There are many jobs that happen behind the scenes at the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, and some volunteers had duties that extended well beyond doing the line dance.

Bathroom duty was one job of the "OPPerations" (OPP) committee, nicknamed after the university's Office of Physical Plant, said dancer Dave Snyder (junior-mechanical engineering).

"OPP knocks on the doors of stalls to make sure people aren't asleep. I've actually seen them do it," he said.

OPP also took shifts manning a massage station, which resembled a Slip 'n Slide. During breaks, dancers could run and dive on baby powder-covered mats as volunteers massaged them for about 30 seconds. Other groups also ran these breaks, including faculty and alumni.

Managing the captains' sleep shifts could be the "shadiest" part of Thon, said communications volunteer Pam Jacob (senior-crime, law and justice). Captains got two four-hour shifts to sleep and bathe, she said. They slept in beds at Rec Hall.

The captains let communications volunteers know what time they want to be woken up, said Haley Marish (sophomore-public relations).

"We ask them if they snore. If they do, we take them to the snoring room," she said.

"We take a flashlight and put them to bed and then wake them up later and make sure they get up and don't fall back asleep."

Another behind-the-scenes task at Thon was to lead dancers outside through a decorated hallway called "the walk."

"Certain people act out mini-skits," said finance volunteer Megan Quinn (junior-advertising). "This year the theme was cartoons."

During the set-up for Thon, OPP members spent time bunny-hopping around the Rec Hall floor.

When laying the cover down for the floor, people had to hop on the mats to smooth them down and get out air bubbles, said OPP member Jon Trump (junior-astronomy and physics).

Security around the building was tight, led by members of the security and the communications groups.

"I think it's weird that security has to keep people out and in," said dancer Andrew DiZio (senior-finance).

He has never heard of any dancer trying to escape, he said.