On November 4, 2021 the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma hosted a pumpkin smashing event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Quincy University’s campus.

The sun was shining down, and the air was chilly as students walked to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. A big bright blue tarp was laid out in front of the cafeteria with pumpkins sitting beside it. There was a total of 25 large pumpkins for students to smash. For roughly $3 a pumpkin students could smash a pumpkin however they wanted to. There were four baseball bats offered if students wanted to smash their pumpkin that way. All the proceeds from this event went towards Phi Sigma Sigma’s philanthropy.

“The event was a fundraising event for our philanthropy which is Special Olympics,” Kristen Hunt, chapter president, said.

“This event was to raise money for our chapter philanthropy,” Jazzlyn Holman said. “The pumpkin smash has been an event that Phi Sigma Sigma has done for awhile. So this event is kind of an annual thing.”

“We also participate in the Polar Plunge which is an organization that helps raise money for the Special Olympics,” Graci White said. “The pumpkin smash has been an event that Phi Sigma Sigma has done for awhile so this event kind of annual thing.”

Throughout the night several students stopped to smash a pumpkin on their way to the cafeteria. Most students smashed one but there was a few who even smashed two. Almost all the students preferred to use one of the baseball bats available to really get a good smash. Some pumpkins were demolished, and others were just simply split open. Two students ended up starting a trend where they would throw the pumpkin like a baseball and the other would hit the pumpkin open. The students who participated seemed to enjoy the activity.

“I think that everyone who participated had fun,” White said. ” I really enjoyed getting to watch everyone participate and have fun.”

“Everyone who smashed a pumpkin seemed to be really into it,” Hunt said. ” They all seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot. I definitely think this was a great event for participants to let loose and have fun.”

All the pumpkins did get smashed by the end of the event. Pumpkin guts covered the entire tarp and the smell of fresh pumpkin lingered in the air. Phi Sigma Sigma ended up raising around $93 for their philanthropy. The sorority considered this fundraising night to be successful one.

“We raised a good amount of money and got to engage with the students at QU. So, it was definitely a win-win,” White said.

“I think the night went really well and we were able to engage with a lot of students,” Hunt said. “We also were able to create more awareness of what our philanthropy is while raising money for our philanthropy.”

“I think that the night went very well,” Holman said. “All the pumpkins we brought got smashed and I think everyone enjoyed it. We had a good turnout and everyone had a lot of laughs.”