Make-A-Wish patient will receive funds for shopping

Members of the Alpha Xi Delta, Sigma Chi, Sigma Tau Gamma and Alpha Epsilon Pi group chose a geek routine for their performance at Songfest. Combined, the Greek community raised $16,683.90. Rachel Kilroy | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: DKS Editors

The goal of Songfest this year was to raise $8,000. Fraternities and sororities not only raised that, but they doubled their goal Saturday night at the annual Greek singing and dancing competition.

Overall, Greeks raised $16,683.90.

“We didn’t just break last year’s record – we shattered it,” Inter-Greek Programming Board president Joe Cosentino said to a screaming crowd of Greeks.

“We’ve raised the most money I’ve ever seen at Kent State,” Ryan Bernstein, IGPB Songfest chair, said.

Family and friends filled floor and balcony seats in the Student Center Ballroom on Saturday night to watch 20 Greek organizations perform songs by one-hit wonders.

Fraternities and sororities were paired into six teams to work together to create a song and dance routine. Each team performed three one-hit wonder songs and created a skit relating to the three songs and Greek life in general.

SONGFEST Who raised the most money? • 3rd- Delta Zeta, Sigma Nu, Delta Chi, Delta Lambda Phi • 2nd- Alpha Xi Delta, Sigma Chi, Sigma Tau Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Pi • 1st- Alpha Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon Performance results • 3rd- Alpha Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon • 2nd- Delta Zeta, Sigma Nu, Delta Chi, Delta Lambda Phi • 1st- Chi Omega, Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta Fundraising and Performance overall • 3rd- Delta Zeta, Sigma Nu, Delta Chi, Delta Lambda Phi • 2nd- Alpha Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon • 1st- Chi Omega, Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta

Chris Wentz from Delta Chi said his group’s performance was perfect, but rehearsing was a big part of it.

“We rehearsed every day for two hours the past two weeks and all day today,” he said. “It wasn’t too bad. It was well-planned, and it took a little while to learn, but it was good.”

Teams had three weeks to rehearse their performances, and teams such as the Delta Gamma, Phi Sigma Kappa and Lambda Chi Alpha group used every bit of their time.

“We really didn’t have that much time to do it,” said Katie Erney, Songfest chair for Delta Gamma. “We practiced every day, Monday through Thursday, and we practiced Sunday night too, from 9 to 11, sometimes 9 to 12. This past week we’ve been working a lot longer, like staying a few extra hours than we should have been.”

The Chi Omega, Delta Upsilon and Phi Delta Theta group was the overall winner for fundraising and performance. This was the first time the organizations had been paired together since 1972, and they took advantage of that in their performance. The group started with 1970s costumes, and then changed into bathrobes and white wigs to show their characters aging.

“I could not be more excited,” said Lindsay Meade, Chi Omega campus activities director. “It’s unbelievable. It was definitely a rough three weeks, but somehow today it came together. We’ve raised more than I think we ever have for Songfest.”

All proceeds this year will go to the Make-A-Wish patient named Justin whose wish is to go on an electronics shopping spree.

Bernstein said he did care about the performances, but that was not what this was truly about. It was about the money raised.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Bernstein. “I’ve lost sleep over it. So many things have taken a backseat to this. I was freaking out that we wouldn’t even fill these seats. Things turned out amazing.”

Last year, Songfest raised a little more than half of this year’s amount with $8,823.

Contact Greek life reporter Samantha Donegan at [email protected].