As the seesaws rose Thursday night on the Campus Green, so did the hopes of many underprivileged children. The annual Gamma Phi Beta philanthropy event, known as See-Saw-A-Thon, offered mixed reactions on the DU campus throughout the night.

The annual event, in which student-based organizations build their own sesaws and then ride them continuously from 11 a.m. Thursday until 11 a.m. Friday morning, helped to raise money for underprivileged children to go to summer camp.

“These camps help give these kids confidence and hope,” said former Gamma Phi Beta president and current DU senior Babette Sullivan. “Some of these kids are ill, some have disabilities, and it’s amazing the effect that something as simple as a camp can have on them. It just lets them feel normal.”

According to Sullivan, last year this event raised over $7,000 for a Denver-based children’s group to go to camp, and more was expected this year.

Though many agreed that the turnout was not as strong as expected, all DU Greek organizations had a seesaw, as did a handfull of non-Greek groups, including the Alpine Club and the Business Club.

Some groups spent countless hours on the construction of their seesaws, and some simply repainted theirs from last year.

“We made (our seesaw) all Wednesday night, but it took about eight hours,” said Jeremy Nelson, a member of the Pi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

This was not uncommon for many groups, but some said that they did nearly no work at all. Katie Forster of Delta Gamma sorority said that they took about an hour to put a new coat of paint on their seesaw from last year.

The time spent on the seesaws was not the only difference between the ones used Thursday. Some were very large and elaborate, as the Chi Phi fraternity’s seesaw stood nearly 10 feet tall and had full seats for participants. Other seesaws were simply decorated boards of wood.

Even though the See-Saw-A-Thon had a sufficient non-Greek student turnout, according to Gamma Phi Beta representatives, it seemed to be a common consensus among those who were not part of a Greek organization that the atmosphere surrounding the event was fairly awkward.

“It’s a pretty fun event, but it seems to be mainly sorority and fraternity people, which makes it awkward for the other students,” said Sarah Jones, a sophomore business major, in regards to the atmosphere surrounding the event. “I just felt, with not being in a sorority, I didn’t know anyone here.”

Though this did seem to be a common perception among students who were not participating in the seesawing, the event was successful in achieving its purpose. Gamma Phi Beta representatives stated that the See-Saw-A-Thon met all of their expectations of attendance and charitable income, and the event will be held again next year.