Students, administrators get dirty for charity

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David Beyerlein

RIT students participated in the 18th annual Mud Tug to raise money for charity.

More than 1,800 participants and 300 spectators showed up to Gracie’s Field on the RIT campus on Saturday to get dirty for charity.

The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity host the all-out tug of war tournament, Mud Tug, each year to raise money for Hillside Family of Agencies. The organization works to provide support, counseling, education and housing services for children and families in the Rochester area. This year, the event raised more than $12,000.

More than 180 teams of 10 competed against each other in all-male, all-female and co-ed brackets until a winner was determined. An administrative “Dream Team” also joined the fun this year. Members included RIT President Bill Destler, RIT Student Government President Paul Darragh, RIT mascot Ritchie the Tiger and Monroe County Legislator Mike Rockow.

With five mud pits and a supervised “play pit,” the event stayed true to its motto: “the winners win and the losers get dirty.”

“We love how Mud Tug brings the RIT community together,” says Chrissy Connors, event coordinator and member of Zeta Tau Alpha. “We are so proud of how this event has grown over the years and are so extremely pleased that we can be a part of an event that helps give back to the RIT community. We hope all of our participants had a great time getting dirty and raising money for Hillside Family of Agencies.”