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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:24 am Post subject: THON Overall Posts BJC Frequently Asked Questions
[i]Posted on www.thon.org[/i]
[b]Why will THON have to cut down on the number of hours?[/b]
THON will be ending at 4PM on Sunday. President Spanier was able to get a blackout date for THON with the Big Ten and Penn State Athletics. This was a tremendous accomplishment, and the only other compromise the Big Ten makes is for Minnesota’s football team which shares a facility with the Minnesota Twins. The Big Ten adjusts Minnesota’s schedule when the Twins are in the World Series. The compromise that was made with Athletics to conclude at 4PM allows us to have time for cleaning and restoration of at least part of the facility so that it can be returned to use for other purposes.
[b]Will THON definitely have to be shortened? Why can’t we start at 4pm on Friday?[/b]
THON will be shortened to some extent. We will not be able to start at 4PM on Friday due to class schedules and academics will always be one of our main focuses. It is unfair to both students and faculty to start THON before students are finished with class.
[b]So does this mean THON will be 45 hours? If not, how long will it be?[/b]
The exact duration of THON is not set. Although the 4PM on Sunday time is set, we have a lot of flexibility with the Friday evening of THON. We are planning to incorporate new programs and events for dancers and families. The exact details will not be known until the new Overall Committee is selected and transitioned.
[b]Will the increased room really be a huge improvement from REC Hall?[/b]
Yes, it will be a tremendous improvement from Rec Hall. Not only will we be able to handle more people in the stands and not have to turn anyone away, we will also have more room on the floor. At our most crowded times in Rec Hall, the BJC will be able to handle that amount and more. Dancers will have more room and it will be a lot safer for families and children. There will also be more room for families and they will be able to stay in one building throughout the weekend as opposed to going back and forth between Rec Hall and Waring Commons.
[b]Could THON have stayed in Rec Hall and be 48 Hours?[/b]
For THON to have stayed in Rec Hall at 48 hours there would have been a significant cut in both the number of dancers as well as the number of passes available. The doors were closed 4 times this past year, turning away excited and dedicated supporters. If we were to stay in Rec Hall, there would be a significant increase in times we would have to close off both the floor and doors to Rec Hall.
[b]Will there be a large increase in number of dancers and floor passes?[/b]
There is a potential for an increase in dancers and floor passes, however, our first priority is to take care of all of the logistics and details to get THON setup in the BJC. Once we have our system in place, we will have the opportunity to grow and expand.
[b]What other changes will be made to THON in the BJC?[/b]
We have a tremendous amount of flexibility for improvement of current THON weekend events as well as the opportunity to incorporate new events throughout the weekend. THON will still be THON, we will just be in a larger, better equipped, climate controlled, and more secure facility.
[b]Is this decision final?[/b]
The decision to move to the BJC and end THON at 4PM on Sunday is final, but we have flexibility with the Friday evening of THON as was mentioned before.
[b]Can we move to April and stay 48?[/b]
We are unable to move the dates of THON to April because after basketball season the BJC has a lot more events that vary from year to year and we would have even less flexibility with how long we occupied the facility.
[b]Did you know about the hour change when you announced the move to the BJC?[/b]
We were are of the compromise that was made with the Big Ten and Athletics, however, all of the details and scheduling issues with the move to the BJC were still in the works and were not finalized until the week of March 20th.
[b]Was there a push from the Administration to decrease the hours of THON?[/b]
The hour change simply resulted from a compromise that was made with the Big Ten and Athletics in order for us to get a blackout date and be guaranteed use of the facility THON weekend.
If you have any other additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact:
Michael Funk
THON 2007 Overall Chairperson
Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon
Cell: (412)956-3348
mdf178@psu.edu
