Three rooms in the HUB-Robeson Center are stuffed full of letters and packages. About 80 students rush
in and out of the rooms, collecting mail from friends of dancers and frantically organizing it by dancer number.

Today all that work must be completed. Tomorrow afternoon OPP captains and special assistants will load the mail into a Penske truck and drive it to the Bryce Jordan Center to prepare for Mail Call at the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. The mail will then be unloaded onto 40-foot long trailers before it can be tucked away in dancers' lockers.

"[Mail Call is] just a way for [the dancers] to get a little inspiration," Mail Call Morale Captain Roopa Patel (senior-hotel restaurant institutional management) said. "A little inspiration goes a long way."

Mail Call is done twice during Thon weekend -- once right before Thon begins and once early Sunday morning. The pre-Thon Mail Call helps pump up dancers going into Thon, while the second Mail Call, during the red eye hours, energizes the dancers.

"Around what time it is Sunday morning, they've been on their feet since 7 o'clock. There's not that many people in the stands," Patel said. "There's no kids around. As soon as they get that mail, it's crazy. As soon as they see that mail, their faces light up."

Postmen from the University Park

Post Office help deliver the dancer mail.

Mike Herr, who students affectionately call Mike the Mailman, has helped with Mail Call for 18 years.

"I'm just thrilled to do this," he said. "It's unbelievable."

In his 18 years helping with Mail Call, Herr has seen a lot of changes.

"When I first started it was in the White Building," he said. "It was such a little Mail Call. I'd just hand it out. There were no packages."

But as Thon has grown, so has the amount of mail.

"Every year there's more and more mail," Pat Gilham, University mail carrier, said.

On Monday, which was officially the deadline for all mail to be submitted for Mail Call, Gilham alone toted 25 bags -- with at least 10 packages in each -- to the HUB.

While Gilham works behind the scenes, Herr will be on stage.

"I think the kids are excited to see the mailman -- a familiar face," he said.

Over the years Herr's role has diminished as Thon committees become dedicated to organizing Mail Call.

Herr doesn't mind, though. "It's not about me, it's for the kids," he said.

Even with his "very little role," he loves attending Thon.

"I like to fire up the kids. I like to stick around and dance," he said.

Gifts from family and friends also serve to energize dancers.

Hula-hoops, large bouncy balls, Slinkies, splash catchers and an array of toys serve to reinvigorate dancers in the wee hours of the night.

"[It's] stuff to keep them entertained through the 46 hours," said Brett Whipple, who's helping organize Mail Call (sophomore-marketing).

While dancers are not allowed to receive candy during Mail Call, Herr once graciously accepted a package of cookies addressed to him at Mail Call.

Despite the amount of mail, which Patel calls "uncountable," she's confident all the mail will be sorted in time to load into the trucks. "I was kind of nervous [Monday]. Our teams picked it up. We're doing great right now. We couldn't have asked for better teams."