In spite of technical difficulties, Gamma Phi Beta sorority’s annual Gamma Phi-Oke Karaoke fundraiser raised significant charity funds and proved to be highly entertaining. The event, which took place from 6 – 9 p.m. in Davis Auditorium Feb. 19, was open to all students and featured performances by Greek Life members, a campus a cappella group and non-Greek students.

The technical difficulties derived from the DJ, DJ Boom, who was new to the program this year.

“We wanted to switch it up and try something new” said Sam David, a junior marketing major from Overland Park, Kan., who is Gamma Phi Beta’s president.

The DJ began setting up at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and provided a new light display system but failed to have the necessary karaoke songs on his computer.

“The lights looked great and the staged looked awesome,” said David, but DJ Boom was ill prepared and had difficulties connecting to PioneerNet.

Although the technical difficulties provided minor setbacks, the show continued positively and the announcers, Jillian Voege, a junior marketing major from Carmel, Ind., and Georgie Keogh, a junior HRTM major from Charlotte, N.C., along with the performers, improvised and delivered great acts. The show began with an open mic portion followed by a performance by the Idiosingcrisies, a campus a cappella group. During the lull in stage action, there was evident tension in the audience, but as soon as the performances resumed, the energy in Davis Auditorium erupted. Spectators cheered for their friends and the announcers as they returned to the stage. The audience was supportive of both the performers and Gamma Phi Beta as the event progressed.
Clair Talmadge, a junior accounting major from Portland, Ore., and member of Gamma Phi Beta thought the audience handled the event well and that they maintained a positive attitude.

“It was obvious how awkward it was for the entire audience, and [Gamma Phi Beta] felt really uncomfortable having to stay and watch so many malfunctions, but I was really impressed by the girls in charge and how they handled the situation,” said Talmadge.

Along with the new DJ, there were several other fresh additions to this year’s event. The funds raised through Gamma Phi-Oke will be given to a new charity. The charity, which will be voted on next Monday at the sorority’s chapter meeting, will be a local Denver-based organization recommended by a member of Gamma Phi Beta. Each organization in the running is focused on helping youth.

The funds raised have not yet been totaled, but the sales are estimated to be close to $3,000, according to junior biology major and Financial Vice President from Colorado Springs, Alisa Phillips. Last year, Gamma Phi Beta raised $2,029 for the Girls Incorporation of Metro Denver. The total amount raised comes from ticket sales, as well as donations. Both Sigma Chi fraternity and Tri Delta sorority chose to donate in addition to ticket sales.

Because several planned karaoke performances were not able to take place, Gamma Phi Beta is considering plans for a Gamma Phi-Oke revival in the coming weeks. Delta Zeta sorority, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were not able to perform. As one of Gamma Phi Beta’s main philanthropic events for the year, Gamma Phi-Oke is always highly anticipated and the sorority wants to maintain the positive, lively reputation the event has continuously had. Whether this happens through an upcoming event hosted by the sorority or by changes made for the following year, the universal opinion of Gamma Phi-Oke is still exceedingly upbeat.

The judges awarded Alpha Phi first place, Delta Gamma second place and Tri Delta third. Although the event did not go entirely as planned, the optimistic outcome of funds that were raised overshadowed the difficulties.