Fraternities take to the court

Poised and positioned, they took their spots at the three-point line, trying to beat the clock in a contest of basketball prowess - winner takes all. And in this case, "all" is a free dinner at Chili's for the whole fraternity. Such were the halftime festivities at the first-ever "InterFraternity Council Night at the Palestra" this Saturday, where fraternity brothers filled the stands for both a good time and a good cause. As part of a fundraiser, the IFC purchased tickets for the game from the Palestra at a discounted rate and then sold them full-price to the fraternities, donating $2 from each ticket sale to the YMCA. The event raised about $1,000 for the West Philadelphia YMCA Youth Basketball Program - the IFC's philanthropy organization for the year. In addition, a total of 90 tickets were donated to the YMCA program. The Palestra donated 65 of the tickets and the IFC donated the remaining 25 as an end-of-the-season reward for the program's middle school participants, IFC President and College junior Mark Zimring said. "We had a lot of fun," said Zimring, who planned the event. "It's good to be able to go out and have fun and at the same time do something meaningful for the community." The IFC plans to work with the YMCA group by coaching sports teams, chaperoning dances, participating in a "big brother" type program and providing mentoring for the youth. Saturday's event was "to jump-start that relationship," Zimring said. Brothers and pledges who attended the game said they enjoyed the camaraderie facilitated by the event. "It's a good idea," Wharton sophomore and Sigma Phi Epsilon brother Matt Dellelo said. "It brings all the brothers together for an event." And that was another one of the event's goals. "Oftentimes, people kind of isolate themselves," Zimring said. "We're trying to get the houses within the Greek system to work together, get to know each other, have fun and in doing so, do something good for the community," he added. In addition to the three-point shootout during half time, in which 12 brothers battled it out for the free Chili's dinner, a fraternity pledge was victorious in another competition - the Salad Works eating contest. College freshman and Tau Epsilon Phi pledge Matt Mormino packed away more Caesar salad than his opponent to win a dinner for two at the restaurant. "Oh, it feels great," Mormino said of his victory. "It was tough, the other guy was really fast." "There was just less salad left in mine," he added diplomatically. With victory fresh in his mind, Mormino summed up the evening. "It's for a good cause," he said. "Everyone's having a good time."