The night was more like The Oscars than the average student awards ceremony.

Most men sported tuxes and women wore formal dresses Thursday night at the Excellence in Student Life Awards. The annual ceremony began 15 years ago to recognize students and faculty for outstanding contributions to the GW community.

Many facets of student life at GW were represented – fraternities and sororities, Muslim groups and Caribbean groups, Republicans and Democrats, to name a few. The nominees are first notified by e-mail that they had been nominated, and then they receive a letter a few days later telling them for what they have been nominated.

Many freshmen were nominated. One of the newest awards, the Mount Vernon Community Spirit Award, recognized individual women on the Mount Vernon campus. The award went to two freshman women.

Ben Kostrazewa was nominated for new RHA Member of the year. When he found out he was nominated, Kostrazewa said he thought they had made a mistake. He is a member of the Lafeyette Hall Council, which was up for another award during the course of the evening.

Rebekah Brockway, who received the award for new RHA Member of the Year, said he was excited to have been nominated because it’s nice to get recognized for all the work you do.

There is a nice glass case back at Mitchell just waiting for that plaque, Annie O’Neal, a member of the Creative and Performing Arts Community that won the Best Expressive and Performing Arts award, told her fellow members after the win.

Jason Coburn, junior and president of Kappa Sigma fraternity, said his fraternity was nominated because members give back to the community.

We have a very active brotherhood, he said. Coburn attributes the group’s nomination to all the different activities in which they participate and succeed. Kappa Sigma’s community service includes a safe-sex campaign and an prom with senior citizens at St. Mary’s Court, along with the Sigma Kappa sorority.

Coburn said scholarship is one of our finer points, which is why they have such a high GPA. But Kappa Sigma lost to Lambda Chi Alpha as Greek Organization of the year.

Patrick Ledesma, senior and former president of Lambda Chi Alpha, was late to the event because he had class. He did not find out until after the ceremony that his fraternity had won two awards before he arrived.

Ledesma said his Baer Award for Individual Excellence means so much to me.

I love GW, he added.

Shauna Carter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority won the Greek Woman of the Year award. Her sorority won several awards.

I’m very excited, Carter said. We do so much for this campus, and now we’re getting recognized.