Students will dance the night away from 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16 until 7 a.m. Saturday to raise money for charity as part of the first annual Stay-Up UB dance marathon.
Proceeds will go to the UB Cares fund, which has chosen The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as the recipient of this year's donations. The goal is to raise $10,000 for the fund through this and various other events throughout the semester, according to the Stay-Up UB Web site.
Students, faculty and staff interested in participating should register online at stayupub.buffalo.edu. Participants are required to pay a $10 registration fee and are encouraged to seek sponsorship from others. Contributors should bring all collected money to check-in at 6 p.m. Friday.
Heather Schoff, a graduate student in Student Affairs administration, explained that students can register up to five hours after the dance has started. There are no limits to members on dance teams. Students are also encouraged to bring costumes or pajamas for the event. Sleep rooms, areas set off for resting, will be available for $1.
"Twelve hours might seem like a long time, especially if you have to go to classes all day, but we can do it," Schoff said.
Teams and individuals may contribute to the fundraising, according to Terri Frysh, director of the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, the event's host. Free food, drinks and giveaways will be available throughout the night.
Music and themes will change every hour throughout the night. Belly dancers, swing dancers and steppers will be showing off their best moves to entertain dancers and wallflowers alike. Hip-hop, salsa and disco play lists are also scheduled to motivate participants to keep dancing.
Participants who prefer not to dance may occupy themselves with pillow making, tie-dying, Guitar Hero, DDR and poker.
According to Frysh, Stay-Up UB is about school spirit and UB pride.
"Stay-Up UB is a way that we can encourage community engagement in the sense of philanthropy and to spread that awareness," Frysh said. "In terms of the nature of the fundraising that we are doing, showing UB pride and hoping that this will be a new tradition."
