Imitation ... the sincerest form of flattery

By KATE DAILEY
and ALEXANDRA RODRIGUEZ
Collegian Staff Writers

When the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon started 27 years ago, few imagined it would grow to the size and magnitude it has today. And even fewer believed it would stretch beyond Happy Valley to the rest of the country.

But today, schools from California to Florida hold their own variation of Penn State's Thon.

One of the main reasons behind the explosions of dance marathons at schools across the country was the collaboration of Penn State with the Children's Miracle Network (CMN) in 1993 to design an in-depth program teaching students how to operate a dance marathon. Forty-two schools now participate in CMN dance marathons, said David Facer, director of collegiate activities at CMN. He added 75 percent of these schools are recruited by CMN.

One of these school is Texas A&M University, where the marathon is called "Aggies Up All Night," and the dancers are "All Nighters." The dance marathon is in its fourth year.

"We were calling it the dance marathon at Texas A&M for the first two years," said Sarah Elliott, executive chair of Aggies Up All Night. "A&M is such a different school, and we really wanted to personalize it."

Elliot said their marathon is based on Penn State's model, with a few individual elements.

"We have something called 'Missed Opportunities,' where we light candles for all the children we couldn't help," she said. "When everyone's feeling really bad, we try to pick them up and remind them of how good they have it."

The University of Michigan's marathon was begun two years ago by a former Penn State student.

University of Michigan is trying to expand its dance marathon into a year-round event, said Evan Myers, executive director of this year's dance marathon. To do this, organizers created a carnival in the fall for CMN children and their families and held fund-raising events throughout the year, such as Swing Night and Bar Night.

The marathon at Indiana University, however, is more than a fund raiser -- it's a tribute.

"We started in 1990 . . . the year Ryan White died," said Joe Todd, president of Indiana's dance marathon. "One of his friends came (to Indiana), and she started the dance marathon in memory of Ryan."

Indiana's marathon is 36 hours long and includes 650 dancers, a large event when compared to many dance marathons at other universities around the country.

At Texas A&M, though, the marathon is now a 24-hour event, scaled back from 40 hours when it began.

"It was hard to attract people with so many hours," Elliott said. "We figured we can bump it back up once it's established."

Most marathons run from 24 to 36 hours with 200 to 300 dancers. They raise anywhere from $14,000 to $87,000 dollars, which CMN donates to various children's hospitals and organizations for sick children.

Unlike Penn State, most schools that run marathons allow individual dancers to enter the event without being involved with any specific organizations. While some schools, such as the University of Georgia, allow only students to participate, others, such as the University of Missouri, turn it into a community event.

While most schools find the experience of holding a dance marathon a rewarding one, no one denies it's a difficult undertaking.

New Mexico State University held its first and only marathon last February.

"Members weren't very happy about what was going on. There weren't enough activities to keep people interested," said David Hotz, adviser of New Mexico State's Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils. However, they hope to renew the dance marathon next year.

New Mexico State is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to keeping dancers awake during the event. Other universities had a program of activities similar to Penn State's Thon, using games, comedians, bands and morale squads to energize the dancers.

Regardless of the size or length of their events, most of those involved with dance marathons agreed the effort is worth it.

"Just putting some time (in) makes you feel good about yourself, that you are really putting something into the world," said Kelly Heider, director for this year's dance marathon at Bowling Green State University.

Gayle Potter, secretary at the University of Missouri Greek Life Office, said organizing a dance marathon benefits the students as much as the children by giving students a chance to develop leadership skills.

"It allows students who have a normal life to realize how fortunate we are," Todd said. "We have the ability to do well, so now is our chance to give to those who haven't."