Car Smash vehicle by the end of the event. (Max Matheusch)
On Monday, Sept. 8, the fraternity Tau Epsilon Phi [TEP] hosted a car smash from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Robinson Circle. This event was the 3rd annual car smash for the fraternity, dating back to Fall 2023.
Kyle Diggs, a junior finance major who is also the rush chair of Tau Epsilon Phi, says that the car smash happens once a semester for rush.
“We usually do a car smash every semester, but unfortunately, we didn’t do a car smash last semester,” said Diggs.
The fraternity has found the car smash to be one of the most successful rush events TEP hosts.
“The car smash usually brings out a lot of people. This is a unique event since it’s a good way to meet the brotherhood and also donate money for charity,” said Diggs.
Eddie Lee, a senior psychology major and president of TEP, says that the car smash is donated to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization, which is one of the charities TEP donates to.
“This event is one way to spread awareness towards drunk driving and to bring students together,” said Lee.
Lee also mentions that with the success of the car smash, there is an increase in students rushing to TEP. In the first two years, they raised around $1,000 for the car smash. The goal for this year remained the same.
“The goal for this year is to raise $1,000 towards drunk driving,” said Lee.
The TEP brothers raise awareness about the tragedies of drunk driving, which has seen a big uptick in the last decade. Rui Lopes, a sophomore engineering major and the service chair of Tau Epsilon Phi, says the car smash brought a lot of donations.
“Even though the car smash supports mothers against drunk driving, it also supports [the organization] Our Military Kids,” said Lopes.
Each student had the opportunity to donate $3 for 5 hits with a hammer to the car or $10 for 10 hits. At the beginning of the event, the car looked like it had been hit a few times with some imperfections. However, by the end of the afternoon, the car was fully smashed.
By the end of the evening, the TEP car smash was a successful event, bringing students together to raise proceeds for the fraternities’ philanthropies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Our Military Kids.
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