Babylon Bags the Big One in Winter Carnival Statue Competition

HOUGHTON-Delta Sigma Phi's frosty rendition of the hanging gardens of Babylon took first place in the highly competitive fraternity division of Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival snow statue contest.

The huge diorama, "Euphrates Frozen in Time Shows Babylon in Its Prime," is located in front of the their house, 1421 Woodland Road, by Wadsworth Hall. It reflects this year's theme, "Ancient Worlds Come to Play in Snowy Drifts of Modern Day."

The elaborate sculptures included griffins with wings molded of clear ice, a fountain, the river Euphrates, a four-tiered backdrop replete with arches, and yards and yards of ice chains.

Nabbing second place was Phi Kappa Tau for "Ancient Chinese Culture in an Icy Sculpture." A dragon snakes through the scene, which features a pair of fierce-looking foo dogs, mini-dragons with icy wings and Chinese music broadcasting from the fraternity house, at 1209 West Quincy St. in Hancock.

Tau Kappa Epsilon earned a bronze for its Viking-inspired entry, "When Nordic Hordes Attack with Icy Swords," located near Michigan Tech's Administration Building. Raiders are seen attacking a castle, complete with a dramatic Viking warships and solid ice shields and ores.

During Wednesday night's final push to complete their snowy wonder works, students braved temperatures in the single digits and flag-straightening winds in some of the toughest conditions in recent memory.

Winners in the other categories competing in the month-long statue competition were Alpha Sigma Tau, first, Delta Zeta, second, and Alpha Gamma Delta, in women's groups; Air Force ROTC, first, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, second, and Army ROTC, third, in student organizations; and FYE, first, Mama's Boys, second, and Healthy Living House, third, in residence halls

Winners in the one-nighter statue competitions were St. Albert the Great, first, Circle K, second and Alpha Phi Omega, third, in the on-campus category; third floor, East McNair, first, Incognito, second, and Shangrila/Treehouse, third, in the university housing group; and Portage Health, first, Concordia Lutheran, second, and Grace Fellowship/Amazing Grace, in the off-campus category.

Marcia Goodrich, media relations manager

University Marketing and Communications

Michigan Technological University

Administration Building G23A

1400 Townsend Drive

Houghton, MI 49931-1295

Phone: 906-487-2343

Fax: 906-487-2338

Email: mtunews@mtu.edu