Ole Miss Derby Day

[exlurker]

Ole Miss Derby Day raised about $30,000 for various charities this year.

Derby Day winners were --

First: DG

Second: Pi Phi

Third: Phi Mu

The Derby Day Queen is a Theta.

And for two special events . . . Dance -- Theta, and Finding the Derby -- Tri Delt.

Congrats to all! Sounds like a series of fun events.

Story in the Daily Mississippian online:

http://www.thedmonline.com/vnews/dis.../407155b11e777

[jmbennett]

My chapter (ASA) won Derby Days at Roanoke College! My sisters and I had a blast participating and are pumped about the money we raised for the American Cancer Society!

[ArkStateSig331]

Our Derby Days start next week. We already have raised a lot, with a lot more to come. I'm a coach for the Phi Mu team. So, we will see how it goes!

[kk_bama]

Congrats on raising that massive amount of money! Derby Days here at Bama is the week after next, and we are pumped. We named a Derby Days chair and she already has a committee. We're gonna win for real!

[hottytoddy]

Originally posted by exlurker
Ole Miss Derby Day raised about $30,000 for various charities this year.

Derby Day winners were --

First: DG

Second: Pi Phi

Third: Phi Mu

The Derby Day Queen is a Theta.

And for two special events . . . Dance -- Theta, and Finding the Derby -- Tri Delt.

Congrats to all! Sounds like a series of fun events.

Story in the Daily Mississippian online:

http://www.thedmonline.com/vnews/dis.../407155b11e777

God I miss Derby Days!!! Last year we would've found the Derby on Tuesday only there was a rumor that the Kappa Sigs found it before the search even started. So no one found it. The Sigma Chis said that we looked where it was hidden on Tuesday...and they couldn't beleive we didn't find it! We had derby day queen lastyear too.

Congrats to all!


Derby Days i --classes don't exist during this week. Last year my friend & I literally drank for 24 hours straight on Sat/Sun morn...because this thing starts at lik 7am and lasts til like3 or 4..then we went to the lake...after that we took off for Tunica where we played roulette/ blackack and enjoyed the complimentary cocktails. Don't think we left without the free breakfast buffet either.

[XOMichelle]

Do all Sigma Chi Chapters put this on? What is the deal? We have Sigma Chi, but they have never done Derby Days. What happens?

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by XOMichelle
Do all Sigma Chi Chapters put this on? What is the deal? We have Sigma Chi, but they have never done Derby Days. What happens?

No, not all Sigma Chi chapters do this. Basically, it's like Greek Week, but only sororities compete.

ETA: They have events like paint-a-sig where the sorority paints one of the brothers (actually, it's usually a pledge!), they have a day where they give out clues to find the golden derby, they have a day where if you get a brother to smile you get points, all week long you have to chase brothers down to grab the derbies they're wearing, they also have a skit night, penny wars, etc.

[KSUViolet06]

Derby Days start Monday here @ Kent w/ Serenades, and w/ the Darlings competition on Tues.
All week long will be Penny Wars (benefitting cancer research) and of course, the quest for those coveted Derby Hats.

As you can tell, I'm excited

JocelynC

[TSteven]

AXiD670 is correct. Not all chapters have Derby Days and for various reasons. A chapter may be "too small" to put on the events. Or if a chapter is on social probation, either by the school or by HQ, they might not be able to host Derby Days.

However, most chapters do try to have some sort of Derby Days.

Derby Days vary campus to campus. Some Derby Days may be for sorority pledges (new members) and usually held during the autumn semester. Other Derby Days may be for the full sorority and as such, could be held in either the autumn or spring. Usually depends on other Greek activities on that campus.

Edited for grammar

===
From the Sigma Chi 2001 Derby Day Manual

MISSION

The mission of Derby Days is easily stated: to serve the community. Since the birth of our Fraternity, Sigma Chis have endeavored to give back to our world. Because Derby Days affords each chapter the unique opportunity to positively impact the community, it has been the most publicized and visible way for chapters to serve others. Thus, it is imperative that the actions of each brother reflect our true goal. Let the mission of Derby Days — serving the community — provide the foundation for each event and govern your every action before, during, and following Derby Days.

HISTORY

The tradition of Sigma Chi’s Derby Days began in the spring of 1933 at the Alpha Beta chapter at the University of California-Berkeley, under the name “Channingway Derby.” Located on Channing Way, the Alpha Beta Sigma Chis sponsored an event composed of a series of humorous skits. In fact, one publication later cited the Channingway Derby as “California’s most amusing tradition.”

In the spring of 1935, after receiving reports of the Channingway Derby, Beta Sigma chapter at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville made plans for a similar event. But instead of presenting skits, the event was planned around an all-day track and field competition between the pledge classes of the nine sororities at Tennessee. More than 1,000 people were in attendance on the big day, November 1, 1935, to witness the first Derby involving campus sororities.

Coincidentally, on that day four Sigs from Delta chapter at the University of Georgia were visiting Knoxville and witnessed the festivities. The brothers took the idea back to their campus and named their production “Sigma Chi Derby,” which seems to have stuck.

During the 1960s, Derby began to take on the philanthropic approach for which it is now known on many campuses. After the Cleo Wallace Center became Sigma Chi’s Fraternity-wide service project in 1967, many chapters began using Derby as a fundraising event for the Center. Although some amount of charitable work had been done through Derby and similar events prior to that time, the Wallace Center project gave a much-needed boost to the concept of doing something for a needy group outside of campus.

At the 1992 Leadership Training Workshop, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) was introduced as Sigma Chi’s suggested beneficiary of proceeds from chapter community service projects. The CMN, an alliance of 165 hospitals and health care facilities across the United States and Canada, generates funds for the children its associated hospitals serve. Seventy percent of the Fraternity’s active chapters and many alumni chapters are located in the same city or within an hour’s drive of one or more Network hospitals.

TODAY

Today, Sigma Chi Derby events are held to assist a number of charitable causes, some allocating a percentage of the proceeds to a local philanthropy and part to the Children’s Miracle Network. Since Sigma Chi began raising money for charitable causes, the Fraternity has raised well over $2 million for these groups. During the 1999-2000 year, Sigma Chi chapters donated over $600,000 to CMN hospitals.

[WCUgirl]

Thank you, TSteven, for yet another tasteful and informative post!