About 30 students gathered in the HUB Auditorium last night to hear suggestions on how to extend the spirit of Thon to other activities.

The discussion, called "Beyond Rec Hall," was sponsored by the Undergraduate Student Government Social Awareness Committee and the Panhellenic Council, and was intended for student leaders to gain insight on why the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is so successful.

Jared Brown, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life, monitored a panel discussion with Thon Overall Evan Jacobs and Communications Chair April Haas, Coaches vs. Cancer Student Director Colleen Leddy and Rescue Childhood President Vicky Killion.

Some common reasons the panel said their groups were successful were the visibility of their events, their relationship with the administration and connection to the cause.

Haas and Jacobs said Thon is successful in part because families come to meetings to share stories and keep their members updated with the children's progress.

"Having a connection to the cause for any philanthropy really motivates people," Jacobs said. "Students can say, 'I had a part of that.' "

Jacobs also reminded the audience that Thon has been around for 30 years and has had time to learn from its mistakes.

Some student leaders said they would like to try to imitate Thon's hierarchical structure and its social aspect to make volunteering more fun.

"If you enjoy what you're doing, you tend to work harder," Leddy said.

Although much of the discussion was about getting advice from Thon representatives, Jacobs said there are things Thon would like to work on for next year, such as freshman recruiting.

The panel also discussed the importance of student leaders helping each other by exchanging e-mails, giving each other suggestions and coming to each other's events.

Leddy said this is especially helpful when groups share a common goal, adding that there are many organizations on campus who also raise money for cancer research.

"Sometimes we don't focus on helping each other as much as we could," Leddy said. "There's a little bit of competition there. ... There shouldn't be," she added.