Members of Delta Phi Epsilon and Delta Chi manned a table in Towers’ lobby yesterday to raise… Members of Delta Phi Epsilon and Delta Chi manned a table in Towers’ lobby yesterday to raise money to give teddy bears to kids in the oncology unit at Children’s Hospital.

For every $10 they receive, they can buy one teddy bear and give four dollars to benefit cancer research. So far, Delta Phi Epsilon and Delta Chi have raised $180 through tabling.

“We hope to sell at least 100 [bears],” said Brittany Ritchey, of Delta Phi Epsilon.

Ritchey has a personal connection to the project. The company that makes the bears, Charity Bear, works with the Brian Morden Foundation, a cancer awareness organization named after a friend of Ritchey’s who passed away from cancer at age 19.

The bears – called Issy bears after Morden’s nickname – come in different styles.

Some are dressed in a red handkerchief or bandana and others hold a small blanket with the Brian Morden Foundation symbol, which resembles the Superman icon, on it.

“I feel it’s a really relevant charity for college students and Pittsburgh in general,” Ritchey said. “Childhood cancer affects people of our age too.”

Jarod Hill, the philanthropy chairman for Delta Chi, said that helping the charity seemed like a good project for his fraternity to do this semester, especially with Delta Phi Epsilon.

“We felt we’d be able to accomplish the most by working together,” he said.

Delta Phi has raised money in the past for the Hill House, a Boys ‘ Girls Club in the Hill District. Delta Phi Epsilon has done projects to benefit cystic fibrosis and research on eating disorders.

“This isn’t what we have to do, but it’s something we support out of choice,” Ritchey said.

Hill said that tabling in Towers’ lobby has been advantageous to their project because it is a “high-traffic area.”

He said a lot of people have come to their table during the day to contribute what they can.

“Someone gave us four cents today,” he said “but every little bit helps.”

Pitt faculty member made head of local Jewish organization

Sarah Bingler, Staff Writer

Pitt history department faculty member Dr. Barbara S. Burstin has been named the new chair of the Board of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The United Jewish Federation distributes more than $24 million annually in Pittsburgh for social service, health and educational needs, according to a release from Hillel Jewish University Center.

With her election, Burstin became the first educator to hold the top volunteer position in the United Jewish Federation. A past president of Hillel, Burstin also served on the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission for 14 years.

The Pittsburgh chapter of Hadassah and the Women’s Division of the Pittsburgh Chapter of American Society of Technion has honored Burstin. Burstin also created and directed the regional Emmy award-nominated documentary “A Jewish Legacy: Pittsburgh.”

Burstin teaches courses on the Holocaust and the American Jewish experience at Pitt.