In an effort to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Alpha Phi sorority hosted its sixth annual Jail ‘N’ Bail charity event Wednesday night at Copperfield’s on Brookline Avenue, where they hoped to raise at least $5,000, according to Katie Morales, the sorority’s vice president of marketing.
The Jail ‘N’ Bail included leaders of various student organizations on campus being jailed, while the members of the organizations needed to raise enough money to bail their leader out. Approximately 20 student leaders were jailed, with their bail prices set between $25 and $100.
Student Union President Ethan Clay, who had his bail set at $80, was one of the student leaders detained by the sorority. He said he was a big supporter of the event and said he supported the fact that donations aided research to discover a cure for multiple sclerosis.
‘It’s a great event and a lot of fun,’ Clay said. ‘It’s good to see the sorority raising money for such a noble cause.’
Collin Seguin, president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, was another student who was jailed at the event. However, he said he didn’t mind the minor inconvenience of spending some time in the slammer to benefit a good cause.
‘The sisters are doing this for such a great cause,’ Seguin said. ‘This is my third time at the event and it gets better every year.’
Heather Neumann and Joe Speeter, president and vice president of the SMG student government, were also arrested by the organization. They agreed with Clay, Seguin and the other detainees, saying the event was well worth their time.
‘This is a good event for a good cause,’ Neumann said. ‘I hope the sisters reach their goal for the event. Multiple sclerosis is a devastating disease and any efforts to battle it are very honorable.’
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society not only provides funding for the research to find a cure, but it also supports public awareness of the disease and aid to suffering families, according to a press release from Alpha Phi. According to the MS Society, the disease affects more than 333,000 in the United States alone.
Morales said multiple sclerosis was chosen because some of the sisters have relatives who are affected by the disease.
‘The Multiple Sclerosis Society was chosen because a few of our sisters are directly affected by the disease,’ Morales said. ‘We want to help the families of our sisters.’
Last year, Alpha Phi raised $5,000 for the Red Cross/Sept. 11 fund. Their success earned them the honor of being the BU Interfraternity Sorority Council’s ‘Philanthropy of the Year.’ This year, the sisters said they hoped to surpass last year’s total through the donations and bail money they had received.