Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to show the rescheduled date for these SigEp events.

Baker University’s Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity will host the 16th annual Spiking Out and the third annual Shave a SigEp events on May 6.

Spiking Out is an all-day volleyball tournament that raises money for SigEp’s philanthropy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County. This organization strives to help “underprivileged children, and children without a positive role model in their lives succeed,” according to SigEp member junior Jordan Wispinski.

Each team pays $50 to participate. With about 16 teams participating each year, SigEp is able to raise nearly $1,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Teams are made up of five to eight players who are Baker students and alumni.

“The planning of this event is a process, which includes full house involvement,” Wispinski said. “We, as SigEps, try to improve on the tournament year by year. We do this by collecting donations from local businesses, acquiring prizes for the raffles and creating the tournament so that we can ensure that the whole Baker community is not only having fun but helping those in need at the same time.”

In addition to raising money for the worthy cause, this event is also appreciated for the sense of community that it gives participants.

“My favorite thing about Spiking Out is that it’s not just Baker students that come and play. We have alumni that were SigEps and alumni that are from other organizations on campus that come back,” senior Tyler Randall said. “We just get this great community coming back together for a great cause and having a really great time.”

Paired with Spiking Out, Shave a SigEp is an event that raises money for St. Baldrick’s, which is a foundation supports childhood cancer research. SigEp members volunteer to shave their heads after raising a dictated amount of money collected through student and family donations. The head shaving happens during various points of the volleyball tournament. On average, Shave a SigEp makes about $4,000 for the St. Baldrick’s foundation.

In addition to raising money, those who shave their heads get to raise awareness and act as spokespeople for the organization.

In the time following his head shaving, Randall had to answer many questions about why he did it. Ultimately, he got to explain that he did it for a “great foundation,” thus raising awareness about this charity.

New members of the fraternity, like freshman Ethan Herring, will be attending and participating in this event for the first time. While Herring does not know exactly what to expect, he said he looks forward to “raising money for charity and having a good time.”

By pairing these two events together, SigEp is able to create a day when people can have fun while raising money for charity.

“The whole day is fun,” Wispinski said. “The atmosphere we aim to create at the event makes it one of the most enjoyable events this campus has to offer.”