Posts Tagged ‘Athletics’

$1,650 raised for autism research in Xi Man competition

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Kyle Vancil ’12, representing Phi Delta Theta, was crowned Xi Man 2011, impressing judges and the audience alike with a chemistry-comedy talent, SCUBA sportswear, an impressive formalwear round, and raising over $500. “I felt like I was helping a great cause, while having a blast with the other contestants,” said Vancil.

Men like Vancil came from across the Monmouth College campus to support Autism Speaks in Alpha Xi Delta’s male pageant philanthropy, Xi Man, on Feb 25.

Alpha Xi  collected $1,650.13 to benefit the charity, which is Alpha Xi’s national philanthropy partner and all of the money raised from Xi Man went to the organization. 1,650.13oooo Autism Speaks works to increase awareness of autism and is an advocate for the needs of those suffering from autism and their families. Autism refers to several disorders which interfere with the mental development of children, causing lifelong disability.

Fundraising began two weeks before the event with a table outside of the cafeteria.  Some participants and their coaches visited residence halls to ask students for money. The Xi Man competitor who raised the most money won the full 50 points for their fundraising score, making up half of their overall score.

Participants in Xi Man competed in five categories: Group dance, talent, sportswear, formalwear, and a quiz about Alpha Xi. The men were also asked two questions during the formalwear round, one serious and one not-so-serious.

“It is so important to our chapter to not only raise money for Autism Speaks but to educate the campus about the severity of autism,” said Annie Soto ’12, Philanthropy Chair of Alpha Xi Delta. “Xi Man is a great way to accomplish both.”

Autism Speaks funds research to find preventions, causes, treatments for autism, and works to support the search for a cure for the disorder, which affects an estimated 1.5 million individuals in the United States.

Alpha Xi Delta not only raised money for Autism Speaks, but brought together men from all over campus. Represented in Xi Man 2011 were Zeta Beta Tau, Alpha Tau Omega, Phi Delta Theta, ASAP, Scotsmen, WMCR, SOUP, and Football.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the pageant and I only hope everyone who attended and participated enjoyed it as much as I did,” said Soto. μ

Michelle Bruce ‘12

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Root, root, root for the Phi Delts

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Monmouth College students will soon be swinging away on the campus softball field.  They will be attempting to hit as many home runs as possible as participants in the Iron Horse Home Run Derby, a philanthropy hosted by Phi Delta Theta. This event, taking place on Sunday, April 26th is sure to be fun-filled, but behind the fun lies a bigger idea: The ALS Association. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a deadly disease which has no known cure or effective treatment, and also causes major financial burdens for families involved.   ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Lou Gehrig, nicknamed “the iron horse,” was an American baseball player in the 1920’s and 1930’s who set several  Major League records. He was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 at the age of 36, and passed from the disease just short of two years later.

So why were the men of Phi Delta Theta drawn to putting on this Home Run Derby? “We knew that baseball season was coming up and many of us are fans. One of our brothers is a huge Yankees fan and he actually found out that Lou Gehrig was a Phi Delt. We were really kind of surprised. Our headquarters also requires us to raise money for ALS, and since Lou Gehrig had the disease, it all kind of flowed together from there,” says first year student and philanthropy chair for Phi Delta Theta, Daniel Steamer.

In honor of fellow brother Lou Gehrig, and as a fundraiser for The ALS Association, Phi Delta Theta would like to encourage all MC students to form a team and participate in the Home Run Derby. Teams consist of four players, two male and two female. Each team member will be allowed five swings. Teams are required to pay a $40 entrance fee, but are encouraged to raise as much money as possible. Do not let the entrance fee alarm you because there are outstanding benefits to getting involved. Not only does each team member receive a free shirt, but there are fantastic prizes for the top winners. Four tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game in St. Louis, Missouri will go to the first place winner of this competition. “Everyone will have a pretty equal chance because the boundaries are not too extreme. You don’t have to hit it out of the park for it to be considered a home run, so that will benefit people who might not have much experience,” says Steamer. Professors are expected to broadcast the derby and food will be provided as well.

Registration for the Home Run Derby begins this week. Email any questions regarding sign up to Steamer at 

dsteamer@monm.edu.A registration table will also be in lower-level Stockdale during lunch and dinner hours . All students are invited to join the “1st Annual Phi Delta Theta Iron Horse Home Run Derby” group on Facebook for additional information. To learn more about The ALS Association and Lou Gehrig’s disease, please visit www.alsa.org μ

Ryan Brandt ‘10

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Fraternity men shoot for world record

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

The water polo team will attempt to break the world record for the longest water polo game ever played. Joe Moran, member of Phi Delta Theta and co-captain of the Monmouth College water polo team is in the process of organizing the
24-hour event. Set for March 21-22, this could possibly place our water polo team in the Guinness Book of World Records. The water polo team will host a game against an all-star team consisting of players carefully chosen by Moran and the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

First year student Josh Dunn came up with the initial idea, and Captain Matt O’Rourke thought it would be a great idea to turn it into a big event that the entire campus could attend.  Not only are they trying to set a world record, but the team will be fundraising, as well.  Moran said, “We thought about raising money for the water polo team by having a large event but we figured we could probably come up with that money on our own. Since we liked the idea, we thought, why not do something good with the money?” As a group they have decided to send all proceeds from the event to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Since this is an official game, Illinois Water Polo is helping the Monmouth team by supplying them with referees who will volunteer their time to support the cause.  The team is also hoping for the volunteer fire department to supply an EMT.

While nearly half of the water polo team consists of men representing each of the four fraternities on campus, the sorority women of Monmouth College will be volunteering their time for this event as well. The Panhellenic Council will be acting as managers for the event. “Basically they’ll run everything and bring food to the players, coaches, and referees as needed,” says Moran.

To prepare for this event, the water polo team plans to tread for over 200 hours and swim 500 miles together over the next few weeks.  The day of the game they will wake up and start their morning with breakfast at 10:00 AM before heading to the pool to begin the 24-hour game. “Everyone’s bringing sleeping bags and they can sleep on the deck if needed throughout the day and night,” says Moran. It is expected that the players will be facing some pretty serious exhaustion from this intense game.

To keep the crowd entertained, a schedule of events that run throughout the 24 hours. Some of that entertainment is expected to include movies and also music from the Fighting Scots Pep Band.

The water polo team is pumped for their attempt at breaking a world record. “We’re still waiting to hear back from them, but even if we don’t make it into the book it will still be a world record since this is considered an official game,” says Moran.  Aside from breaking a world record, they are also very passionate about supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Senior Jim Travnik, member of Alpha Tau Omega and former member of the water polo team, will be joining his friends one last time for this all-star game. “My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, so this sounded like a really good fundraiser and it’s something I really look forward to participating in,” says Travnik. Team members will also be wearing special pink plaid suits that don the pink breast cancer ribbon to show their support for the cause.

The team will be doing dorm storms and setting up tables in Stockdale Center for students to make donations when the game approaches. Not only could this big event put Monmouth College in the Guinness Book of World Records, it will demonstrate  that a group of young college students, Greek, and non-Greek, can come together to fight for a cause and make a significant difference. μ

Ryan Brandt ‘10

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