Thon crowds test White Building's limits


Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998	Thon crowds test White Building's limits By CHRISTINE KOSOVAC Collegian Staff Writer Spectators attempting to find their friends on the dance floor during peak hours at the 1998 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon this past weekend often found long lines and craned necks instead.
`1998 IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon coverage`	Dwight Smith, University Police Services supervisor, said that in the past several years, Saturday night and the last few hours Sunday afternoon have become the most crowded times for Thon spectators. Yet, knowing how many people are in the crowd is difficult to determine, he said. Officers do not have an actual count for the crowd's size, Smith said. They use their own judgment, he said, and speak with Thon organizers when deciding to limit the flow of people into the White Building. "They will close the gym off when they see the gym is at a certain capacity," Smith said.
Dancers attempt this year's line dance on the crowded floor of the White Building at the 1998 IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Friday night. (Collegian Photo/Dan Saelinger - click for full size image)	Emily Sharretts, overall public relations chairwoman, said early Saturday morning and again at 10 a.m., lines formed and visitors waited about 45 minutes to get in. The crowd also had to be held during bathroom breaks to let the dancers through, she added. Sunday is the busiest time, though, requiring the doors to be shut to control the crowd, Sharretts said. Organizers would allow every spectator in the building, but it would violate fire codes, she said. Over-occupancy of an area could create problems if an emergency arises, said Steve Triebold, University fire protection engineer and Alpha Fire Co. assistant chief. If evacuation is required, he said people may become trapped. This poses a danger in a fire situation, for example, if there is significant smoke buildup.
	If a facility appears to be reaching its occupancy limit, steps would be taken to ensure that it is not exceeded, he said. "We would require that no one else would be admitted and the occupancy load reduced to an acceptable amount of people," Triebold said. Matt Kessler, overall chair of the Thon rules and regulations committee, said the committee works in conjunction with University Police Services to control the crowd. An officer is always placed at the front and back doors to monitor the crowd.
`Memories of Thon`	The safety of the dancers is taken into consideration when deciding to close the entrances. When the crowd becomes so deep that the fence around the dancers begins to get pushed in, there is cause for concern. It's important to make sure the dancers have as much room as possible, Kessler said. The first few dance marathons were held in the HUB Fishbowl, but eventually the event outgrew the room's capacity and moved to White Building, Sharretts said. The committee is satisfied with the facilities available in the White Building, adding that they know the building inside and out, and that makes the event run more fluidly, she said.
`Thon photo page`	Because of scheduling conflicts, it is also the only facility available to host Thon, Sharretts said. There was no discussion of possibly moving the event to another building among the committee this year, she said. "We really enjoy having it in the White Building," she said. In the future, other organizers may start investigating other venues, Sharretts said.