The month of April has kept fraternities and sororities across campus busy, as they have worked to raise money for the community through student competitions.

Throughout April — almost every Saturday and Sunday — a fraternity or sorority has hosted a philanthropy event, according to an April 12 news release from Syracuse University’s Division of Student Affairs. The events have ranged from dodgeball tournaments to capture-the-flag competitions.

Once a year, each fraternity and sorority holds a philanthropy event, which plays an important role in raising money for local and national charities, according to the release. Several fraternity and sorority presidents said April has traditionally been the best month to hold such events because the weather is optimal for outdoor activities.

Last year, the SU greek community raised almost $1 million and volunteered 16,000 hours of community service, according to the release from the Division of Student Affairs.

On April 17, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity hosted an event called Phi Psi Guts, which was based off an old Nickelodeon television show called ‘GUTS,’ said Andrew Frisina, philanthropy chair of the fraternity and a senior psychology major. The event raised money for the Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse.

‘We raise money for them because they use it for their summer programs,’ he said. ‘We’ve always wanted to do more.’

Phi Psi hosted between 600 and 700 people at the event, bringing in between $7,000 and $7,850, Frisina said. The fraternity is still waiting for more donations to come in, Frisina said.

‘I thought it was a huge success,’ he said. ‘I’m usually a little bit worried. Our brothers made it a lot easier to have it run.’

Michael Tischler, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon and a junior sport management major, said this year’s event was the best one the fraternity has ever held. It hosted a dodgeball tournament in Archbold Gymnasium.

‘We were more focused on recruitment for the event,’ Tischler said. ‘We felt the money would come with it. Our focus was to get teams and get sponsors.’

Tischler said 39 teams — of 6 to 8 people — signed up this year, totaling between 350 and 400 participants, including SigEp brothers, Tischler said. The fraternity donated $850 to their national charity, YouthAIDS.

‘It was very successful,’ Tischler said. ‘We’re excited to donate more money to valuable charities.’

The Gamma Phi Beta sorority hosted a capture-the-flag tournament for its philanthropy event, which raised more than $3,000, said Stacy McAllister, president of the sorority and a junior exercise science major. Fifteen teams registered for Gamma Phi’s event, surpassing last year’s attendance.

She said the sorority decided to use a capture-the-flag-style tournament last year for its philanthropy because it was an original and fun way to raise money. The sorority raised money for Camp Good Days and Special Times, which provides services for children and families affected by cancer and other life challenges.

Said McAllister: ‘The event went extremely well for only being our second year, and we hope that it will be even more successful next year.’

mjberner@syr.edu

Published on April 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Maddy: mjberner@syr.edu