The University’s Greek councils chose three organizations to be recognized for their outstanding achievements in philanthropy for the 2016-17 academic year. Delta Zeta, Kappa Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta all received awards for events that raised money for various causes.
The University’s Panhellenic Council governs 12 sororities on campus. The PHC selected Delta Zeta’s Miss LSU-USA event as an outstanding event. The annual event was held for the 19th time on March 26 and raised money for several philanthropies, including The Emerge Center, St. Lillian Academy and the Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area. The pageant is a yearly staple of Delta Zeta and grossed more than $69,000 last year.
The University’s Interfraternity Council governs the 20 fraternities on campus. The IFC selected Kappa Alpha’s Muscular Dystrophy Association Silent Auction as the most outstanding event among fraternities. The event is held every spring and features students, parents and alumni all in attendance to listen to a guest speaker from the Muscular Dystrophy Association who shares their experiences dealing with Muscular Dystrophy and how the MDA has helped him or her.
Chapter members donate items to be auctioned off, with all auction proceeds of the auction going to the MDA. One of the ways MDA uses these proceeds is for their annual summer camp for children suffering from Muscular Dystrophy. Kappa Alpha president Peyton Cortez said chapter members often volunteer to work the camp. Cortez said he’s proud of the work the fraternity has done to make the annual auction an important event that brings awareness to a worthy cause.
“All in all I think that as a chapter we have grown this event over the years to be very successful,” Cortez said. “This success leaves us all with a great sense of joy to know that we are helping so many people.”
The University’s National Pan-Hellenic Council governs five chapters on campus. The NPHC selected Zeta Phi Beta’s Flood Relief GoFundMe as the outstanding charity. The Rho Epsilon chapter of the sorority set up a GoFundMe account in August in the wake of the historic flooding in Baton Rouge that took 13 lives and caused an estimated $10 million in damages. The original goal set was $10,000. The goal was reached within 3 days, and by the end of the month with the help of 448 donors, they were able to raise $20,975.

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Taylor Wiley