In this year’s “Best Of” survey, All Campus Sing was voted Murray State’s best on-campus event.
The annual event began in February 1958 by Sigma Alpha Iota, a non-Panhellenic fraternity and sorority, Iota Beta chapter. All Campus Sing began as a way for the fraternity to raise money for the group’s philanthropy project, People-to-People, which provides musical instruments and support across the world.
Each spring, the Quad fills with hundreds of people, with some arriving early into the morning with tents and sleeping bags to camp out and reserve a front-row seat. After the registered groups have had a chance to do microphone checks and practice on the steps of Lovett Auditorium, the musical fun begins.
Gena Ann Parker, president of SAI and the 2024 All Campus Sing chair, spoke highly of her time with SAI and of the All Campus Sings she’s participated in, describing her first All Campus Sing as “fun but hectic.”
“We had to reschedule and push it back two weeks because of severe weather,” Parker said. “The day didn’t go as planned. I wasn’t initiated into SAI yet so I didn’t really know what was going on. But at the very end, when everybody was seeing it, sitting down, it was really funny.”
The majority of the groups that perform at All Campus Sing are the Greek organizations, battling amongst themselves for grand champion and bragging rights. Separated into categories, sorority, fraternity, clubs and residential colleges, all face the stairs and perform their hearts out.
Greek organizations begin preparing for All Campus Sing at the beginning of the spring semester, renting out Lovett Auditorium and other similarly laid out stairs across campus to prepare their participants for dancing and singing side-by-side on the steps. Taylor Droy, 2025’s All Campus Sing chair, said it’s awesome to see the entire community come together and enjoy the “show.”
“Even if it’s just a bunch of silly frat boys singing, it’s really fun and all the hard work that all the groups put into their shows, it’s something really cool,” Droy said. “They spend months and months working on (their) singing and dancing, and at the end of the day, it’s all to raise money for local schools and music programs, donating back to our own programs. It’s really, really special to us.”
The 2024 All Campus Sing had reached a record amount of donations, having raised more than $19,000, and Parker believes Sigma Alpha Iota will exceed that once again.
“I think we’re going to surpass that (amount) this year, but that’s besides the point,” Parker said. “We still continuously throw on the best event that Murray State has, but we have (one of) the smallest amount of people. It says a lot about the culture of our chapter. It’s so rewarding.”
Of the funds raised by All Campus Sing, $3,000 is sent to People-to-People and the rest is spread around and sent to local schools, sisters currently teaching and alumni.
Avery Mackey, vice president of membership, helps some of the fraternities with choreography, and thinks fondly of the fraternity Alpha Tau Omega winning the fraternity division.
“. . . To see how much they care, like they truly care about this,” Mackey said. “Seeing them the day of, in their outfits, singing the stuff you tell them to sing, dancing the stuff you taught them to dance, it’s like a proud mom moment. When ATO won best fraternity, I cried. I was like, ‘I did this,’ but I didn’t, they did. I put all my effort into them and they gave it right back.”
From silly choreography and out-of-pitch singing, All Campus Sing draws people in with performers themed performances and costumes. It’s safe to say that All Campus Sing has won the heart of the campus and community alike.
