Phi Delta Theta hosted a “Pie a Professor” event on Wednesday, Sept. 10, where for only $5, students had a unique opportunity to throw a pie of whipped cream at Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matt Betush or Dean for the Student Experience Ian Binnington. All proceeds of the event went to the Live Like Lou foundation, a leading charity that raises money for ALS treatment.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal type of motor neuron disease that causes the degradation of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named for a famous baseball player in the early 20th century who suffered from ALS.
Gehrig was a member of Phi Delta Theta in his youth at Columbia University, and upon his death in 1941 at the young age of 37 the organization created the Live Like Lou foundation. On Wednesday, Allegheny College’s own Phi Delta Theta chapter raised $240 for the foundation, contributing to Lou’s legacy.
Phi Delta Theta President Brayden Devinney, ’26, plans to become an Iron Phi to further contribute to ALS research. To become an Iron Phi, participants must select an athletic endeavor of their choice, raise $1,000 through the Iron Phi website and accomplish the athletic endeavor itself, according to the Iron Phi website. Should he finish the challenge, Devinney will become one of the few members of Phi Delta Theta across the country who will have completed this event.
Phi Delta Theta member Nick Igerson, ’26, hopes that the Pie a Professor event will “spread general awareness about ALS” and “get the community of Allegheny College involved and aware.”
Igerson believes this goal has been attained, with over 40 people stopping to pie their professor, each gaining a better understanding of ALS and what the Live Like Lou foundation is contributing to.
One of these pie throwers, Nealey Clare Wheat, ’25, enjoyed the unique opportunity of being the first person to pie Binnington. As the chair of the Honor Committee, Wheat frequently works with both Betush and Binnington outside of the classroom. For her, it was less like smashing a professor in the face with a pie and more akin to hitting a coworker or even a manager with a pie. Though she worried initially about grudges being held by either professor towards her, she ended up using her singular pie to thoroughly cover both professors in whipped cream. Though she has no personal connection to ALS research, she said she loves “to support research in general.” This admiration, along with a love and long term support for Phi Delta Theta, made the $5 well worth the price, Wheat said.
Halfway through the Pie a Professor event, Binnington was looking past his current situation and instead at the long term benefits of his decision to participate in this event. After being asked to participate by Devinney, Binnington decided that he would be happy to sacrifice his face and body’s cleanliness for the greater good of ALS research. He committed to his role, even denying the poncho that Phi Delta Theta offered him. While his coworker Betush took the poncho to make the impact of the pies slightly easier to clean, Binnington wore only his clothing in hopes to stay cool on the warm summer day. He stated he is happy to be given the chance to contribute to the Live Like Lou foundation, and that “it’s not about being pied.”
From the students’ point of view, one professor stood out as the favorite for pie-ing, and that was Betush. While no count was kept on how many pies each professor was hit with, by the end of the event one professor was much more covered in whipped cream than the other.
“A lot of chemistry students are enjoying the opportunity to pie Betush,” Binnington said.
By the end of the event a total of 48 pies were thrown and $240 were raised. To Phi Delta Theta, this event was a success. They are looking forward to hosting a second Pie A Professor event on November 2. The next event will allow students the opportunity to let out some pent-up anger about missing deadlines or harsh grading by pie-ing Dean for Student Life Trae Yeckly and Admissions Counselor Jess Burkley. This event also will provide another opportunity to donate to the Live Like Lou foundation and contribute to Devinney’s Iron Phi challenge. More details will be posted on the Phi Delta Theta Instagram page @acphidelt closer to Nov. 2.