Registration for the newly named Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon continues this week, as the country's largest student- run philanthropy prepares to top last year's earnings of $456,617 and include more of the University community.

The event's name formally recognizes sorority women's contributions this year, said Kelly Ayotte, Panhellenic Council president.

Until this year, IFC has sponsored the marathon, but student workers have always represented the entire University, said Rick Funk, IFC adviser.

Independents too, are increasingly making an impact on the marathon, Funk said. Two of the 12 overall committee members are independents this year.

The marathon, scheduled for Feb. 16, raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund -- an organization that benefits the families of children stricken with cancer.

Students can register in 324 HUB this week to be dancers or participate on the cleanup and construction crews. Beginning Friday, the remaining dancer positions will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, said Chris Bannon, overall chairman.

To qualify for registration, dancers must have $8 per hour for a total of $384 in pledges, said Kim Chester, financial committee chairwoman.

Eighty students are still needed to join the physical plant committee, which does the marathon's physical labor such as constructing the stage, Bannon said. Applications for this committee are due today and are available in 310 HUB.

The 350 morale-committee members and approximately 60 student security positions were chosen in December.

Many people are needed because of the great amount of work involved in making a marathon, said Jen Bender, reception chairwoman.

The overall committee of the dance marathon includes 12 people -- the overall chairman, one representative each from IFC and Panhel, and 10 committee chairpeople.

Eventually, more than 1,000 students will work to prepare for the event.

"I never realized so much organization was involved . . . It's incredible, " Bender said.

Jamie Tomasic, an independent on the public relations/advertising committee, said she does not think of the marathon as a Greek event.

"I guess a lot of people think it's just a Greek thing but I just think of it as 'Thon," Tomasic said.

Regardless of how many participate in the event, it still remains a large time commitment for many of its executives.

After choosing his overall committee in September, Bannon said he has worked from 60 to 70 hours a week on the marathon.

"I live, breathe and eat marathon right now," Bannon said.

Bender's reception committee has a week-and-a-half to go before the kickoff dinner on Feb. 1, she said.

Her responsibilities include obtaining the food, hall and speakers, and she is currently sending out the invitations.

Kim Chester said she worked 20 hours a week in the fall as financial chairwoman, but anticipates a greater time commitment now as the actual work of her committee begins. Chester's committee will begin the process of billing donors.

While the dance marathon attracts all types of hard-working students for all sorts of reasons, they all seem to continue year after year for one reason: the children.

Tomasic said she got involved with the dance marathon after watching it her sophomore year.

"I just thought it would be a fun thing to get involved with," Tomasic said.

A visit to the children at Hershey Medical Center in September gave Tomasic the extra motivation for her job on the marathon's public relations committee.

Before she got involved, Chester said she was caught up in the usual worries of a college student. But the visit to the children showed her the insignificance of those worries compared to those of the children, she said.

"It sound's really corny but . . . I just think a lot differently about things now than I used to, " Chester said.

Bannon summed up the student dedication to the marathon.

"Being Penn State means good sports teams and academics, but there's another side of Penn State students," Bannon said.