With the final day of Thon cut short, the 48-hour dance marathon won't be the same, Jill Cameron said.

Cameron, the Kappa Alpha Theta Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon chairwoman and past dancer, expressed what many other Penn State students and alumni said when they learned about the schedule changes.

Thon organizers announced yesterday that Thon 2007 will end at 4 p.m. on Sunday instead of at 7 p.m., changing a 33-year tradition. It has not yet been decided what time Thon will begin on Friday, which will determine how many hours it will last.

Thon will also be held in the Bryce Jordan Center instead of Rec Hall for the first time to accommodate more fans and facilitate the long hours for the dancers.

Cameron said the last day is filled with so much emotion, especially the last four hours, that a 4 p.m. finale will feel strange to participants.

"That's just a bummer," Cameron said.

The whole Thon community will be disappointed with the shortened Sunday, she said, but the impact won't be as great on those who haven't participated in Thon in the past.

Vicki Humphreys, a 1990 graduate and former Thon dancer, said the Big Ten should work for Penn State to accommodate the long-time tradition of the 48-hour marathon.

"It is one of the greatest traditions at Penn State," Humphreys said.

Humphreys added that alumni will want the length to remain the same because many of them were very involved with Thon while attending Penn State and continue to show their support.

"The response will be universal," she said.

Other students and alumni said Thon organizers and the Big Ten

should reconsider their decision to shorten the weekend.

Zeta Psi member Kevin Chisnell said students should vote or have their voices heard on the matter because it is a student-run philanthropy.

"It is done with the cooperation of every student, not just a select few," he said. "Everyone is happy with how the system is now."

Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group (DMAIG) President Jeff Krisciunas said alumni and students are posting their opinions on the group's Web site, www.dmaig.org, and the recent posts are filled with confusion, anger and frustration.

He said that right now, the group is working to provide information to confused alumni about the move to the Bryce Jordan Center and schedule changes.

Krisciunas said the group is not planning a protest yet, but it is serving as a "funnel of information" for now.

"We just want to safeguard Thon for the long term," he said. "I have a few concerns of my own."

Other Thon enthusiasts said no matter what changes are made to event, the message behind Thon will remain the same.

Craig Hillemeier, CEO and dean of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, said the move to the Bryce Jordan Center will give even more students and families the opportunity to participate and help Thon grow even more than it already has.

"The entire Penn State community will embrace it even more," he said.

Gamma Phi Beta Thon Chairwoman Amber Fisher said she was a little shocked by the change, but she thinks the move to the BJC will increase safety for all participants.

"We just have to look at the future and see the benefit [of the move]," Fisher said.