OSU Fraternity Not Participating In Homecoming Tradition

A big part of Oklahoma State University’s homecoming celebration is the Walkaround. Thousands of fans take to the streets to look at house decorations, which are created by sorority and fraternity pairs. 

But the price is no longer worth the gain to the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

“It just made more sense to do something more beneficial with the money. And especially because we're a philanthropic organization,” Chandler Holliman, Chapter President of Kappa Sigma, said.

He says that he's witnessed first-hand the increase in finances. Freshman year Holliman said they spent roughly $15,000, and this past year it was close to $20,000.

The OSU Alumni Association helps put on homecoming each year and created an endowment program to help offset some of the costs, but it just isn't enough.

“We’d love to see the tradition continue, we just think that some of the financial responsibility needs to fall on someone else other than the houses,” Holliman said.

But it isn't just the cost Holliman and his peers are worried about. The preparation is eating up valuable study time.

“My biggest concern is you know them doing well academically and getting their money’s worth for the dues that they pay,” he said.

So instead, Kappa Sigma has pledged to donate $8,000 to The Military Heroes Campaign and Wings of Hope Family Crisis Services. The rest of the money will go toward building a new fraternity house sometime in the future.

“It feels good to do something that's going to benefit you know our guys and the community. It feels like we're making progress as a house at this point,” said Holliman.

Holliman also told News 9 that the community has been extremely supportive of their decision.