Mike "The Mailman" Herr danced around the Thon stage as members of the crowd cheered him on, creating a buzz that flooded through the Bryce Jordan Center early Saturday morning.

"You've got mail!" he screamed. "Lots of mail!" he added, eliciting cheers and whoops from the tired crowd at this weekend's Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

As he spoke, moralers in green shirts lugged clear plastic bags across the gym, hoisting under-the-sea themed posters above them that advertised which dancers' mail they had.

"3 ... 2 ... 1 ... drop the rope!" screamed mail captains Roopa Patel and Nancy Morisseau, prompting the rules and regulations committee members to allow dancers access to their mail.

"There are no words to describe what [the dancers] are doing," Morisseau said. "We do this to help so they can help the kids."

Dancers received all kinds of mail, which was sent weeks before Thon from family and friends. Brent Cohen (senior-finance), who is dancing for Phi Sigma Kappa, received a dart gun and a magic eight ball.

"Stuff to keep me occupied," he explained, examining the bubblegum-pink, mini magic eight ball.

Many of the dancers saw mail call as a way of rejuvenating their spirits, since the crowd had been dwindling during the early hours of the morning

"It's one thing to see the children grateful, but it's another to see those around you show support," said Jonathan Ramirez (senior-labor and industrial relations), who is dancing for the Puerto Rican Student Association. "It helps take your mind off physical fatigue and emotional stresses."

Mike Chockey (junior-general science), dancing for Hillel, said mail call helped him stay awake.

"It helps to inspire me and to let me know everyone out there is thinking of me," he said. However, Chockey did say he was "ready to finish Thon."

Planning for the activity began back in September, Patel said. The past two weeks, however, is when the majority of the mail began coming in, Morisseau said, creating a lot of work for the two captains and their committees.

"I would relive every stressful moment," Patel said.

Though Ramirez said he felt tired, he summed up a lot of the dancers' sentiments during the 3 a.m. mail call.

"I know I'm doing something right," he said.