Teetering for a cause

They move up and down. Again and again, for hours and hours.

Wednesday afternoon, members representing two Portland State University fraternities are riding on a giant homemade teeter-totter in the South Park Blocks as passerby’s watch and wish them luck.

But this is not merely for fun. It is for a cause.

The Phi Delta Theta and Kappa Sigma fraternities have teamed up for the second consecutive year to put on their 48-hour Teeter-Totter-a-Thon.

The giant teeter-totter, which was built by members of both fraternities last year, sits in the Park Blocks near the Smith Memorial Student Union. Members of the fraternities have been taking shifts since noon on Tuesday to man the oversized piece of playground equipment in hopes of making it 48 hours straight in an effort to raise money for the Portland Metropolitan Boys and Girls Club.

Phi Delta Theta member John Cronise and Kappa Sigma member Mike Cox, say that the two fraternities came together with the common goal of doing something positive for the community.

“The rest of Greek Life, the sororities and everyone, also show up to show their support,” said Cox, who had been at the teeter-totter most of Tuesday night, until 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Cronise said the fraternities would like to see support from the Portland State community in general, and added that it would be great if they could involve all of Student Activities and Leadership Programs in future fundraising endeavors.

The Boys and Girls Club offers a wide range of programs for Portland youth, including homework assistance, access to computer labs, community service projects and an array of after-school sports programs. The money raised by the Teeter-Totter-a-Thon would go toward the general Boys and Girls Club fund, and not to any particular program, Cronise said.

Last year the fraternities beat their goal of $1,000 by an extra $300, and this year they say they would like to increase that total.

Local FM radio stations, KKJZ 106.7 and KQOL 105.9, have agreed to take on-air donations for the cause, though representatives from the fraternities said that of yesterday afternoon, they did not have the numbers as to how much in donations they have received through radio pledges. Additionally, both radio stations have promised flat contributions of their own to the marathon.

For one- to two-hour shifts, members from the partnering fraternities switch off turns on the teeter-totter, one side being manned by Phi Delta Theta members, the other by Kappa Sigma.

The charity effort hit a slight snag Tuesday afternoon when a bomb threat was made on the Millar Library, which cut the teeter-totter off from the flow of traffic normally seen in that section of the park. On Wednesday afternoon, as he pointed to a half-full glass jar of change and dollar bills, Cronise said about a tenth of that total was collected the day before, during the bomb threat. Nothing came from the threat and the normal student flow is back.

Riding on a teeter-totter for hours on end can be work, but riders say a community of supporters from all of Greek Life on campus come out regularly for support.

Late Tuesday night, while most students were likely at home studying or sleeping, a group of about 15 fraternity members and others were outside to support the fundraising event, with lawn chairs and coolers as the riders continued to move up and down, again and again, into the night.

The Teeter-Totter-a-Thon will continue until noon today. For more information contact Phi Theta Delta at 503-327-8439 or stop by the Teeter-Totter-a-Thon in the Park Blocks between Smith Memorial Student Union and the Millar Library.