Taking out trash and cleaning toilets are not usually items found on a student's "to do" list over the weekend, but during the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, hundreds of students signed up to do just that.

Over 350 students volunteered to work on the Operations Committee for Thon, the largest committee turnout in Thon history. As members of the committee, students are in charge of setting up and breaking down Thon, taking out trash, cleaning toilets and various other duties to make sure Rec Hall stays clean and Thon runs smoothly.

"It's not always glorious being on OPP but someone has to do it. Thon works because we do," said Phil Bower (graduate-mineral processing), an OPP team captain. "If we weren't here to set up and keep the place clean, it wouldn't run as smoothly."

Bower attributed the increased response in students to last year's OPP chair, Jennifer Doebler, who moved the OPP committee from the forgotten to the forefront. She made it fun and brought pride to being a member, Bower said.

When people join OPP they like doing it because they form a tight bond with other members, said Ross Shearer, overall operations chair.

"I've been an OPPer for three years and can't get enough of it," Shearer said. "Doing OPP is not a glamorous job, but as Doebler used to say, 'we may clean up trash, but if you asked us what we were doing, we'd tell them we're finding a cure for cancer,'"

Besides cleaning, members of OPP are also in charge of many of the technical aspects of Thon such as bringing out food for the dancers, setting up the different themes and organizing the dancers' bathroom breaks with the baby-powder dive afterwards.

Members of the committee spend the Thursday night before Thon setting up and work until early Monday morning breaking it down.

"We're the first people here, the last ones to leave," said Heather Cartwright (sophomore-international business and finance).

"OPP is the backbone of Thon, the weekend wouldn't happen without us."

Melissa Hauger (junior-special education) has volunteered on the OPP committee for the last three years and said the increased number of personnel on the committee has helped to quickly work through the committee's to-do list.

"We really didn't have to do as much because of all the volunteers," Hauger said. "The setup went really well, faster than last year."

With the extra manpower on the floor, members of the committee said there was more time to make sure their jobs are done right.

"Everything is staying clean and it makes the dancers happy," said Dan Scott (senior-integrative arts).

OPP consists of one overall chair and 16 captains who maintain teams of 15-25 students. Each team was assigned four-hour shifts as well as setup and cleanup. The scheduling was well planned and the large teams allowed for an easier workload since more than one team was always on the floor, Scott said.

"It's just long enough where you don't get too frustrated," Scott said. "And since there are more people on the floor at once, we can concentrate on certain areas like under the bleachers and make sure there are no hazards."

Morgan Fergione (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) joined the committee because her friends told her it had been the best time they had ever had and that being on OPP let them be a part of all aspects of Thon.

"Not only do we make sure we're doing our job, but we get to interact with the dancers, and the families, and most importantly the kids," Fergione said. "Knowing that we're helping them makes the job worthwhile."

Despite the stereotypes of being on the committee, members argue that the work isn't that bad.

"It's really not that gross," said Diane Day (senior-polymer science and engineering). "I rubbed my friend's feet who was dancing and nothing can be grosser than that. Compared to that, OPP isn't bad at all."

Sometimes Cartwright gets stares when she's cleaning the bathroom, she said.

"I don't understand the looks some people give me," she said. "It's really not that bad and if we didn't do it the entire place would just be a mess."

Brad Palmisiano (senior-architectural engineering) joined OPP because he likes doing work behind the scenes.

"There's a genuine need for people on the OPP committee," Palmisiano said. "It only helps the dancers to keep the place clean."