On Friday, February 12, Hamilton got a taste of the Caribbean at the Island Vibes Party held at the Palace Theater. Hosted by the Caribbean Students Association (CSA), the proceeds of this event went towards supporting Haiti in its time of need. Students came to the event not only to dance and have a good time, but also to benefit a worthy cause.

CSA has been working to host an event since last semester, but after the tragic earthquake hit Haiti a few weeks ago, the group decided to readjust their original plans to include supporting the cause.

“We went before the Budget Allocations Committee to request money for the event prior to the earthquake, but we decided to turn it into a fundraiser when we saw the aftermath of the earthquake,” junior Alyssa Arnold said.

Besides CSA, many other people were involved in making Island Vibes possible, including Vice President and Dean of Diversity and Associate Professor of Africana and Latin American Studies Dean Grenell, Assistant Director of Center for Leadership and Student Involvement (CLSI) Tennille Haynes and Patty Howe.

The event was also cosponsored by Beta Theta Pi, Delta Upsilon and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“The general members of the Caribbean Student’s Association, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Delta Upsilon were wonderful in their efforts to help us publicize, raise funds at the COOP Table and work during the event,” Arnold said.

The event featured the sounds of DJ Strictly Business, who played a vast spectrum of hip hop, Latino and Reggae music during the party. Strictly Business, comprised of three members from New York City, have performed at Colgate in the past and come back to entertain the crowds Friday night. Colgate’s own rap group Swagged Up Squad also made a special performance at the event.

The Island Vibes Party also included delicious Caribbean food, including chicken, beef and vegetarian patties, as well as spicy and mild jerk chicken. The food was ordered from Caribbean King in Syracuse and was a great crowd pleaser. It was certainly not something included in the typical Hamilton cuisine.

In the end, the Island Vibes Party raised close to a thousand dollars through ticket sales, which were priced at two dollars each.

“I thought that the event was successful. The purpose of the event was to raise money for the people of Haiti and that goal was accomplished,” Arnold said.

Though a substantial amount of money was raised, there is still room for more fundraising by Colgate students. CSA and the rest of the event’s planners hope that the Colgate community will continue to do what they can.

“Hopefully the University’s efforts will not stop here, because Haiti will need a great deal of aid in the near future,” Arnold said.

Overall, the night was certainly one to remember. From the music to the food to the island-like atmosphere, it was obvious that everyone attending was enjoying themselves. CSA has shown that though Colgate may be miles away from the Caribbean, its students are more than willing to celebrate the region and raise money for a commendable cause.