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[ Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000 ]
Thon preparations begin for next year's Thon
By Jeremy R. Cooke
Collegian Staff Writer
Here is some advice for those already feeling Thon withdrawal: Wait a few weeks.
The 2000 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon has run its course, but some organizers will barely get a chance to rest their weary feet before they turn their minds to next year's event.
Less than a month after Rec Hall returns to normal, the search will begin for another overall chair.
Applications start going out for the head student officer of Thon 2001 right after spring break, said Andrea Gaspardino, Thon adviser.
"That's not a whole lot of downtime," she said.
This year's overall chair, Brian Sperling, was announced at the end of last March.
In April, he began forming a committee of 14 other student chairs to oversee different aspects of the dance marathon including corporate relations, entertainment, marketing and morale, Sperling said.
"It's a short transition period from year to year with the overall committees," he said.
PHOTO: Justin M. Bennett/Collegian
The operations committee unload a truck Thursday in preparation for this year’s Thon.
Sperling said he worked with the division chairs throughout last summer, outlining plans and goals for the year.
"I did a little bit of preparation in the summer, trying to decide how I was going to organize my committee," said Kristen Schein, family relations chair for Thon.
However, Schein said the bulk of her work began at the beginning of Fall Semester.
"There's a steady stream after that," she added.
Four Diamonds Fund families received letters in late August and early September to find out if they wanted to participate in this year's Thon, Schein said.
Meanwhile, Thon social chair Erin Tench began inviting companies and restaurants to donate food products for the weekend's events.
Tench said it was necessary to start so early because of the lengthy process of arranging aid from local businesses.
She added some groups agreed to contribute just a few weeks before Thon.
After the culmination of this past weekend's events, Sperling said only one major goal of Thon 2000 remains -- getting the word out about its success.
"That's the time when we say, 'Hey, look how much these students raised,' " he said. "Right when it finishes, that's when the news happens."
The cycle begins all over again on April 3 when Sperling's successor is announced.
