A long-standing NIU tradition is being tweaked this year.

Once a school-wide festival involving multiple events, Tugs has dwindled to only a few competing teams within the NIU Greek community. Now, the Interfraternal Council, which oversees the fraternities, wants to open Tugs to the entire campus once more.

“We’re bringing it back on campus,” said Ernie Gamino, IFC Vice-President of Member Education. “We wanted to make it the NIU event that it once was, being unique to our campus culture.”
Gamino said the move will make Tugs more competitive, and added that anyone can create a Tugs team.

“We wanted more teams to compete, instead of the same ones over and over every year, making it more available to all the students, for the students to know what it really is and why it’s so important to our school attendance,” Gamino said.

Tom Heneghan, president of Alpha Phi Omega, the coed service fraternity that started the competition, said Tugs was started to raise money for charity.

“Tugs used to be a very big event for everyone on campus,” Heneghan said. “There was a huge turnout, but over the years, it kind of dwindled to mainly only the Greek sororities and fraternities attending them.”

Heneghan welcomed the opening of Tugs to the whole campus.

“A lot of traditions for NIU teams kind of waver over time, but this is a nice attempt to bring tradition back to NIU,” Heneghan said. “This is a great idea, and not only that, but it’s for good; to raise money, to help people.”

Jon Lehuta was on the 1973 APO team, which won the Tugs competition that year.

“It was great. Spring was breaking out all over the place,” Lehuta said, describing the atmosphere of the event. Lehuta said the event used to be more like a festival, with a concert and relay race around the lagoon.

Lehuta is now a Network Specialist with the NIU ITS department.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Lehuta said, referring to Tugs being university-wide again.

This year’s Tugs competition will be April 21, 23 and 26.

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