The lifespan of a ThurtenE Carnival facade is short. Thousands of dollars and man-hours are spent by most of the sorority and fraternity chapters at Washington University to produce these elaborate structures­—but the fact is, two days after their completion, they are torn down on the Brookings parking lot.

This is the nation’s oldest and largest student-run carnival, and it’s undoubtedly one of the University’s most treasured traditions. It is a fun event that brings the University together with its alumni and the St. Louis community at large. It is also meant to be a philanthropic endeavor that benefits a St. Louis nonprofit long after the facades disappear. In recent years, however, the charitable emphasis of ThurtenE has taken a backseat to facade building.

In an effort to win the carnival’s coveted awards, some chapters will use their entire budget for elaborate facade construction and therefore donate hardly any money to charity. While marketing of ThurtenE has shifted its focus to reflect the event’s relative lack of charitable emphasis, this does not mean that philanthropy should be ignored completely – given the amount of money raised during this event, the potential to make lasting charitable contributions is quite high.

Our first recommendation is that the ThurtenE honorary should mandate that each fraternity-sorority partner make contributions to a charitable cause. Currently, the honorary only demands a baseline fee for chapters to reserve a space on the lot and finance storage. Chapters are encouraged to donate, but it is not a requirement for participation. On a weekend that draws thousands of attendees, it seems ridiculous that some chapters will not donate a single dollar to the cause. In order to meet this requirement, we urge chapters to stick to a pre-determined budget for their facades and to engage in more fundraising prior to the event.

Secondly, we encourage all participating student groups to explore alternative charitable organizations. Because ThurtenE honorary does not disclose the amount of money it donates to charity, there is frequent concern about the organization’s internal finances. Without public disclosure, it is impossible to know whether any significant portion of the event’s fundraising is actually given to the chosen nonprofit. There have also been doubts in recent years about the fiscal soundness of some of ThurtenE’s chosen charities.

Additionally, if chapters chose their own organizations, students participating in ThurtenE would be more intimately involved with their particular causes. Not only would this likely increase the chapters’ commitment to fundraising, but it could also increase students’ knowledgeable awareness of regional issues and volunteer work.

We have seen this strategy successfully put in place by the Beta Theta Pi-Chi Omega partnership. This year, the partnership’s only money for construction came from the chapters, and all fundraising money was donated to KIPP Inspire Academy, a charity selected by the chapters from three candidates. The change resulted in lower funds for building, but stricter budgeting and dramatically increased fundraising.

With increased efforts and alternative approaches to philanthropy, we may find that our memories of ThurtenE carnival will include more than frustration over cold weather and snapshots of facades.