On Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Delta Tau Delta sand pit, the Ohio Wesleyan Greek community came together for charity and a little competition.
Beach Bash is an annual volleyball tournament held by OWU’s Mu chapter of Delta Tau Delta.
The philanthropic event raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Mu chapter of Ohio Wesleyan originally established the event four years ago, prior to the national fraternity’s partnership with the organization.
Since the partnership in 2012, the national fraternity has donated approximately $250,000 to the research foundation. Over the years, Beach Bash has typically raised between $300 and $500, depending on the year.
Many fraternities and sororities on campus entered teams in the tournament. The Delts even extended a special invitation to the Small Living Units (SLUs).
Typically each team pays $30 to enter, but SLUs were asked to give as much as they felt comfortable giving. While the Greek associations have funds devoted to events like Beach Bash, SLUs have a limited budget.
Besides reaching out to the SLUs, the Delts hoped to attract other non-affiliated teams to increase campus involvement. The Delts offered to complete teams with their own members so more individuals could participate.
Sophomore Alex Niswonger, a Delt, noted that “the most important thing about an event is to get the whole entire school involved.” He added that the fraternity had a great platform to spread awareness.
Sophomore Zac Worley, a member of Chi Phi, also stated that increased awareness among new students could potentially help long-term involvement with such events.