So what does the VP in charge of Diversity have to say about this?
http://www.thebatt.com/news/537030.html
No bad seeds
Lambda Chi Alpha's Watermelon Bash uses competition to collect food
By James Hissong
Photo by Joshua Hobson * The Battalion
Photo by Sharon Aeschbach * The Battalion
These days, competition is natural in almost every environment. Bots battle, bands battle and members of Lambda Chi Alpha battle for watermelons.
The Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Bash harnesses this competitive spirit and uses it for the community's benefit. This past Saturday was the fraternity's fifth annual Watermelon Bash, and the goal was to raise more canned food than in the past.
Over the past three years, the men of Lambda Chi have raised more than 100,000 pounds of canned food for the Brazos Food Bank and received recognition from the national Lambda Chi Alpha association for their achievements.
"We always try and set the bar high each year. That's how you raise the most," said Derik Reed, a junior mechanical engineering major and the Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Bash event coordinator.
The annual event is the Texas A&M Chapter's contribution to Lambda Chi Alpha's participation in the North American Food Drive.
In previous record-setting years, the group has gone outside of the Aggie Greek community to collect food for the Brazos Valley. Boy Scout troops, area high schools, grocery stores and trick-or-treating for canned goods have all been effective outlets for reaching Lambda Chi's canned food goals.
"Two or three weeks prior to the event, groups participating in the activities collect canned food. As an incentive, the organizations involved are awarded points based on their collecting performance which translate into prizes at the end of the day's activities," said Aaron Atkin, a senior Russian major and member of the fraternity.
Food collection, however, is simply a precursor to the events of Watermelon Bash.
The majority of the participating organizations tend to be sororities and other all-female groups.
The bash pits girls against girls in several events including tug-of-war, an American Gladiator-type joust, watermelon eating contests and other fruitful clashes usually culminating into a wet and sticky brawl likely to draw a number of spectators.
A view of the afternoon's exhibition was not exactly free, though. The Lambda Chis encouraged spectators to bring canned food.
Despite the appearance of the dealings, the overall intention of the event is still relatively innocent and keeps the good of the community in mind.
"We always appreciate the efforts of the Lambda Chis and other students of A&M as far as various fund-raising projects," said Bill Thomas of the Brazos Food Bank. "They've been a big help in the past."
The Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash is a single example of the large scale effort put forth by the entire Aggie Greek community. Fraternities and sororities organize and participate in a number of community service events throughout the year.
According to the Department of Student Life, the Aggie Greek community completed more than 10,000 service hours annually and contributed an estimated $50,000 to the Bryan-College Station area each year.
Aggie Greeks, like the Lambda Chis, often organize their own projects, or philanthropies, in the spirit of serving their local community.
"Typically they follow the guidelines of their own governing council as far as fulfilling community service requirements. We tend to provide oversight and resource information. If they are having a problem we help them work it out," said Ann Goodman in the Department of Student Life.
Fraternities, sororities and other student organizations recognized by A&M are required to have either a cash or fiscal bank account with the University regulated by the Student Organization Finance Center.
The funds within these University accounts are closely monitored and frequently balanced. This is done so the University can ensure that the assets raised in University sponsored events reach the intended needy destination.
The money from non-University sponsored events raised by Aggie Greek organizations and other national Greek communities are reported to the corresponding governing council of each individual local chapter.
Within the A&M community, Aggie Greeks and Aggie non-Greeks do not always agree, as indicated by a number of maroon T-shirts adorning anti-fraternity slogans.
While some Aggies may not have the most righteous opinion of the Greek system in general, they still commend Aggie Greeks for their service efforts.
Sarah Perkins, a senior history major said, "I think their community service goals are great. It helps keep the focus on the community and not on themselves."
http://www.thebatt.com/news/537030.html
No bad seeds
Lambda Chi Alpha's Watermelon Bash uses competition to collect food
By James Hissong
Photo by Joshua Hobson * The Battalion
Photo by Sharon Aeschbach * The Battalion
These days, competition is natural in almost every environment. Bots battle, bands battle and members of Lambda Chi Alpha battle for watermelons.
The Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Bash harnesses this competitive spirit and uses it for the community's benefit. This past Saturday was the fraternity's fifth annual Watermelon Bash, and the goal was to raise more canned food than in the past.
Over the past three years, the men of Lambda Chi have raised more than 100,000 pounds of canned food for the Brazos Food Bank and received recognition from the national Lambda Chi Alpha association for their achievements.
"We always try and set the bar high each year. That's how you raise the most," said Derik Reed, a junior mechanical engineering major and the Lambda Chi Alpha Watermelon Bash event coordinator.
The annual event is the Texas A&M Chapter's contribution to Lambda Chi Alpha's participation in the North American Food Drive.
In previous record-setting years, the group has gone outside of the Aggie Greek community to collect food for the Brazos Valley. Boy Scout troops, area high schools, grocery stores and trick-or-treating for canned goods have all been effective outlets for reaching Lambda Chi's canned food goals.
"Two or three weeks prior to the event, groups participating in the activities collect canned food. As an incentive, the organizations involved are awarded points based on their collecting performance which translate into prizes at the end of the day's activities," said Aaron Atkin, a senior Russian major and member of the fraternity.
Food collection, however, is simply a precursor to the events of Watermelon Bash.
The majority of the participating organizations tend to be sororities and other all-female groups.
The bash pits girls against girls in several events including tug-of-war, an American Gladiator-type joust, watermelon eating contests and other fruitful clashes usually culminating into a wet and sticky brawl likely to draw a number of spectators.
A view of the afternoon's exhibition was not exactly free, though. The Lambda Chis encouraged spectators to bring canned food.
Despite the appearance of the dealings, the overall intention of the event is still relatively innocent and keeps the good of the community in mind.
"We always appreciate the efforts of the Lambda Chis and other students of A&M as far as various fund-raising projects," said Bill Thomas of the Brazos Food Bank. "They've been a big help in the past."
The Lambda Chi Watermelon Bash is a single example of the large scale effort put forth by the entire Aggie Greek community. Fraternities and sororities organize and participate in a number of community service events throughout the year.
According to the Department of Student Life, the Aggie Greek community completed more than 10,000 service hours annually and contributed an estimated $50,000 to the Bryan-College Station area each year.
Aggie Greeks, like the Lambda Chis, often organize their own projects, or philanthropies, in the spirit of serving their local community.
"Typically they follow the guidelines of their own governing council as far as fulfilling community service requirements. We tend to provide oversight and resource information. If they are having a problem we help them work it out," said Ann Goodman in the Department of Student Life.
Fraternities, sororities and other student organizations recognized by A&M are required to have either a cash or fiscal bank account with the University regulated by the Student Organization Finance Center.
The funds within these University accounts are closely monitored and frequently balanced. This is done so the University can ensure that the assets raised in University sponsored events reach the intended needy destination.
The money from non-University sponsored events raised by Aggie Greek organizations and other national Greek communities are reported to the corresponding governing council of each individual local chapter.
Within the A&M community, Aggie Greeks and Aggie non-Greeks do not always agree, as indicated by a number of maroon T-shirts adorning anti-fraternity slogans.
While some Aggies may not have the most righteous opinion of the Greek system in general, they still commend Aggie Greeks for their service efforts.
Sarah Perkins, a senior history major said, "I think their community service goals are great. It helps keep the focus on the community and not on themselves."