Featuring two Colgate students as DJ’s, an open concert was held in the backyard of 52 Broad Street (Theta Chi Fraternity) last Friday to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  Spearheaded by Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) and Theta Chi Fraternity, the concert attempted to bring in a large amount of money for the American Cancer Society as well as provide an inclusive event for the Colgate community.

“We realized that if the concert was to be successful in raising money, it would also have to be successful in serving as a big inclusive social event,” Theta Chi Philanthropy Chair junior Jake Lightman said.

Led by CAC president Lightman and junior Grace Tormey, the event helped bring together fraternities, sororities and other Broad Street houses in order to throw a collaborative social event. 

“These organizations helped with promotional aspects such as tabling in the O’Connor Campus Center (Coop) and spreading the word to their members, while some  houses even helped chip in to pay the

catering bill,” Lightman said.

The event included a large tent where the DJs played dance music until midnight. Junior Matt Zelak opened the show with a DJ performance while Collin McLoughlin ’10 took over for the last two hours, showing his talents as both a DJ and a singer. McLoughlin has performed on “The Voice” and has been featured on tracks with artists like Dash Berlin, Laidback Luke and Hardwell. Along with the music, free sandwiches and non-alcoholic beverages were available, while a $5 beer garden was open for anyone with proof of ID. 

“The concert seemed to be well advertised around campus so there was a really good showing of people. Plus, I liked that it was well planned with an area for food beside the main concert,” sophomore Evan Caltavuturo said.

While the total amount earned for the American Cancer Society is still unknown, the event was deemed a success based on its popular turnout that included a diverse group of Colgate students, from first-years through seniors.

According to Lightman, at the event itself approximately $1,600 was raised from donations, not counting weeks of pre-event donations at the O’Connor Campus Center, which will be released in the next week.