Dodgeball event rallies up scholarship funds

Dipping, dodging, slipping and sliding occurred last Saturday afternoon with Delta Tau Delta. The annual “Delt Dodgeball” tournament took place at Mariner’s Point, where members of the USD community flocked to the beachy location to play in the sun and support a philanthropic cause. “It was a really fun way to bring everyone together and support such a special cause,” freshman Laura Normile said.
The yearly spring event  raises money for the Danny Burkett Memorial Scholarship. Daniel Burkett, a 2006 graduate of USD, was known for his various memberships in prestigious organizations such as Alcalá Club, Ominicron Delta Epsilon, International Economics Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Delta Tau Delta.
While he was a member of Delta Tau Delta, Burkett helped establish the Bleed Purple Foundation, an organization that provides financial help to students facing cancer. Burkett was notorious for his passion and philanthropic contributions to the USD community.
“For us as a fraternity, it’s great that we are able to raise money and give it to the Danny Burket Memorial Scholarship,” said Micheal Kolcum, member of Delta Tau Delta and organizer of Delt Dodgeball. “He was an important part of our fraternity and was a great individual. Being able to help and continue his legacy means a lot to us and those who knew and cared about him.”
Kolcum added that this year’s turnout was the largest to date in terms of competitors and spectators. This year, the tournament raised $1,600 for the Daniel Burkett scholarship fund. The scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional involvement in USD Greek Life and service to the community.
Numerous Greek and non-Greek affiliated teams participated to hurl balls at one another for the combination of competition and philanthropy. The winning dodgeball teams were Team Handle-Bar for the men, and Alpha Delta Pi for the women.
“Delt Dodgeball is a great way to bring all the Greek organizations together for a worthwhile  cause and a fun-filled day of competition,” said Natalie Newman, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.  “This is an event that we look forward to every year.”
The event boasted a DJ table, slip and slide, squirt guns and even Segways. “The event was lots of fun and a great way to gather the USD community,” junior Megan McCredie said. “I highly recommend going in the years to come.”