Sonoma State hosted the 31st annual Lip Jam event for the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD) on April 13, 2024. The Lip Jam is a lip-sync and dance competition among the fraternities and sororities on campus.
This philanthropy event brings together members of the Greek community across campus to perform and raise awareness and funds for a chosen charity. This year’s Lip Jam had a Super Bowl halftime show themed, with performances inspired by previous Super Bowl halftime shows. The event aimed to raise money for the Alpha Gamma
Delta foundation, which partnered with Meals on Wheels to fight hunger. This year, Sonoma State’s AGD chapter raised $35,000 for the foundation.
Ten organizations participated in the Lip Jam. The new members of AGD performed as openers, and the seniors of AGD closed the show. Sonoma State’s Sapphires performed for the halftime show.
Four awards were presented this year: The “Sportsmanship” for Greek unity and support, the “Most Valuable Organization” award for the highest donations throughout the week and the “Best Sorority” and “Best Fraternity” awards go to the best performances, determined by four members of Sonoma State’s staff as well as San Francisco State’s AGD president.
The “Sportsmanship” award went to the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma who performed the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show with The Weekend. The “Most Valuable Organization” award was won by Alpha Sigma Phi, who raised $695. The “Best Fraternity” award also went to Alpha Sigma Phi who performed the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and J Balvin. The “Best Sorority” award went to Gamma Phi Beta who performed the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show with Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars.
Kiki Leight-Strachan, a fourth-year communications and media studies major and AGD member, serves as the vice president of marketing and programs. For this event she serves as Alpha Delta Pi’s “Team Mom” ensuring smooth communication about music choice dates, deadlines for payments and making sure the choreography and outfit choices are appropriate. Leight-Strachan, emphasized the event’s mission, saying, “we seek to provide relief for hunger. It’s one of the biggest issues in America right now with growing wealth disparity”.
Preparation for the event begins immediately after the previous year’s Lip Jam, with scheduling for the following year’s performance at Sonoma State’s Green Music Center. Leight-Strachan says “we are 44 members strong and so it takes a village to put on an event like this”.
Coordinators reached out to fraternities and sororities in January, and each performance selects halftime music based on fundraising success during Penny Wars.
Mia Nitti, a fourth-year kinesiology major, served as the Lip Jam coordinator along with Jennifer Martuscelli, a fourth-year dance major. They oversaw all aspects of event planning, from theme selection to fundraising activities.
Erick Dickson, the executive director of the Associated Students Incorporated, supported the Lip Jam coordinators in managing logistics. Dickson described Lip Jam as an iconic philanthropy associated with Sonoma State University.
