Kenyon’s newest Greek organization, Sigma Phi Tau, has made it their mission to spread the love this Olympic season, and the reaction at Kenyon has been infectious. Seriously, the good feelings have spread faster than the Kenyon Crud! Sigma Phi Tau co-president Peter Granville (’16), was kind enough to fill me in on the origins of the Good Guy (and Gal) Olympics and the organization’s response to its success.
“There are two origins to the Good Guy/Girl Olympics,” says Granville; one of which was receiving free milkshakes from Nite Bites on Super Bowl Sunday, the other a Reddit meme titled Good Guy Greg which serves to praise people who do good things. Both were “pay it forward” instances in which someone performed a kind act without any intention of the action being reciprocated. The concept of “paying it forward” is that a person will be inspired to perform a kind act for someone else in the future, and thus, a chain of good deeds follows. The Phi Taus hoped that the Good Guy Olympics would serve a similar function, acting as “a reminder that there’s good in everyone around us.” As midterms descend upon us and stress levels increase, the Good Guy/Girl Olympics has certainly helped to remember the little things people do that make Kenyon such a warm and welcoming place.
At first, the Phi Taus were met with dissent from their peers. Some students were troubled by having a campus-wide event grounded in matters of morality. However, after witnessing the reaction to the Good Guy/Girl Olympics, I think it’s safe to say, it was a success. With nearly 1,000 nominations submitted, more than half the school took part in what some people are calling a “niceness war.” Granville, himself, says that the Olympics prompted him to think about what he can do in his daily life to be better; a sentiment echoed by many Kenyon students. One of the fraternity’s goals is to “build men of character,” and Granville notes that it would be silly not to share this goal with the rest of campus – regardless of whether or not students are involved in Greek life.
In the Good Guy/Girl Olympics, all students can, potentially, be recognized for their good deeds. The number of medals doled out shows just how many students are deserving of them. For the Phi Taus the magic number of medals is 1,600 – a medal for every student. Granville says that “it would have been amazing to see every single person at Kenyon receive a medal, and the philosophy behind this whole event is that every single person could get a medal. There’s gold in everyone’s heart at Kenyon, and maybe if it had gone on for another week, the numbers would show that better.”
Needless to say, the Phi Taus are thrilled with the enthusiastic response from Kenyon students. Because 2015 will be an Olympic-free year, it’s not yet definite that the Good Guy/Girl Olympics will continue, but the Phi Taus would love to create a similar event more fitting to a 2015 theme. The group is considering ways to get faculty involved; a challenge considering the relationship between faculty and Greek life is “pretty strange terrain.” This year, President Sean Decatur was the only faculty member nominated for a medal. In the future, I agree that it would be great to get faculty involved in similar events; certainly, they, too, are deserving of medals.