Learn more about Sigma Chi's Derby Days.All sororities participate, but do you really know what's going on at this philanthropy? I sat down with Evan Kimel, member of Sigma Chi, to hear what it's all about!
It's almost that time of the year again! Derby Days, the Penn State-famous philanthropy event ran by the Sigma Chi Fraternity, marks the end of the snowy winter and the beginning of spring time in Happy Valley. For the freshmen who have never experienced it or for the sophomores who missed out last year, Derby Days is a multi-day competition between sororities at Penn State with the ultimate goal of raising as much money as possible. It’s safe to say that Derby Days is Penn State’s most participated in philanthropy event besides Thon. I spoke to this year’s head Derby Days chair and brother of Sigma Chi, Evan Kimel, to get more details about this year’s event.
Q: So why exactly did you choose to be the Derby Days chair?
A: Well, when you go to a school that has such a huge party reputation, it is pretty easy to forget to give back to the community. I did a lot of volunteer work back in high school but I got overwhelmed by the Penn State atmosphere here and haven’t done as much philanthropy. I see Derby Days as a great way to give back, and I’m sure all of the participants do as well.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about Derby Days? When was it founded? Where does the money you raise go to?
A: Sure. First off, every Sigma Chi chapter at every school has a Derby Days event, though none quite like ours. The first Derby Days event was actually held at Berkeley back in 1916. I won’t bore you with the specifics, but essentially it spread to every other chapter. Usually, the brothers and winning team decided where to give the money raised, but back in 1995, Jon Huntsman (a Sigma Chi brother) founded the Hunstman Cancer Foundation. All the money we raise goes directly to that, except for $500, which the winning sorority donates to a charity of their choosing. Last year we raised around $14,000, but this year, we are setting our goal at $20,000. It’s a big jump but we think we can do it, we’re already off to a great start.
Q: How long has Sigma Chi at Penn State been hosting Derby Days?
A: Honestly I couldn’t even tell you… as long as anybody can remember. I have access to the Derby Days google doc folder and it has some stuff from pretty far back. Years ago, the event was actually a massive daylong, but clearly it has come a long way since then. We party enough as it is, taking a few days for some friendly competition never killed anybody!
Q: What events should we expect to participate in this year?
A: I can’t tell you everything because we want it to be a surprise, but we have some pretty cool stuff in store. The brotherhood auction will make another appearance, we’re working on getting a rope for tug-of-war, and we are starting up a brotherhood fashion show where girls will get to dress their coaches. Sign-a-Sig will be happening again as well, but we are going to modify it so that girls can get some cool apparel out of it. Also, last year we unfortunately had to cancel the final day and everybody missed out on Derby Runs, which is by far the most popular event. The brothers run around our lawn wearing goofy hats and ribbons and all other sorts of things and girls get to tackle them and try to take the items. Being a sophomore, I myself have never seen it but all the older guys say it gets pretty intense.
Q: Are there going to be new additions to Derby Days?
A: Absolutely. To start off, we asked every sorority to craft something- a cooler, a paddle, a poster, anything- and we are going to auction them off to the brotherhood so that the brothers can get even more involved. We are going to give girls the chance to pie any brother they want too. There’s a lot more but like I said I can’t reveal everything just yet.
Q: What are the easiest ways for girls to get points for their team?
A: It sounds obvious, but the team with the most participating girls will definitely win. For the past three years, that has been Kappa; they came out in huge numbers, got a ton of girls to every event, and killed it in Penny Wars and social media, but with all the new additions, this year it could be anybody. The easiest way to get points would probably be through social media. Tweeting about Derby Days, posting things on Facebook, or instagramming pictures of Derby Days events all give points; everything will be tracked by the social media chair, Elliot Oleski. Also, like last year, we will be having sponsored events at restaurants throughout the week, and eating there will give your sorority a ton of extra points. Oh, and Sign-a-Sig. We are doing two days of it this year, and there will be a lot more shirts going around.
Q: What would you say is the best incentive to win?
A: Raising money for the Huntsman Foundation is the best incentive itself honestly. But to give an added push, we are going to be getting a big trophy this year. Oh, and we are going to give the three most spirited girls their own set of Sigma Chi letters to wear until next year, where the next three girls will get them. The winning team’s coach will also get a set of letters. And like I said, the winning team gets to decide which charity an additional $500 will go to.
Q: Who decides which brothers coach which sororities?
A: Usually, guys will request certain sororities or vice versa, but this year, we are offering the chance to buy any coach you want in advance for $50, which will also give your team points to your final score. If you think about it, if a certain sorority’s pledge class wants a specific coach, that’s only like $1 a person, and there is no limit to how many coaches you can have. Buy them soon though… they are first come, first serve. If you don’t buy yourselves a few coaches, myself and the rest of the Derby Days committee assigns coaches to teams. Usually brothers request certain sororities or sororities request certain brothers, so everybody ends up happy in the end!
Q: How will we know which restaurants to go to, where events are at, when they are, etc.?
A: Well to start, every sorority has a designated Derby Days captain that I am in contact with; they will share all of the info with you. Also, the Twitter and Facebook page will have all the info on it as well. Make sure you follow them to stay in the loop!
After hearing about all the new events and surprises the brothers of Sigma Chi has in store, it’s hard to not already be excited for Derby Days! If you have anymore questions or want your sorority to sponser Derby Days, be sure to contact Evan Kimel at Ekimel1993@gmail.com !
