After years of waiting, Curtis Creighton finally saw his vision accomplished.

Creighton, member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., led the fraternity’s efforts to organize a Sept. 12 getaway for Iowa State students to Six Flags Great America amusement park in Illinois.

The event was designed to help students get to know one another and to escape the monotony of Ames.

“We decided to get away from Ames for a while and give people the chance to meet and mingle,” said Creighton, senior in industrial technology.

Another purpose of the trip is for newer students to get to know older students, said Victoria Wells, one of the organizers of the event and sophomore in craft design

“I think the first part of any relationship is getting to know someone socially,” Wells said.

This isn’t the first time members of Omega Psi Phi have attempted to organize the trip for students.

“We’ve been trying to spearhead it for a couple of years, and this year we finally got it going,” Creighton said.

Wells said Creighton had been working on getting the trip together for almost four years.

However, the event’s success did not come without some setbacks. The trip was originally planned for July, but organizers decided to wait until fall for a better turnout, Wells said.

Funding the trip also proved to be a challenge. Wells said the university was unable to provide much assistance.

“We got a lot of ‘We wish we could help you, but … ,'” she said. “We came out on top because we were persistent.”

The event was co-sponsored by the Black Student Alliance and the National Society of Black Engineers.

Omega Psi Phi received support from Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Hill, Creighton said. Members also collected private donations in order to provide free transportation for participants.

Creighton said 55 ISU students, including several international students, went on the trip.

“It was a very diverse group,” he said.

The event was open to all ISU students, and participants were taken on a first come, first serve basis.

“I think it was a breath of fresh air to get out of Iowa,” Wells said. “It was a time for getting to know people I wouldn’t normally run around with.”