Rant and Rave

Marietta College Needs To Dance For Charity

This has probably been one of the hardest things I’ve had to write for this site.  Not due to the subject matter, but due to the fact that I wanted to word this so that it may drive those who read it to action.  So please, if you don’t read another article this week, read this one.

Philanthropy is a major part of Marietta College’s beliefs.  We do Make a Difference Day, Community Service Day, Relay for Life, Up ’til Dawn, and many other individual organization related projects.  Without Marietta College, this city would find itself with many opportunities for service, but very few people to actually work them.

However, maybe we do too much for national efforts?  I mean, don’t get me wrong here…I enjoy Up ’til Dawn and Relay for Life…they are great causes.  However, I feel that now is the time to come together and create something new…something never seen before at Marietta College.  Something that would create a large-scale philanthropy event for the Spring semester, where we currently only have Community Service Day.  Something that has been established elsewhere and has proven immensely popular.  That event is the Dance Marathon.

THON, as it’s better known at Penn State, has been around since the early 70′s, and has since raised over $60 million dollars for the fight against pediatric cancer at a local hospital.  Money is raised all throughout the Fall and Winter by each of the participating groups.  Then in mid February, they hold a two day long dance party, celebrating the money they’ve raised and the children that they have helped over the years.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THON 2010′S PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

I’m not suggesting that we try to create an event that massive at Marietta College.  Not by a longshot.  Penn State is probably 30 to 40 times larger than us.  But if we were to take the idea of the dance marathon and have it contribute a local cause, it could be highly successful.  Have one Dance Marathon Fundraiser for each sport throughout the year, organize one or two cannings (walking around the town with cans asking for donations) a year, have side events to raise money, get organizations both on and off campus to participate, and get companies to support the cause and underwrite costs.  Then have a 12 hour dance marathon that started at, say, 2 PM on a Saturday afternoon and went until 2 AM at the Gathering Place (or Fenton Court if demand required).  Have a great DJ play music the entire time, make it fun, interactive, share stories from the charity we choose to support, and have a good time.

It would take a lot of support to get rolling, but if the campus could pull together for this one event and work in harmony, I think we could all do a lot of good for the community.

What do you think?  Let us know in the Comments section.

Campus Security Improved at Parsons

An article hit the Marietta Times today about Marietta College’s security enhancements.  They were all put into place over the summer and include the following changes:

• Every hallway has a campus phone
• Every floor of every building has an emergency radio linked to the College’s and NOAA’s emergency alert systems
• Wooden doors have been replaced with metal doors
• Grab-resistant handles installed on doors
• Security screens installed on all first floor windows
• All Card readers are certified as working
• Card Reader placed on entrance to bathroom in a 4th street dorm

This hits me a little bit close to home because I can tell you a few things.  I live in a campus-owned Fraternity house.  And our house has not had security screens installed on the first floor windows.  We don’t have a card reader, metal doors (entrances or room doors), or an emergency call box installed.  We have emergency radios, but not much else.  Our house has had two TV’s stolen from it the past two summers, and every time we ask for security improvements we do not receive them.  The other houses have card reader access, but to not have security screens (as far as I know) or metal doors installed.  Sure, Parsons is safer (which is good, don’t get me wrong), but saying that all campus housing facilities have all of these safety measures is stretching the truth a bit.

Do I feel safe?  Absoultely.  Marietta (and the College) have very little crime to worry about.  However…it would be nice if they did install all safety measures at all campus housing.  Is the campus safer with all of these additions?  Of course it is.  I just would like to see all students protected equally.