On Wednesday, Oct. 16, sorority Beta Psi Nu (initialized as BYN) co-hosted their Fundraiser for Palestinian Children in collaboration with fraternity Beta Theta Pi. The fundraiser took place in Warch Campus Center (WCC) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with proceeds going towards the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). Though BYN is unaffiliated with either organization below, the Fundraiser for Palestinian Children was hosted just over a week after a walkout for Palestine on Monday, Oct. 7 organized by Appleton Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and is part of a longer string of Palestine-related events on campus since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Fundraiser for Palestinian Children was the brainchild and first service event of BYN Vice President of Social and Community Affairs sophomore Ivanah Rajwani. Rajwani said she had wanted to host a fundraiser for Palestine — a cause she identified as important to her — upon coming into her leadership role in BYN. According to her, the sorority reached out to several groups on campus to collaborate with for the fundraiser and ultimately connected with Beta Theta Pi.
“We looked for support across campus, and we found it in Beta [Theta Pi],” Rajwani stated.
Increased collaboration between BYN and other student organizations was a goal of co-president junior Dejah Phillips this year, as well as extending their outreach further off campus. As a result, the Fundraiser for Palestinian Children was the first fundraiser held for a cause outside of the Appleton area, according to BYN co-president senior Fanta Jatta.
“Doing this was a huge step forward for us,” Jatta said.
At the fundraiser, BYN and Beta Theta Pi sold food made by the BYN sisters, drinks sponsored by the Black Student Union (BSU) and raffle tickets. Additionally, Palestine-related resources were available at the table for the purpose of engaging in the conversation surrounding the struggle as well as self-education, according to Rajwani.
Aside from increasing recognition for the cause, Rajwani hoped that the Fundraiser for Palestinian Children was a way to help reposition the conversation about Palestine on campus by placing focus on the people. Though she said that political accountability in this issue is vital, she also believes that at times too much emphasis is placed on its politics and not enough on its victims.
“We forget that there are real people who are suffering, children who are suffering, and I think when you look at that perspective, it’s really difficult to look at it any other way,” Rajwani said. “Sometimes, it’s just important to take a step back.”
Jatta said that, to her, the fundraiser was a way to spread more in-person awareness. She said that she has seen much of the discourse surrounding Palestine occurring online as opposed to face-to-face, so this event was a way to bring people together offline to engage with the cause in a new way.
“It [was] nice to see people coming out, getting some food and talking about it in person [rather] than behind a screen,” Jatta said.
Jatta thanked Beta Theta Pi for their collaboration with the Fundraiser for Palestinian Children. She, Phillips and Rajwani all agreed that the fraternity helped BYN navigate the quick turnaround of organizing the event. Phillips hopes that this event will be the catalyst for greater service-facing collaboration between BYN and other student organizations.