Rocking the Oak Grove approaching

The annual “Rocking the Grove” event begins Sept. 25 and ends Sept. 26. Hosted by the fraternities and sororities of IUP, the event is held to benefit the Alice Paul House.  Students will begin rocking at 4 p.m. and will continue until midnight. They will start back up Wednesday at 9 a.m. until the events close at 4 p.m.

Concerns of student safety prevented Rocking the Grove from being a continuous 24-hour event.  

The event was started because the different councils wanted to collaborate and put some funding into a local organization, said Max DePriest (senior, psychology), president of the Interfraternity Council.  

The Alice Paul House was chosen because it is an organization known by most students.  

For some Greek councils, participation is mandatory. Members must dedicate at least one hour of their day to rocking.  

There will be 12 chairs throughout the Oak Grove, one for each of the Greek organizations on campus. Each chair will be decorated in its respective council’s colors and will have a bucket for collecting donations.

Last year’s Rocking the Grove raised approximately $250, according to DePriest. He’s hoping for a better turn out this year.  The Alice Paul House is located in Indiana and offers services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and other serious crimes. These services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter and counseling to victims and their children. 

 According to their website, the mission of the Alice Paul House is to provide safety “to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, to assist and empower all victims, and to promote awareness of these issues in our community.”

The Interfraternity Council is made up of representatives for each fraternity. 

It promotes competition between fraternities, regulates rushing and pledging activities and sponsors social affairs.