If there are four words college students universally congregate around, they are “All you can eat.” Combine that with raising thousands of dollars for a good cause, and the result is Delta House of Pancakes, which took place last Thursday at the Tri-Delta House from 11 p.m. – 3 a.m. Students who showed up at 12:30, right after the pancake-eating contest ended, were waiting in line out the door and around the corner.

The attendees of DHOP also got a surprise visit from the Denver Police Department who responded to several noise complaints but ended up donating money to the event instead of shutting it down, according to junior Nellie Quinn, internal philanthropy chair of Tri- Delta, who is from Boulder and studying jazz music.

“He said, ‘The neighbors called for a fourth time to complain and I told them I didn’t care,’ and then he gave us a dollar for St. Jude,” said junior Emily Keil, vice president of public relations, who is from Littleton studying voice and literature.

The Denver Police Department were not the only ones excited about the philanthropy that went into the event. Quinn and Kiel commented on the event, saying it was a success that surpassed their goal of donating $3,000 to St. Jude’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude’s gives free medical treatment with top-of-the-line research and equipment to children with cancer and other serious diseases, according to Quinn.

“They make cancer treatment—something that is very scary for everyone—and try to make it something that is not so terrifying for these kids,” said Keil.
The event did not just help children at St. Jude’s. According to Quinn and Keil, it benefitted the girls who participated in many ways as well. Quinn commented on the Tri-Delta girls who really brought the event to life.

When asked about her favorite part of the event (besides raising money for St. Jude’s), she responded, “Seeing girls who are more shy and not as outgoing and seeing them really step up to the plate and flourish in one night.… It’s so nice to have an event that showcases other people’s talents.”
“It’s a nice opportunity for girls to get involved and have a hands on experience working for St. Jude and working as a chapter,” Keil added.
Not only did Tri-Deltas get the opportunity to make connections with their philanthropy and the DU community; students from every corner of campus were able to connect with each other through DHOP.

“It’s a nice event to showcase the unity of DU or the camaraderie that exists beyond Greek Houses,” said Kiel.

Walking into the event, one saw students represented from almost every sorority and fraternity, sports team and club.

“There’s so many people here who are in different groups and it’s awesome. There’s Greek life and there’s non-Greek Life and it’s great,” said Lauren Morell, a sophomore from Littleton majoring in business.

The biggest excitement of the night (besides the police visit) was the pancake-eating contest, a new addition to DHOP this year. Teams competed to see which could eat the most pancakes in five minutes, with the winners consuming an impressive 44 pancakes altogether.

According to Keil and Quinn, this is the biggest DHOP has ever been. They attribute the success to all the effort put in to the event by the chapter and all the people who came out to support it.

If the amount of bacon consumed by DU last night was any indication, it is safe to say DHOP was a success.