University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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student organization resource center QQQ QO QQO2 one tudent Organization Research Center, or the SORC, was founded in 1970. Its major goal was to provide an integrated approach to campus information and publicity dissemination. It coordinated the use of low-cost campus advertising services for University departments and over 800 student organizations. The SORC promoted annual programming and workshop series through the monthly newsletter Get To The SORC. As a branch of the University Union ' s Arts and Programs department, the SORC was a valuable resource for many organizations. We provided low-cost advertising services for student organizations and departments. We also provided a full-scale balloon service, graphic design assistance and standard office equipment. The SORC was open over 80 hours a week, manager of the Michigan Union Recreation SORC Betsy Sundholm said. SORC was a good resource which could be used in certain important events on campus, junior electircal engineering major Vashist Vasanthakumar said. Being the Vice President of the Cricket Club of the University - which is a registered body under recreational sports - 1 used the SORC widely for their banners and customized badges which the Cricket Club used when we telecasted the India-Pakistan cricket series at the Michigan Union. The office was also a place for organization leaders to stop in and check their e-mail if necessary. The SORC also provided employment opportunities for many students who enjoyed being introduced to the wide variety of organizations on campus and worked well with people. My main goal was to coordinate the efficient and fair distribution of limited campus advertising resources. Another goal of mine was to have the most effective, knowledgeable, and helpful student staff on campus. When we were open, the SORC was staffed almost entirely by students , Sundholm said. All in all the SORC was a helpful resource for many student organizations on campus. The people working for the SORC were friendly and understanding in dealing with the ever-busy students of the University. Without this resource many University organizations would have had to look elsewhere for low-cost advertising. by : aparnaa bhatt An employee of the SORC blows up a balloon with the office ' s helium tank. SORC provided numerous resources for organizations planning events or advertising around campus, such as balloon supplying and inflating. y. Granata photo

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dance marathon OOO i Dance Marathon, DM, was one of the more infamous groups at the University. DM was a non-profit student group that worked to raise money and awareness for pediatric rehabilitation programs, specifically for families in the Ann Arbor area. DM was affiliated with both the CS Motts Hospital in Ann Arbor as well as the William Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan. Essentially, DM planed, organized, and ran an annual Dance Marathon. The marathon was held at the Indoor Track and Field Building on South Campus. Students danced, or at least stood, for a period of 30 hours, each raising $250 or more. Over these 30 hours, a variety of DJs came to play, so there was a wide range of different music. Also over these thirty hours, between 3000-3500 people outside of the DM club came to watch and cheer on the dancers. The biggest activities of the long night involved learning a lengthy pre-choreographed dance. Members of the central planning team taught about half a minute of the dance every hour. Junior elementary education major Danielle Middleton said, [The dance] pumped me right back up towards the end when I was getting tired. It got so long so it gave us something to practice with each other and kept us dancing all night long. I still remember some of the parts. My DM friends and I dance to them when we hear the songs on the radio. One of the most unique aspects about DM was its aptitude to allow students to interact with the areas outside of the University. The families that DM supported attended the marathon as well. Dance Marathon effectively created an active sense of community and an atmosphere of fun. As best said by senior mechanical engineering major Shravanthi Gummadi, It is a place where college students can come be kids again without having to feel weird about it... [we dance] in honor of the people who cannot do it themselves. S 0) by : dorothy weise

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The SORC office, located on the fourth floor of the Union, has its doors open for students. The office was open from I Oa.m. to I I p.m. during the week. Y. Granata photo A student organization member gets help at the front desk of the SORC office. Student organization leaders became par- ticularly familiar with SORC, as they used the office to sign groups up for Diag boards and banners. Y. Granata photo GO o 7: n