Phi Kappa Psi plays foosball to help Calif. quake victims

While most University students have heard of the incredible damage caused by an earthquake which shook southern California earlier this month, one fraternity has taken it upon itself to try to make a difference. Phi Kappa Psi is holding a foosball tournament this weekend to try to raise $3,000 to send to quake victims. Foosball (not football) is a type of table soccer. The players twist poles, which control the miniature players on the table. To try to entice people to play in the tournament, fraternity brothers were out on Locust Walk yesterday playing foosball, with the intention of garnering interest, according to Phi Kappa Psi Community Service Director Steve Kleinstein. Brothers will be out until Friday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. playing foosball and registering contestants. "We are spending the week trying to sign people up," Kleinstein said. "There's going to be a $5 donation per doubles team. "And we're also going to be collecting any clothing or food that people want us to send to California," he added. All money raised and clothing collected will be sent to California via the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Kleinstein said a fraternity alumnus works for the Red Cross, and recommended that they engage in the national effort to raise funds for the victims of the quake. "I'm from San Francisco, and I have relatives in L.A., so that's something that I am sensitive to," College junior and Phi Kappa Psi President Sandy Jensen said. "I guess we've got a large enough California population here to keep interest up, [and] hopefully we'll get just enough response, or more than enough," Jensen added. He said he hopes that "maybe some of the holiday spirit is still around." And although foosball may seem like an odd venue for raising emergency aid, "it's a lot of fun," Kleinstein said. "We have four fraternity houses donating tables [to us,] so we can have four rounds going on at the same time," he said. While admitting that the $3,000 goal is "lofty," Kleinstein said, "I think we can do it." The earthquake, which occurred Jan. 17, measured 6.6 on the Richter scale. It has prompted President Clinton to authorize federal aid totaling $7.5 billion. Almost 130,000 people have registered for disaster relief with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has already distributed 3,367 checks worth $10.4 million. The Associated Press contributed to this story.