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

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J ro! Photo courtesy of Kristi Cowell spective participants, committee members, and the many of the families who benefitted from Dance Marathon joined in for a line dance at their kickoff event. One of the unique aspects of the Dance Marathon philan- thropy was that the par- ticipants got to meet the actual families and see firsthand the reasons why they were giving their time. ICHIGAN 1WENTORSHIP PROGRAM FENCING CLUB U , ' IFavi Kevin tith, Krisli Ste ifl ' Mild . - .: : : i in Pole Thirty active members competed with tlu- IVnntii; I ' luh. in ,1 year in -.vliich thf rnel fierce competition on tin road at such schools as Northwestern, Ohio State, I)dro;i VJi re , , . nt tati and Notre Dame. Commented Christopher NCT .. Fo ofi ; this is our first or sa md u on the team so we are still in the leai ngexperii ce [ostofouropi leni ai irsitylevel o to compi tionis ;reat. Besides con )e [,theti enjoyedma ti i : ., ;a ;; . tii is mo u niglil i .1 pol lui - ' fore I e fitsl I larnei u ., ' inei : si son to o e ir ite theteam ' svari ; accomplishmi i frj . ' .. :; F ' ublic Schools. Uni augmented their education and studci! ' Dance Marathon 331

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ance Til You Drop RecognMg the success that other Rols faced as they raised millions of dollars for charity, a central planning team for The Dance Marathon decided to take action and implement lfun-filled philanthMC event at the University for the first time. The major goal of the event is to not only have fun and make money for charity but also to make i jJB Bx i nt becomes a lasting tradition and its success grows for many years to come, commented political science junior and director, Evan Meyers. In order to establish this benevolent tradition at the University, the committee chairs knew that funding and promotional techniques would be key factor s in accomplishing their goals. The one-hundred-member team solicited on campus sponsors, such as the Greek system, Black Greek Association, residence halls, Golden Key, Hillel, the Friars, and the Inter-Fraternity Council. They also solicited funds from off-campus establishments like locals restaurants, businesses, and radio stations such as WIQB. Although some of the event was paid for by the committee, most of their supplies and budget came from sponsor donations. The t-shirts, buckets, buttons, flyers, facilities, and entertainment were all donated. The committee promoted the event by hanging up diag boards and flyers and by having volunteers dance on the Diag for five hours on a few Fridays prior to the event. However, Dance Marathon was anything but a 30 hour dance-a-thon. The evening was filled with a variety of entertainment, from playing singled out to watching several university groups perform. The Friars, 58 Greene, the Dance Team, the Cheerleaders, and Impact were among just a few of the groups that volunteered their time to the cause. The participants were also taught how to break dance, country line dance, and swing dance. To help the dancers through the grueling night, there were many moralers staffing the event who kept up spirits and gave foot rubs when needed. Yet the most profound part of the evening was the speeches made by the families that benefit from the charity. Dance marathon makes such a difference, and those who give their time, money, and energy get to see that first hand. It is so unique in that it combines so many resources by involving the students, the university itself, and the community. I ' ve never seen anything like it, commented biochemistry senior and Assistant Director of Planning Kristi Cowell. by Samantha Losimki RESIDENCE HALL ASSOCIATION Photo courtesy of Kristi Cowell .o-directors of Planning Renee Tomlinson and Mike Inger sign people up to participate in a bucket drive to raise money for Dance Marathon. Since the event was financed mainly by donations, these bucket drives, as well as the money and supplies given by local businesses and organizations, were a crucial part of the philanthropy ' s success. , ttthew Schloss.Aisha tones, Rol Mark Volly , C u, a Collins Row 2: ii. Krin Dussancc. i nm r lason Climura. Roherl Melissa lustii. ::i l.ijion. Selh 330 Organizations

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a Kappa Delta Phi jump in a pile for a stress breaker and fun-filled photograph. In addition to enjoying the numerous sisterhood events, mem- bers volunteered time for Mott ' s Children ' s Hospital and of philanthropies. a Kappa Delta Phi members display signs for their organization. All of the seventeen members contributed to and shared in the experience of sisterhood. photo courtesy of Irene Yuan DESCENDANTS OF THE MONKEY GOD Albert Shih. James Liang, John Urn. Michael Abesamis, Marvin En l.iang. Beatrice Chen. Jin Ijee, Mukesh Agrawal. Shirley lisieh The Descendants of the Monkey God, one of the first Asian American performance arts troupes created in the Midwest, strived to promote multi-cultural awareness in the United States. Formerly known as Point of View, they were created through the UM Asian American Student Coalition to locus on issues regarding race, diversity, identity, stereotypes, and generational differences. They were renamed 1 MG during the Fall of 1995 after the creative, daring, and rebellious Monkey God of popular Chinese folklore. The troupe used dra ma, music, song, and dance to entertain and educate audiences. They performed at various university functions as well as at other schools including New York ( ' diversity. Ohio Slate I nivevsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Kenyon College. Their collecii e goal was to eliminate hatred among people of different cultures and to embrace the colorful diversitv of their community. br Sanmii hi l.iKinski Taiwanese American Students for Awareness was established as a resource for students, particularly Taiwanese Americans, on campus in 199 1 . The aim of the organization was to provide settings in which any interested people, could learn about Taiwanese history, culture, language, or about the Taiwanese American identity. Through cultural workshops and social events, among other activities, they tried to foster a sense a ocmmunity and understanding within Taiwanese Americans on campus and other campuses as well as fellowship with the APA and university community. bvSamanlba Lo.v ' uski 332 Organizations