This past Sunday evening, Phi Sigma Pi held its first-ever Trick-or-Trot, a two-mile run/walk at Trinity’s track and field that raised money for the philanthropy Teach for America.
About 50 people, all Trinity students, came to participate in this new event. Students who came were encouraged to show up in Halloween costumes, and a costume contest was held at the end. Gift cards were given as prizes to the first and second place runners and to the first and second place winners of the costume contest.
A few groups on campus hosted booths around the track and passed out candy and treats to the runners as a way to promote their organizations. These groups included Phi Sigma Chi, the SPURS sorority, the football team and Phi Sigma Pi.
To junior Rose Minutaglio, a political science and communications double-major and the president of Phi Sigma Pi, Trick-or-Trot can be a great alternative to the usual Halloween festivities around campus.
“It’s a good way for people who want to dress up and do fun Halloween things to have a place to go while supporting a good cause,” Minutaglio said.
Trick-or-Trot was also important for the club in terms of creating a presence in the Trinity community. Phi Sigma Pi hopes that Trick-or-Trot becomes the organizations “defining event” in the future.
“I’m hoping it will get Phi Sigma Pi’s name out on campus because we’re a new organization,” Minutaglio said.
Junior Stephanie Sergovia, a business accounting major and the fundraising chair for Phi Sigma Pi, was one of the main forces behind Trick-or-Trot. She was happy with how the night went and has high hopes for continuing it again in the future.
“Our hopes for next year are to get more people involved. Our aim would probably be 200 to 300 people next year and more organizations holding booths,” Sergovia said.
Phi Sigma Pi was able to raise about $150 during the night. Proceeds were raised for their national philanthropy Teach For America, and they will go directly toward disadvantaged schools in the San Antonio area.
“The plan is to go purchase school supplies that they need and don’t have since they are low income,” Sergovia said.
Junior Christian Tovar-Vargas, a psychology major and the public relations committee chair for Phi Sigma Pi, felt a personal connection to the cause.
“I’m from San Antonio and went to a disadvantaged school, so it’s a good moment to give back to my community,” Tovar-Vargas said.
The club was expecting a relatively small turnout, considering that Trick-or-Trot is a brand new event for Trinity students. However, based on how the night went, Phi Sigma Pi is hopeful that student support for the event will continue to grow.
“Just that people are interested in helping us out is nice to know. People supporting us, especially other organizations, is really nice,” Minutaglio said.
Phi Sigma Pi looks forward to continuing to host Trick-or-Trot and raising more proceeds for Teach for America.
“We’re really excited to have this event and hope that we will have a great turnout and continue having events like this where we reach out to the campus community,” Tovar-Vargas said.
