Phi Sigma Pi sleeps out to raise $500 for MS

The Phi Sigma Pi honors fraternity raised about $500 for Multiple Sclerosis research during its MS Sleepout on the commons from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Thursday.

According to junior Matthew Frazer, the philanthropy chair for Phi Sigma Pi, the group hopes to raise about $500 through the sleepout each semester to donate to the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National MS Society.

“We put on this event to support MS because, although MS is a very debilitating disease, there is very promising research, and they are hoping to have a cure within the next 10 years,” said Frazer.

The sleepout also had other groups that helped out by entertaining people who donated money.

“We had performances by The Madison Project at 11:00 p.m. and the BluesTones at 6:30 p.m.,” Frazer said. “We had a MS Jeopardy game at 8 o’clock (p.m.) that was a lot of fun, as well as a scavenger hunt that started at 12 a.m. and ended at 2 a.m.” According to Frazer, to win the hunt, the teams had to find items ranging from a Burger King crown to an old Richard Simmons workout video.

Phi Sigma Pi also hosted a speaker who came to tell people about MS to help raise awareness as a Wellness Passport event, according to Frazer. “We also participate in the MS Walk and the MS Bike Tour each year.”

Sophomore Alison Villarivera, a member of Phi Sigma Pi, said, “We try to raise awareness about MS because most people aren’t aware of the disease.”

MS is a disease that affects a person’s central nervous system. “Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers of the [central nervous system is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses,” according to http://www.nmss.org.

“In MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. Sometimes the nerve fiber itself is damaged or broken.

“When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves … is disrupted, and this produces the various symptoms of MS.”

MS can affect sufferers to varying degrees, from mild to severe. The symptoms of MS are changes in cognitive function, dizziness and vertigo, emotional problems, fatigue, difficulty walking, pain and numbness according to www.nmss.org.