Delta Delta Delta hosts Duck Races at the Baylor Marina, where students can buy a ticket for a duck, and rubber ducks are raced to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Monica Lake | Lariat Photographer

Delta Delta Delta hosted a race of 1,440 ducks — rubber ducks, that is — who swam to the finish line Wednesday at the Baylor Marina to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Sorority members sold $5 tickets for a rubber duck so that on the day of the race ticket-holders could match their ticket to the winning ducks.

“I thought this would just be a really great and enjoyable way to celebrate the end of the semester and to raise money for a great cause,” Fort Worth junior and Tri Delta philanthropy chair Claire Allen said.

More than 400 students and members of the Waco community were at the marina to watch the spectacle and four people walked away winners, as their rubber ducks floated across the finish line first.

The first place prize was an iPad and the remaining prizes were a collection of gift cards from sponsors such as Katie’s Frozen Custard and Harts N Crafts.

It took the ducks about 20 minutes to float across the marina. Many of them failed to move at all when they were first placed in the water.

Liberty freshman and Tri Delta member Kathleen Bean was holding the winning ticket for the iPad, but the prize wasn’t hers to keep.

“This is my boss’ ticket,” Bean said. “He didn’t believe me when I called to tell him he won.”

Although Tri Delta gave away several prizes, they walked away winners themselves with a large donation for St. Jude’s hospital.

According to Allen, the organization raised $7,200 with ticket sales alone and continued to raise money with “Delta Duck Races” T-shirt sales during the event.

Tri Delta has a long history of raising funds for St. Jude’s hospital, which is based in Memphis, Tenn.

The Tri Delta national organization has raised more than $21 million since their partnership with St. Jude began in 1999, according to St. Jude’s website.

The money raised at Wednesday’s event will be added to the national Tri Delta goal to raise $15 million in the next five years, an especially important goal for one Tri Delta who has a personal connection to St. Jude.

“One of my friends, sophomore year of high school was admitted to St. Jude,” Sunset sophomore Torie Abbot said. “He’s now cancer free so I really appreciate the work that St. Jude does and I love that Tri Delta has such an evident passion to raise money for them.”

As the marina guests watched the rubber ducks slowly pass, they enjoyed free musical entertainment by disc jockey Carter Rodman, a Minneapolis, Minn., sophomore.

“I was happy to do this because I know what St. Jude does and I’m happy to help them out and my Tri Delta friends,” Rodman said.

Allen said she was very happy with both the turnout and the amount raised for St. Jude. She hopes that Tri Delta is able to turn the duck races into an annual event.

“It’s so great to know that what we’re doing here is helping people far away to reach their dream of getting to celebrate their next birthday or getting to graduate and go to college and one day join a great organization like Tri Delta,” Allen said.

By Linda Wilkins
Staff Writer

Baylor Greek Life has changed substantially since its early days, with national affiliations providing opportunities for networking and growth.

Becoming part of a national Greek organization was a big decision for many local organizations on campus in the 1976-1977 school year, when national Greek organizations came to Baylor and made presentations about their groups.

The local organizations voted on whether to join a national organization. If they wanted to be affiliated with one, they petitioned for a charter from the national organization and Baylor, Tommye Lou Davis, vice president for constituent engagement at Baylor, said. This shift toward national affiliations was a theme in universities and colleges across the nation, she said.

For many groups, networking was a big factor in their choice to affiliate with a national group, Davis said, because being national provides a connection to other universities across America.

Davis was also a member of a local organization when she was a student at Baylor. After she graduated, many of the local organizations went national and offered to initiate the alumni of the local organizations into the national groups. Hundreds of alumni returned to be initiated, Davis said, and she was one of those who returned.

Kathy Hillman, faculty advisor to Delta Delta Delta and the director and associate professor of the Special Collections for Central Baylor University Libraries, has also seen Greek Life grow and change at Baylor.

When she was a student here, Hillman participated in and was an officer of a local organization called Kappa Theta, which later became affiliated with Delta Delta Delta. She was a faculty member at Baylor when the local organizations affiliated with national Greek organizations.

Initially, many local organizations were not excited about transferring to a national organization, but they understood how networking was possible through being part of a national group, Hillman said.

Local organizations in the 1970s also had their drawbacks, she said. They didn’t have enough accountability and there was not much oversight of their calendars — the groups did not know where to go or what to do, she said.

“Being national provides that [accountability],” Hillman said.

The Greek organizations now encompass 25 percent of the student population, Hillman said.

Kappa Alpha Theta was the first national Greek women’s group to have a charter on campus, Dr. Martha Lou Scott, associate vice president for Student Life, said. Sigma Omega Sigma (a local organization on campus) was the first national men’s group to form as a Greek organization in 1975, becoming Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Some local organizations chose to remain local, however, such as Baylor’s oldest men’s social club of the time, Esquire, and The Chi’s Women’s Service Club.

The university was involved in the process of organizations going national in order to ensure the newly formed organizations begun on campus could enhance Baylor instead of being detrimental, Scott said.

“Baylor was very intentional about who they brought to campus,” Scott said. “They had to keep with the overall mission statement of the university.”

Since transitioning to national organizations, the Greek groups have become more focused on helping their members and volunteering for others, Scott said.

“All the organizations have been fortunate,” she said. “They’ve had tremendous support on-campus and off-campus.”

Not all the Greek organizations that were chartered at Baylor are still in existence today, however, Davis said. Because of poor numbers or financial reasons, some groups have had to disaffiliate with the campus, she said. Davis said Sigma Kappa is one example of a group that is no longer on campus because there were not enough people involved with the group to keep the group’s charter.

Campus charter violations can also cause organizations to lose their charters. After various violations, Baylor’s chapter of Sigma Chi lost its charter in 2010.

Most of the problems that arise from Greek life stem from someone breaking a rule, Scott said.

“We create those [problems] ourselves,” Scott said. “We, as people, don’t follow the rules.”

Through the years at Baylor, Scott said, the Greek organizations have evolved from being literary societies and clubs to groups that provide students with skills they can use in the future.

Today, Greek life offers students opportunities to participate in leadership, Bible studies, sports, volunteering and philanthropy, and opportunities to receive academic support, Scott said.

When comparing today’s national chapters on campus to when they first formed, the organizations have matured and become more focused on leadership and positive programming, Hillman said.

The sororities help prepare women for their careers by emphasizing characteristics such as social development, Hillman said.

The Greek groups are also more attuned to philanthropy for a specific organization or cause, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Susan G. Komen for the Cure, than they were in the past, Hillman said.

Today, Greek life encompasses five different types of organizations.

One group is the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) which encompasses seven of the historically African American fraternities and sororities chartered at Baylor.

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) encompasses the 12 nationally affiliated fraternities on Baylor campus.

Eight social sororities are members of the Panhellenic Council at Baylor, which focuses on spiritual, social and intellectual development.

There are some local organizations on campus, including Kappa Chi Alpha, Kappa Omega Tau and Phi Kappa Chi. These local organizations are not connected to a national group.

There are four independent national organizations on campus. Beta Kappa Gamma, Beta Upsilon Chi, Delta Kappa Delta and Sigma Phi Lambda do not hold membership in any of the four Baylor Greek organizations.

The Multicultural Greek Council was created to encourage community service, academics and diversity. Two fraternities and six sororities are in the MGC.

Greek life at Baylor

Baylor’s Theta Nu chapter of Alpha Tau Omega has been recognized as one of the top four fraternity chapters in North America this year.

Alpha Tau Omega is a leadership development fraternity founded on Christian principles, Oklahoma City junior Cody Anderson, Baylor ATO chapter president, said.

The North-American Interfraternity Conference chose Baylor’s ATO chapter to receive the Chapter Award of Distinction for 2012.

A winning chapter is “highly functioning, in compliance with North-American Interfraternity Conference Standards, seeks to educate others about the benefits of a values-based fraternity experience and works to maintain a healthy relationship with their inter/national organization,” according to an North-American Interfraternity Conference press release.

North-American Interfraternity Conference standards include guidelines for recruitment, the requirement of at least a 2.5 annual cumulative GPA for the chapter and a 2.3 GPA for each new member, and annual reports to the NIC.

The Theta Nu chapter was recognized as a top ATO chapter in the nation in 2011, and “has achieved a 3.33 chapter GPA in addition to logging over 2,500 service hours in 2010,” according to an North-American Interfraternity Conference press release.

Although fraternities usually have GPA and service requirements set by their school or the national organization, the Baylor ATO chapter’s are a slightly higher, Derek Tonkin, faculty advisor for ATO and information security analyst for ITS, said.

Anderson said while Baylor has a GPA standard of 2.5 to be considered active, the fraternity requires a 2.65 to be active and 2.75 to be in an executive position.

Opportunities for members to earn service hours come when the fraternity hosts Bed Races for the Make-A-Wish Foundation or works with Delta Delta Delta on Spaghetti Not-So-Formal for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The fraternity also does local projects with Mission Waco and Habitat for Humanity, Tonkin said.

Apart from their service and grades, ATO takes pride in creating leaders and wants everyone to take important roles, Tonkin said.

“Everybody should hold a chair position or serve on a committee at some point,” Tonkin said. “We don’t want anybody just along for the ride.”

The award celebrating the fraternity’s work will be presented April 22 in Washington, D.C., at the North-American Interfraternity Conference Annual Meeting.

Anderson will attend the event on behalf of his fraternity.

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “There are 75 NIC fraternities and ATO alone has about 120 chapters. If every fraternity has 100 chapters, that’s 7,500 chapters, and we were one of four chosen.”

Anderson said the award comes as a result of the hard work of many Baylor ATO chapter members.

“I give recognition and credit to all the guys who came before me, because they really put in the hard work to win the award,” he said.

For All-University Sing 2012, Kappa Kappa Sigma, composed of Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma, brings the show to the ball room floor for a sure to be thrilling dance in their act titled "Bienvenue á la Masquerade."
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Going to Pigskin

1st place: Kappa Kappa Sigma (Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma)
2nd place: Kappa Omega Tau
3rd place: Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Tau Omega

Alpha Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Phi Kappa Chi
Phi Gamma Delta
Pi Beta Phi

Best Choreography
Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma

Best Costumes
Kappa Alpha Theta

Best Song Selections
Pi Beta Phi

Sing Chair of the Year
Virgil Walker of Phi Gamma Delta

Best Vocals
Phi Kappa Chi

Best Theme Development
Kappa Kappa Sigma (Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma)

Best Backdrop
Kappa Omega Tau

The title of the performance, “Harder to Breathe,” is appropriate for the men of Pi Kappa Phi, who dressed as the undead for their performance.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Rob Bradfield
Staff Writer

When writing the reviews for this year’s All University Sing, I judged each act individually on a five star system.

I looked for things like choreography, song choice, vocal talent, overall execution and story development. I gave extra considerations to acts that were particularly entertaining, or creative, and how well each act developed the story within their performance. Please keep in mind that this is all just one man’s opinion.

KOT — Standing Small — 3 ½ stars

The little people of KOT had a huge performance.

If Sing was judged purely on acrobatics, KOT would be a front-runner. As it is, it is definitely one of the top acts.

Combining songs from “Oliver and Company,” “Les Miserables” and Randy Newman takes some doing, and KOT did it well. The matchbox percussion break was a stroke of genius, and there wasn’t a part of the set that was just for show.

Singing in a coffee cup and using a stapler like a diving board are things that wouldn’t occur to the average Sing crew. Little things like that, plus the amazing choreography, powerhouse vocals and imaginative interpretation of some great songs are what set this act apart.

Chi Omega — Beauty Shop Hop — 3 stars

When Chi Omega began its act, I thought it was going to be something truly special.

It opened with a powerful rendition of a housewife singing “My Strongest Suit” from Aida and opened up to a beauty shop with all the color and chemicals of the hit musical “Hairspray.” What it didn’t take from “Hairspray” is the larger-than-life feel of all the dances and characters.

I did think the three harmonizing, soul music style backup singers were a very nice touch. The vocalists were all very talented, but the overall effect of the act wasn’t what I expected from the opening. Chi Omega did a good job with what it had, but it wasn’t really enough to push them over the edge into greatness.

SAE — Mall Cops — 3 ½ stars

SAE’s greatest success this Sing is that it played to its strengths. Its strengths aren’t singing or dancing, it’s the fact that it didn’t take its act too seriously. If they had tried to do a serious Sing act about mall security they would have failed miserably.

What its did was bizarre, imaginative and hilarious. I don’t think anyone with a sense of humor can dislike rapping, recorder solos and American flag short shorts. The fight scenes, the chrome hubcap necklace and the dedication to the sheer absurdness of Sing is something that more acts should try to have.

I think it knows it probably won’t win anything, but SAE deserves a medal for having the most entertaining Sing act I’ve ever seen.

Sing Alliance — Rebellious Rhapsody — 3 ½ stars

Poverty and hunger have never looked more appealing than during Sing Alliance’s performance.

This act told the story of a prosperous town beset by a rabble of impoverished thieves and beggars through the music of Broadway, minstrel shows and the rock band Queen.

What impressed me the most was the inspired choice in songs. I’m sure that a healthy dose of Baylor Theatre participation was the reason they chose to include “Run Freedom Run” from the musical “Urinetown.” That, as well as the “Aladdin” sequence, was incredibly enjoyable.

The music was great and the choreography was sharp, but Sing Alliance didn’t take enough risks to make its performance great, and that’s what hurt them in the end.

Pi Kappa Phi — Harder to Breathe ­— 4 stars — Lariat Favorite

Choosing a zombie apocalypse theme for your Sing act is already worthy of praise, but pulling it off is truly amazing.

First, I would like to give a personal shout out to Nick Henshaw. Playing the guitar in front of hundreds of people is one of the hardest things to do, especially in the middle of a zombie attack, and you nailed it.

The rest of the performance wasn’t perfect, but everything about it made my night. Small errors are forgivable when the performance is this incredible. What I liked the most was the way the performers made the most of a small cast. Nothing seemed too small about the act. Most importantly, it had the one dancing zombie song that you have to have in a performance like this — “Thriller.” Also, this is one of the few acts that didn’t end in a big smiling portrait with everybody saying “Yeah!”

For its creativity, talent, and sheer pluck Pi Kappa Phi is the Lariat favorite this year.

Theta — What Goes Bump In the Night? — 3 stars

I never thought Metallica could sound feminine until I saw this act.

It was a fairly standard Sing act. A little girl’s slumber party is interrupted by closet monsters and the two end up being friends.

Even though it was a standard act, the Thetas pulled it off incredibly well. I wasn’t crazy about the song choice, but the vocals were fantastic. I wasn’t crazy about the choreography, but it was performed expertly. I wasn’t crazy about the plot, but the opening number was fantastic.

Congratulations, you made the only act I’m ashamed I like, but you did make me like it.

Delta Tau Delta ­­­— Working for a Living — 2 stars

My main problem with this act can be summarized in two words: brick people.

After a few hard rock songs like Starship’s “We Built This City,” three unlucky people dressed in brick-colored body suits came out singing Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”
I get the joke, but three guys jerking around and making faces is taking it a little too far. It was a bad joke that took way too much time and wasn’t supported by any other part of the show.

On a positive note, there was actually a foxy lady during their rendition of “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix. Between mediocre vocals and uninspired, uncoordinated choreography, DTD missed the mark this year in more ways than one. Better luck next year, guys.

KXA — Fabric of Our Lives — 2 Stars

I’d like to congratulate KXA for making laundry day slightly more interesting than it is.

To be honest, if I were picking themes for Sing laundry would be at the bottom of my list. The singers were good, but didn’t have the same depth of talent that the other acts did. What didn’t help is that they tended to stand still while singing. It can be hard to sing and dance simultaneously, but a little movement is good. The choreography didn’t do much to improve the act either.

The movements weren’t synchronized, and half of the time they were dancing in evenly spaced orderly lines. It seemed like the performance was about halfway through the development process. Sorry, ladies, but I do not see Pigskin in your future.

ADPi — Order Up! — 3 stars

Alpha Delta Pi’s act was the only one that really disappointed me.

I came in expecting something creative and different, like their acts in years past. What I got was an average Sing act that focused on the 1980s. I have to admit a little bit of bias in this case. I didn’t like the ’80s when it was still the ’90s, but I can look past that if there’s something else there.

This year, there wasn’t. The vocalists were talented, and the overall idea for the act wasn’t a bad one. The delivery and standard choreography left much to be desired. What I came to expect from previous years was a performance that took risks and embraced them. Sometimes things like that fail, but taking the chance is much better than not.

ADPi’s act felt safe, as if someone was determined to just do an average Sing act at all costs. From the talent that I saw, ADPi was capable of much more than it delivered.

Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

AXO — Juke Box Heroes — 4 stars

Having been to a few rock concerts, I can promise anyone that goes to Sing that AXO’s performance is only marginally similar to the genuine article.

That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t enjoyable. The act follows an aspiring hair band as it moves up from playing in a garage to playing in front of a massive crowd. What makes the story believable is that there’s an actual hair band on stage. Well, I don’t think they actually play anything, but they have instruments and they look the part. That counts for something.

The choreography could have been a little more dynamic, and I think they messed with the songs a little too much. Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones are best enjoyed unadulterated. On the whole, it was a unique and enjoyable performance.

Baylor Chamber of Commerce opened the 2012 Sing show with its performance Welcome to Sing.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Baylor Chamber of Commerce — Welcome To Sing

What does “That Good Old Baylor Line” have in common with The BeeGees, the Beatles and Kevin Bacon?

Its songs were all featured in the opening act at this year’s Sing. Chamber’s performance oozed green and gold out of every pore as it led us across the ages at Baylor from the tight white shirts and long skirts of the 1950s all the way up to the glittering bowties and cardigans worn today.

Chamber doesn’t have the resources or time that most groups have to put into their acts, so it’s unfair to hold them on the same standards. That being said, it did a good job with what it has. In a way, because it’s not eligible for awards, Chamber is one of the most pure acts to go on each night. It’s just students that want to have fun singing and dancing, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

However, until Chamber starts holding auditions it should probably stick to doing whatever it is it does on a daily basis.

Pi Beta Phi — Mad As a Hatter — 4 Stars

When I first saw the costume choices for Pi Phi’s act, I didn’t know what to think.

Their silver hair bobs and oddly colored clothing reminded me vaguely of a character pulled from a late-night anime. That was before I heard its act. It opens with the Mad Hatter singing “Mad World” by Gary Jules, which was absolutely haunting.

Unfortunately, on opening night the Hatter’s microphone wasn’t working, so the audience couldn’t hear the song that sets the tone for the whole act. The rest of the chorus jumped in and rescued the song, but technical difficulties robbed the opening night audience of one of the best parts of the entire showing.

The Hatter drags an unsuspecting Alice into a delightfully weird Wonderland in which Tim Burton would probably feel at home. The only problem I had was deciding if I liked the Who cover, the Gnarles Buckley cover or the crazy, dark, vaguely cyberpunk “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Pi Phi took a huge risk, and I think it made it work.

Bienvenue á la Masquerade received the Lariat’s top marks.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma — Bienvenue á la Masquerade ­— 4 ½ stars — Top pick to win Sing

I have set aside my hatred of all things Andrew Lloyd Weber to give this performance a top rating.

As surprised as I was by the fact that Kappa Sig chose a topic that had nothing to do with George W. Bush, I was even more surprised by the abrupt departure from the traditional masquerade ball setting.

Halfway through, a group of ratty jesters crashes the party and the whole scene changes. The jesters introduce Aerosmith and a long list of other fast, driven music. Eventually the party guests join in for some fantastic sequences of choreography.

The juxtaposition of the two groups makes for some awesome visuals. The precise movement of the party guests mixed with the wild, crazy energy of the jesters is a fantastic pairing.

Eventually the party returns to the original stiffness, leaving the audience wondering if it all really happened. A great job all around and the obvious pick for No. 1.

Fiji’s performance, Watch You Step, featured a cover of “Soul Man” by the late soul singer and actor Isaac Hayes, who is perhaps most well known for his role on “South Park” as Chef.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Phi Gamma Delta [Fiji] — Watch Your Step — 2 ½ stars

Fiji’s performance highlighted the plight of the lowly song-and-dance janitor.

The act opened up with a lone janitor singing about how he doesn’t want to work, but would rather bang on his drum. What didn’t work about this act is that the actual drum banging was replaced by hazmat suits and toilet jokes.

The act starts out strong with a cover of “Soul Man” by Isaac Hayes but stalls toward the end. The choreography was tight but fairly unimaginative. What redeemed this act from Sing obscurity was a couple of solid vocal performances, but on the whole it was just average.

Zeta — Gypsy Soul — 4 stars

There wasn’t a song in the Zeta’s set that I didn’t like.

“When the Levee Breaks,” “Moon Dance,” and “House of the Rising Sun” are great songs and were done well. After these three, the act stalled for a bit. After an amazing dance sequence set to Led Zeppelin, it returns to a standard full- floor dancing act. That was a little jarring, but not enough to keep me from giving the performance four stars.

Even when the dancing was less inspired, the movements were sharp and the vocals were phenomenal. With a little more time and creativity, this act could move from the middle of the front to leading the pack.

Phi Chi — Sing For Dummies — 3 ½ stars

I wish the guys that sang the opening harmonies for this act could gently sing me awake every morning.

The multipart harmonies were fantastic. Plus, it’s not every day that you see a live car crash on stage. The choreography was massive and synchronized, and the theme — crash test dummies — was entertaining. I especially enjoyed the beginning where you see them being made. It rang of “I, Robot.”

I thought the execution and the vocals were great, but it didn’t have enough of a plot to really put it over the edge into the front spot. With a little more story, Phi Chi could have easily had a first-place act.

Tri Delta/ATO — Adventure Is Out There! — 3 ½ stars

This act is hard to categorize.

I gave it three and a half because I wasn’t wowed by the song selection, or the plot development. The story was fairly conventional — Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts at a summer camp. I thought the choreography was excellent, and they played the gender divide very well. That can be hard to do with a large group of people.

There was entirely too much swing music, and I thought that they could have had a stronger plot than they did. The vocals were done well, especially the three-part harmony in the first song. The main thing I didn’t like was the raccoon segment. It felt forced, but I admire both groups for taking that risk. It just didn’t quite land.

Last year, the sorority Delta Delta Delta and the fraternity Alpha Tau Omega performed individually, but this year’s performance marks the first time that the two groups have performed together.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Jamie Lim
Reporter

All-University Sing will showcase an act that has never been seen before — a collaboration with Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Tau Omega.

Last year, the sorority and fraternity did individual Sing acts. Since they are teaming up, Tri Delta and ATO had to be creative with their act.

Jarrod Mathis, an ATO Sing chair and Waco junior, said collaborating with the women of Tri Delta brought a new dynamic to the act.

Not only was working with women for Sing something new for the men of ATO, but so was the way they approached the act.

“ATO traditionally uses lots of classic rock and has an underdog character who saves the day from some sort of villain,” Mathis said. “What I love about this year’s act with Delta Delta Delta is that we both have used our different strengths and personalities to create something unique and different.”

With everything being approached in a new and creative way, the sorority and fraternity spent a lot of time preparing for their act.

Like most fraternities and sororities, practice began once the spring semester started. They typically spent about 14 hours per week learning and polishing dance moves, as well as practicing singing.

“Practice is exhausting, both physically and mentally,” Mathis said. “We have to run and jump and perform unnatural moves, as well as follow the counts in each song and stay aware of what everyone else is doing.”

The choreography was difficult for some members because the Sing chairs worked hard to use different styles in their act.

The movements were sharp and crisp, with every motion having a count to be hit. Tri Delta and ATO many hours perfecting dance moves.

“Personally, I think the most challenging part of our act this year is all the transition changes on and off the stage, because there are so many women and men in the act,” Flower Mound junior Mikey Moulden said.

Both the fraternity and sorority wanted to execute their act perfectly. The members were extremely dedicated with their performance.

“We have practice five days a week for two hours. The first few weeks were spent learning the choreography and then we go back and clean, add group singing, and work on the theatrical side of it,” Plano sophomore Catherine West said, “We practice investing in our character.”

While practices may be strenuous for some members, many of them said practices were rewarding. On top of perfecting their act, Tri Delta and ATO were also able to bond with one another.

“I simply love the fact that I get an excuse to hang out with my favorite brothers every night, with the great addition being paired up with the beautiful ladies of Tri Delta,” Moulden said.

West said the audience will be able to relate to the theme.

Colleyville sophomore Madeline French described the act as fun, interactive, exciting and new.

“I think the audience is going to have lots of fun with the act this year,” French said. “It is very interactive and upbeat. The acts keeps you on your toes.”

Past years’ Tri Delta and ATO acts seem to have been crowd pleasers, with both making Pigskin in previous years.

The members also believe this year’s act won’t be disappointing.

“Our song choice and dancing never ceases to put a smile on my face and happiness in my heart,” Mathis said. “I know I’m a little biased, but I think the audience will thoroughly enjoy our act and be left wanting more.”

Sing is one of my favorite things to do with my sorority, Delta Delta Delta, and this year we were lucky enough to partner with Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Being able to work with such a great group of guys and incorporate both performing styles is something I will remember forever.

I am the president of my sorority this year and have loved watching how enthusiastic and excited my chapter was to work with ATO this year.

Although Tri Delta has normally done Sing by itself, being on stage with guys is a whole new experience. Their energy and dedication throughout practices, open stages and performances have been fun to be a part of. The members of ATO truly have a passion for Sing and are a group of hardworking men that I can safely say Tri Delta loved to work with this year.

Yes, partnering with another group can be difficult and frustrating at times (men and women definitely have different work habits), but I was impressed with the devotion and commitment from both groups. We all realized that there were major differences between our groups because let’s face it, God made men and women to be different.

Each practice we all strived to work harder and instead of competing with one another, our groups came together as one group, performing together and encouraging each other to improve each time we ran the act.

I loved being able to do different things in our act because we were working with another group. Learning the ATO move and teaching the guys our Tri Delta move was probably one of my favorite things we did just because it was so much fun to do something that was unique to ATO and then show our special move to someone else.

I have made so many memories this semester just from Sing. I looked forward to each practice because our Sing chairs were such an encouraging group and when they taught us each song and every move, we could all see the passion and love they had for this act. They cared so much for this act and wanted it to be performed to the best it could be and we all understood that; every time we perform the act for them, it brings me great joy to see them watch with huge smiles on their faces.

After each practice, we ended on a prayer that God would give us the strength and energy to perform to the best of our abilities for him. It was great that both groups shared this mindset, and I believe that this is one of the things that brought us even closer together.

Not only did we share a passion for Sing but a passion for letting God’s light shine through us as we perform.

Now the time has come to perform for an audience. It’s crazy that time has passed so quickly. It feels like just yesterday we were all gathered in the Tri Delta chapter room to find out our theme and begin practicing.

As crazy as it sounds, I will miss the hot and humid practices in the chapter room, seeing the Sing chairs smile uncontrollably as the act came together and being inspired to perform better and better from the outstanding energy and passion from ATO and Tri Delta. But now, it’s time for the competition to begin.

When a woman looks in the mirror, there’s no guarantee that she’ll like what she sees.

Women are constantly bombarded by media and advertising telling them how to dress, how to act and how to look.

The pressure can lead to depression and eating disorders, but Thursday Baylor’s chapter of the Delta Delta Delta sorority is hosting a discussion and workshop aimed at changing women’s minds about body image.

Fat Talk Free Week is a national program of the Tri Delta sorority that encourages women to ignore the often unrealistic standard of beauty encouraged by pop culture.

Baylor’s event is at 7:30 p.m. today in the Kayser Auditorium in the Hankamer School of Business.

In years past, Fat Talk Free Week at Baylor has focused on activities that promote women’s health and affirming positive body images, but this year the Tri Deltas are exploring the root of the problem.

“We’re hosting a discussion where we can center in on the reasons behind body image dissatisfaction,” Altus, Okla., junior Fallon Fausch, Fat Talk Free Week coordinator, said.

The discussion is designed to be a place where women at Baylor can come to explore their body image issues and learn about alternatives to pop culture beauty.

This year’s program is going to be for women only.

Fat Talk Free Week coordinators understand that body image issues aren’t restricted to women, but Fausch and the other planners have decided that the discussion at Baylor needs to be in a socially safe environment.

The Tri Deltas hope that through Fat Talk Free Week, more women across the country will feel better about the person that they see in the mirror.

Tri Delta has been sponsoring Fat Talk Free Week nationally for four years.

The program tries to get women to focus on the positive aspects of their appearance and avoid criticism of things that are beyond their control.

Participants in Fat Talk Free Week are encouraged to avoid thinking or talking about negative body image, and instead concentrate on positive features and overall health.

Palestine senior Hannah Abernathy, Tri Delta continuing education chair, takes these ideas to heart.

“There’s a difference between a healthy ideal and a thin ideal,” she said. “Beauty and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes and look different on everyone.”

This attitude is not held by many women in the United States. According to a video produced by Tri Delta nationally, 54 percent of women would rather be hit with a truck than be fat, and 81 percent of 10-year-olds are worried about being fat.

During Fat Talk Free Week, the Tri Deltas try to reverse some of those ideas and get women thinking about what they call a “healthy ideal.”

The healthy ideal is central to the Fat Talk Free Week at Baylor and across the country.

Fausch said that having a healthy ideal is about “not having this stick figure or looking like whatever the biggest celebrity looks like­ — it’s what your body looks like when you’re healthy and having the right social interactions.”

Students interested in learning more about Fat Talk Free week are encouraged to visit http://endfattalk.org/.

Students hungry for a cause can attend the second annual Spaghetti Not-So-Formal dinner benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in 510 Cashion Academic Center.

The event will be hosted by Delta Delta Delta and Alpha Tau Omega.

Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 for a ticket and T-shirt, sold at the Bill Daniel Student Center and Collins, Penland and Memorial dining halls. Tickets can also be bought at the dinner for $7.

The dinner will include spaghetti, breadsticks, salad and cheesecake, all donated by The Olive Branch and Blanek’s Custom Catering.

Tulsa senior Robert Paulsen, philanthropy chair for ATO, said all the money raised from the dinner will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a treatment and research facility that focuses on catastrophic diseases, including cancer.

“The coolest thing about this event is the fact that everything has been donated,” Paulsen said. “Every single dollar you spend is going to go straight to St. Jude’s [and] that is definitely a blessing. It’s also the cheapest good meal you are going to find in Waco.”

Denton senior Chelsi Patterson, philanthropy chair for Tri Delta, said the spaghetti dinner held last year had about $4,000 raised and 750 people attending.

This year, the event’s organizers hope to have 1,000 people attend and raise $7,000.

“We had a really good turn out [last year],” Patterson said. “It was only two hours long and we were serving people for about two and a half hours; we ran out of spaghetti in an hour. That’s why this year we extended the time and requested a larger venue. We want more people to come [this year] because it is for a good cause.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is Tri Delta’s national philanthropy and last year the Baylor chapter raised $32,000 for the organization through events such as the spaghetti dinner, an all-university ultimate Frisbee contest and letters sent to family members and friends asking for donations through their name.

Giselle Fernandez, a marketing representative from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said the money raised by both Baylor Tri Delta and the other chapters in the country is used in a variety of ways.

“The difference between our hospital and others are our families never see a bill,” Fernandez said. “We cover all of their expenses, not only the treatments but their housing and transportation. We are able to do that through our fundraising efforts with programs like the Tri Deltas.”

Fernandez said about 81 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to patients to help fund treatment, housing and transportation.

He also said Tri Delta began a campaign last year to raise $15 million dollars in five years and already raised $3.5 million dollars last year alone.

“They do such a great job,” Fernandez said. “They already accomplished a campaign to raise $10 million dollars in 10 years, which began in 2006 and was completed in 2010.”

Students perform in Pigskin on Friday at Waco Hall. Sing Alliance performed “Hip Hip Hooray!” at the event, which featured participants re-enacting a surprise birthday party.
Meagan Downing | Lariat Photographer

Pi Beta Phi’s performance of “Welcome to Your 80s, Ladies” received first place at last year’s competition and featured members of the sorority dressed as older women.
Meagan Downing | Lariat Photographer

By Rachel Ambelang
Staff Writer

Pigskin, one of Baylor’s most beloved traditions, presented four different opportunities for students and alumni to join in.

This homecoming, Waco Hall audience members were able to experience the top eight acts from last spring’s All-University Sing. Delta Delta Delta started the show with the number “Just Imagine It,” which earned the group third place in Sing. The performance began with a little girl wandering around the zoo wishing the animals could talk to her. Just as she begins to wonder what they would say, zebras, monkey, peacocks and lions all start to sing.

Members of Tri-Delta strived to maintain a high energy level even before the curtains came up. Audience members were barely able to hear Dr. Blaire Browning, the emcee for the night, over all of the screeching animal noises coming from onstage.

The women’s costumes were vibrant, allowing the audience to tell the difference between the different animal groups.

After the act ended, the curtains stayed up so the audience could see what normally happens when the performances are done. The teams have to break down their sets so that the next group can get ready to perform.

During Sing, teams must get all of their props off stage in less than two minutes or points are deducted from their overall score. Audience members were able to see groups of more than 50 people organized and working together to get the set cleared in a limited amount of time.

After Tri-Delta, Phi Kappa Chi and Chi Omega entered the stage together for their performance “Bonnie & Clyde.”

Their act opened with a bank teller begging the robbers not to hurt her. The group danced their way through the robbery before leaving the bank, with the actors portraying police close behind them.

The two groups played into the ’30s theme with costumes and their dance moves. At one point, the boys and girls partnered together and began swing dancing.

The next team to perform was Kappa Alpha Theta with the act “Golden Afternoon.” Their performance was based on the experiences a flower goes through in a garden, from getting too much sun to watching garden gnomes engaging in heroic acts.

A clever selection of songs told the flowers’ story. “Heat Wave” was the first song, when the flowers were getting too much sun, but rain fell just before it was too late and the flowers danced to “I’m So Excited.”

Their fun ended when the garden was invaded by evil weeds and all looked lost until pudgy blue gnomes came to the rescue and saved the precious flowers.

Sing Alliance was the next to take the stage, with the performance “Hip Hip Hooray!” The performance was supposed to model an extremely large surprise birthday party.

All of the performers were dressed as children. The boys wore blue cotton shorts with matching suspenders, their boyish look completed by the multicolored spin-top hat pinned to their heads. The girls’ costumes ranged from tutus to princess dresses, and all had bright bows wrapped in their hair.

The birthday girl celebrated by opening life-size presents that danced along with her friends. Piñatas even appeared and dared the group to take a swing as they danced to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” The birthday girl ended the act by blowing out the candles on her cake.

Baton Rouge junior Claire Clinkingbeard was a part of this year’s Sing Alliance as a choreographer. She said planning for Pigskin takes place about six weeks before homecoming so the team can refresh their memories on the dance and teach new members the choreography.

Clinkingbeard, who also performs with Sing Alliance, said there is a big difference in the atmosphere of Pigskin compared to Sing.

“You don’t have to rush as much. You get to enjoy it more,” Clinkingbeard said.

While participants noted the amount of time and effort needed to participate in Sing and Pigskin, most said they enjoy participating in the event, especially when the performances go well. Clinkingbeard was definitely pleased with Sing Alliance’s performances.

“I was very proud of my team. I thought they did a great job,” Clinkingbeard said.

After a short intermission, Kappa Omega Tau took the stage with “The Show Must Go On,” their version of a day at the circus, which earned them second place in last year’s Sing competition. This circus featured clowns, a strong man and acrobats.

Kappa Omega made use of special effects, including one segment where their performance used dark lights to make some of the dancers look like they were floating. At the end, another effect was used to make it seem like the ringleader appeared from both sides of the stage simultaneously.

“That was really creepy, but I liked it,” San Marcos junior Whitney Williams said

A performance from Kappa Kappa Gamma, was the next stage, titled, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”

The performance began with a group of Little Red Riding Hoods headed off to grandma’s house together, completely unaware of the well-dressed wolves lurking in the background. The wolves came out of the fog to scare the girls and the three little pigs during their brief cameo appearance, only to go back into the forest to wait for them to get to grandma’s house.

“A Case of the Mondays,” from Alpha Tau Omega, was the next act. This group of men started out in a set of cubicles. After first panicking when they hear Betty, their boss, come over the loudspeaker, they rejoice when she tells them that she will be gone for five minutes.

During their break the men sang their version of “Hard Knock Life,” which was adapted to focus on office life.

The fun quickly ends when Betty comes back to fire one of their co-workers, but this time, the men fight back and tie Betty to a chair, hanging a sign that reads “Under New Management.”

The final performance of the night was the first place group from Sing, Pi Beta Phi. Their performance was titled “Welcome to Your 80s, Ladies.”

The theme of the act was growing old and the changes that come with the later stages in life. The women portrayed older women, engaging different activities that take place in a nursing home, such as playing with extremely large cards and Bingo.

The group even choreographed a dance that used walkers as stands that the girls could dance on top of and around. After the dance was over, the group shifted to acting old again, grabbing their aching backs and grimacing.

Brett Harper, a visitor from Mary-Hardin Baylor Nursing School who had never seen Pigskin or Sing before, said he was very impressed with show.

“It was like Broadway,” she said. “I just can’t believe that the groups do that all by themselves. It looks like fun, but I’m sure it’s a lot of work.”