The Chattanooga Mocs Athletics and Alumni Departments are proud to announce a new partnership and initiative, the 2024 Greek Challenge, which is set to launch September 24.
The initiative, which will run from September 24 (one week before Mocs Give Day) until October 18 (one week before Homecoming), is designed to bring the school’s Greek alumni together by celebrating the bonds of their affiliations and supporting student-athletes through a giving challenge. By uniting the Greek Alumni community and garnering financial support for Chattanooga student-athletes, the hope is to be able to carry on the rich traditions of philanthropy and service that Greek organizations have by establishing an annual giving challenge.
“Being able to create the UTC Greek Challenge is an inspiring way to not only build upon the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood amongst all Greek alumni, but also helps create a stronger connection between UTC and Greek alumni by promoting their affiliation with UTC,” Ryan Jones, Senior Associate A.D.
for Development at UTC, said. “We are committed to finding ways to help celebrate the eras of Greek alumni through this initiative and positively benefitting the student-athlete experience at UTC through the philanthropic generosity of our Greek alumni.”
Homecoming Week is an obvious flashpoint. But as Mark Wharton noted, the Greek organizations have always been active in supporting athletics while serving the larger campus community as a whole.
“Across all of our fraternities and sororities at UTC, we have seen a strong and active culture of both philanthropy and service,” Lane Gutridge, UTC’s Alumni Engagement Coordinator, said. “As a member of the Alpha Lambda Chapter of Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity (BYX), I have fond memories of working alongside other chapters as we rallied together to support many worthy causes.
“This year, I’m excited to have another opportunity to give back to another worthy cause, the student-athletes at UTC,” Gutridge continued. “Speaking as an alum of both UTC and BYX, as well as a current member of UTC’s staff, this will be a phenomenal way to reconnect with other Greek alumni while utilizing our own platforms and resources to support another generation of Mocs!”
There will be a total of five flights competing in the inaugural 2024 initiative: Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Organizations, and Special Interest. The minimum donation amount to apply to this challenge is $10, with all funds going towards UTC’s General Athletics Fund. Any gifts made since July 1 will count for both the Greek Challenge, as well as Mocs Give Day.
"Throughout my time as a student and employee at UTC, I have seen a strong and active culture of both philanthropy and service,” former Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs and Alpha Delta Pi alum, Jayne Holder, said. “This initiative is a great way to celebrate the bonds that we, as former Greeks, experienced firsthand while supporting our Moc student-athletes.
Each Greek organization will compete in a total of three metrics within their Greek flight. Those metrics are total donors, total dollars and new donors. An organization’s final position within each metric is averaged out, and the organization with the highest overall score is determined as the winner of that flight.
The winning organizations within each flight are announced after the first quarter of the Homecoming football game between Chattanooga and VMI. That contest kicks off at 4 p.m., Eastern time, on Saturday, October 26. Each winner also receives recognition on the main athletics social media channels.
“As a member of Alpha Delta Pi, I encourage my sorority sisters to participate in this inaugural initiative,” Holder added. “I also ask fellow Greek alums who have fond memories of working alongside other chapters to join us in supporting UTC Athletics. This will be a meaningful way to reconnect with all Greek alumni and to see our letters fly high at Finley this year and for years to come!"
To donate to the 2024 Greek Challenge, head to the initiative’s primary landing page located HERE and select the flight donation page that applies to your specific organization.