A cause to care about | Relay for Life increases in popularity on college campuses nationwide

By: Stephanie Musat

Posted: 3/28/08

It's a Saturday night. Students are walking around, listening to music. They've been up all night, but they aren't on out on Marshall Street - they are at the Carrier Dome.

And they aren't drinking - they are fighting cancer.

"Some say that our generation is inactive, but we have other ways to get involved," said Nick Huertas, co-chair of Syracuse University's Relay for Life. "Relay is a cause that we've attached ourselves to. It's our way of activism."

More and more colleges across the country are hosting Relay. The top 10 fundraising schools and colleges for the American Cancer Society have started their relays within the past seven years.

There are 183 teams participating in this year's Relay at SU with more than 1,700 participants, said Sara Covino, co-chair of the Relay. Prior to the event, $115,916.06 was raised, compared with last year's $70,000, Covino said.

She said students recognize there is work to be done so they participate actively on college campuses.

The first relay at SU was six years ago.

"It was the student's choice to bring Relay here," Corvino said. "Five members from Alpha Phi Omega asked the American Cancer (Society) Board for a Relay on campus, and the reaction was really good."

Since its first year, Relay has grown in popularity and activism as more people participate and more money is raised each year, she said.

Idriss Njike, assistant resident director for SkyHalls on South Campus, is the team captain for team SkyZ Da Limit "Da Jump Off." His team has raised $4,815.94 - the largest amount for a student team and the second highest team in the Relay.

The appeal of Relay to college students is that it is a way for students to get involved, Njike said.

"College students are always trying to get involved in something, especially trying to give back," he said. "It's all about college students getting involved in a cause that they care about."

The premise of the Relay is broken down into three pieces: to celebrate, to honor and to fight back.

The celebration commemorates those who survived cancer, the Relay honors those who lost their battle with the disease and the fight back is against the cancer, the category in which the students are most active, said Nick Huertas, SU's Relay co-chair.

Lydia D'Agostino, the chapter president of the N.Y. Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi agreed.

"College kids are typically seen as bad, so this is an opportunity for us to be seen positively while helping out cancer research," she said.

D'Agostino, a senior biochemistry major, and her sorority formed the Pi Phi Angels, the third highest earning team in the SU relay. Their team has raised $4,280 to date.

She said there are several members of her sorority that have been affected by cancer, which is why Pi Phi is so involved in Relay.

Of the 183 teams participating in this year's Relay, 67 groups are Greek.

This involvement by the Greek system, as well as the spirit of the event in general, is mirrored on campuses across the country.

Colleen Psomas, a freshman business administration major at the George Washington University, said colleges have a lot of groups and clubs, like fraternities and sororities that participate in Relays, which is part of the appeal of college campuses.

"(The groups) are organized and capable to collect money for the cause," Psomas said.

Psomas is a part of Circle K team, a leadership club at GW. This year, GW teamed up with American University to host a Relay in the Washington, D.C. area.

There is competition between Relay events in the Washington, D.C. area, said Liz Tobia, event coordinator for the Georgetown University Relay, a separate event hosted in the area.

In addition to Georgetown and the GW/American relays, Catholic University and the University of Maryland are also hosting events within the next month, which helps fuel involvement, said Tobia, a junior accounting major.

"Last year was our first year doing the Relay," she said. "We raised a little less than $300,000, which we were really proud of. This year there are about 50 more teams and 1,000 participants, so it's exciting because it's not a tradition yet so we want to see how we are doing."

Tobia said there will be campus bands, a cappella groups and eating contests during the event, similar to the schedule of entertainment at SU.

When asked what events would be at SU's Relay, Covino, the event's co-chair joked, "What activities aren't going to be at Relay?"

She mentioned there will be DJs and bands, as well as performances from the dance team and a scavenger hunt. She said the highlight of the night should be a drag show.

"It is always exciting to see everyone come together and support a cause," she said. "It's a great time and always a lot of fun."

sdmusat@syr.edu