. Jackson said he didn’t prepare material for the poetry slam but felt comfortable free-styling. He said the success of a poetry slam depends on the atmosphere of the audience. “If it’s a lame crowd, it’s kind of like you’re in your underwear in front of your third grade class,” Jackson said, though the crowd maintained high enthusiasm during this year’s event. Nakia Thomas, communication studies senior, won the poetry slam and received an $87 gift card to Wal-Mart — which represents the sorority’s 87-year anniversary, Lonon said. Although the University chapter of the sorority consists of only six members, Lonon said those few participants worked hard to plan a week of events. “Our numbers shouldn’t affect how we perform as a chapter,” Lonon said. The Sigma Gamma Rho week theme is “The Glamorhous Life.” Lonon said the sorority is teaming up with mark. Cosmetics Inc. to offer free make-overs and make-up application tips at 7:22 p.m. on Wednesday in the East Campus Apartments activity center. She said the group also planned a body image workshop for men and women with a representative from the Student Health Center at 6:22 p.m. Friday in the ECA activity center. The sorority chose the workshop topic because body image affects individuals’ opinions of themselves, Lonon said.”A lot of females have a negative view of themselves,” Lonon said. She said the sorority hopes the workshops will help students cultivate positive body images. “We’re really about being real,” Lonon said. “I don’t feel like I have to be anything other than what I am in this sorority.” —-Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]