Drury students have ample opportunity to support their Greek friends and attend a fun event for a good cause. Right now, many fraternity and sorority chapters are raising money for their philanthropies. It is important to understand the significance that it holds for each chapter, and what their time and your money will be going.

Kappa Alpha: Wheelchair Basketball

Drury’s Kappa Alpha (KA) fraternity will be hosting their annual Wheelchair Basketball for Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) this Saturday, March 3, 2018.  Drury students will be joined by Missouri State’s KA chapter as everyone packs into Weiser Gym to raise money for MDA. The men of KA have been hard at work organizing this annual philanthropy event.

At first glance this may just seem like another fun event taking place on Drury’s campus. But KA has close ties to MDA and has an exceptional goal to achieve at a national level.

KA’s national website explains their tie to MDA.

“In addition to working in their own community, every KA chapter is expected to make significant contributions to the MDA, KA’s national philanthropy. As a national organization, KA has raised over $2.7 million for MDA since 1975.”

Senior Michael Slamb and current philanthropy chair of KA has been promoting the event on Facebook and encouraging students to form teams and buy t-shirts. Student who make a team can expect to play a half-court game of basketball while in wheelchairs. The games will be played tournament style with winning teams advancing forward to win the championship game.

“I’m expecting to have numbers in the high teens or the 20s of teams participating. At this time, we have 10 teams signed up and have more that have told us they are signing up. You can still sign up for the tournament and create a team with the google form sign up on DCAL and our Facebook event page: Wheelchair Basketball for MDA. A team of three costs $30 dollars and shirts will be up for sale as well,” says Slamb.

The event will take place from 2-5 p.m. so come out and rally behind a noble cause, buy a t-shirt, or even form a team of your own. Supporting Drury students and their worthwhile causes is all a part of the ‘Drury Difference.’

Delta Delta Delta: Delta House of Pancakes (DHOP)

Delta House of Pancakes is Sunday, March 4. Drury’s Tri Delta sorority is supporting their national philanthropy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by serving a pancake buffet in the FSC Ballroom. The Drury Delta House of Pancakes (DHOP) is just one of many DHOPs planned nationwide by other Tri Delta chapters. The end results are the same, raising money for St. Jude with a $60 million dollar goal.

Sophomore Tristan Rand, Director of Philanthropy for Tri Delta, has been planning DHOP with the help of her St. Jude Board, a Tri Delta committee in charge of planning and organizing the events. Rand explained how DHOP fundraising goes towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the impact the philanthropy has.

“All of the money raised at this event helps pay for the treatment, travel, food, and care for the patients and families while they are at St. Jude. The families don’t pay for anything while they are there, because the only thing the family should worry about is helping their child live,” said Rand.

Drury students can buy a ticket to support the Delta cause for five dollars. Ticket purchase includes a pancake buffet, door prizes, a photo booth and a Drury Tri Delta alumus guest speaker.

Kenzie Robbins, Vice President of Community Relations, helps oversee DHOP alongside the Rand. Robbins was Director of Philanthropy two years prior and clears up misconceptions people may have about DHOP.

“We hear ‘I don’t like pancakes’ very often, and I want to make sure people know that there will be donuts, pastries, sausage, fruit, and other assorted foods so there are options for everyone! Or just donate to support a great cause, we promise we won’t force you to eat pancakes,” said Robbins.

DHOP is open to everyone, pancake lover or otherwise. The money going towards the event benefits a worthwhile cause, much like other Greek philanthropy events on campus. If you’re going to spend your money on food, you might as well support St. Jude.

Zeta Tau Alpha: Big Man on Campus

On Tuesday, March 6, Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) will be hosting their annual Big Man on Campus (BMOC) event. BMOC is a male beauty pageant hosted by ZTA to support their national philanthropy, Breast Cancer Awareness and Education. Men from organizations all over campus will compete for the coveted title of “Big Man on Campus.” Contestants will compete in a variety of categories, and the winner will be determined by a panel of judges.

Kayle Welch, Zeta Tau Alpha’s Philanthropy Chair explains that in addition to all of the fun, there will also be an informative factor to help promote the educational side of their philanthropy.

“This year we will have two guest speakers. They are both Zeta alumni. One will be speaking on the survivor side of breast cancer and one will be speaking on preventative actions that you can take,” said Welch.

There will also be various raffles from local businesses that will be auctioned off during the event.

“We have raffles from Hearts of Fire, Coffee Ethic, Novo, Andy B’s, Springfield Cardinals, the Drury Bookstore, Jazzercise and a spa basket,” said Welch.

Welch is confident that this year’s BMOC will be the best one yet. Combined with all of the raffles, Welch says that she is confident that the men who signed up will give excellent performances. She believes Drury students should attend the event because of all that it has to offer.

“Not only do proceeds go to a great cause, it will be a very entertaining night full of talent and laughter,” said Welch. “‘Big Man on Campus’ is consistently one of our best attended and received events on campus. There really is something for everyone.”

BMOC will occur on Tuesday, March 6 in Clara Thompson Hall at 8:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets from the sorority members outside of the commons from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for five dollars or they can be purchased for seven dollars at the door.

Article written by Ciera DuBan and Elizabeth Menne