Collecting pledges, canning for donations and selling promotional items and a new computer system are all methods University students used to raise funds for the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Council Dance Marathon.

This year's efforts to aid the Four Diamonds Fund, which benefits cancer-stricken children, began when the dancers started collecting pledges during Christmas break.

Dancer Tom Walls (junior-quantitative business analysis) said he and members of his fraternity asked all their family and friends for pledges while home for winter break.

People were very willing to donate an average of 10 cents per hour, Walls said.

All pledges collected had to be turned in last Monday, said Kim Chester, financial committee chairwoman.

The financial committee has been entering pledge information from more than 10,000 triplicate forms into a computer system since Jan. 15, Chester said.

When all the pledges have been entered, the computer will print individual bills for each sponsor with the total pledge amount and names of their sponsored couple. This week, the computer also will sort the bills by zip codes for more efficient mailing.

Chester said the computer system has definitely helped make the complex job of pledge collection easier.

Last year between 78 and 84 percent of all pledges was collected, Chester said.

"Hopefully it will be up this year," she added.

The total donated to the Four Diamonds Fund also includes money collected during the marathon and from canning.

Although no donation was required for supporters to visit dancers during the marathon, many people chose to give some type of donation, said Teri Stamaro who was selling raffle tickets at the door.

The average donation for a raffle ticket was one dollar, but many donated more, Stamaro (senior-marketing) said. Most donations were made by parents of the dancers and community members, she added.

Raffle prizes included a windsurfer, diamond pendant and a semester's worth of books.

Bob Gibson (graduate-English) gave a donation "because helping children is a cause everyone can identify with."

Students also were raising money at the marathon by selling promotional items like souvenir mugs, squeezable drinking bottles and yo-yos.

"Yo-yos are the hot item," said Suzanne Lieto (junior-advertising) while selling the promotional items.

Chester said various people have been raising additional funds by canning since the marathon's kick-off on Feb. 8.