What started in the fall of 2002 as a commemoration of Fisher Hall's 50th anniversary has evolved into an annual campus-wide event. The Fisher Roof Sit seeks to promote community and charity through this 50 hour event that has a variety of activities associated with it. Given the length this event, everyone on campus has a chance to take part.
The Roof Sit begins rain or shine this evening at 7:50 pm, and continues for 50 hours, officially ending on Sunday at 9:50 pm. All events are free, and, according to assistant rector Dominic Angiollo, are sure to provide a good time.
Tonight's events will feature a local band The Royal They and HA! Comedy show. Fisher will also present Fisher Feats of 50 - a series of random and crazy acts done by Fisher residents in the spirit of charity. Accompanying this variety of acts will be free pizza, subs and mocktails from Pillars.
In last year's Fisher Feats one Fisher resident earned $1 per egg for each of the 50 eggs thrown at him; another guzzled a bottle of syrup in 50 seconds for donations.
The music and food will continue through Saturday with another exciting line-up. Fisher resident Tom Schreck will perform at 8:45 p.m., followed by Matt Merren & Brass ensemble. At 10 p.m. Fisher will introduce its newest addition to the 'Roof Sit': a campus-wide dodge ball tournament. Brother and sister dorm teams can be submitted into the tournament, which will continue until midnight on South Quad. The winning team gets $150, which will be given to a charity of its choice.
On Sunday the Roof Sit will wind down with some equally interesting activities. Like today and Saturday, inflatable bungee-runs and sumo wrestling will be available. Although Sunday will be a milder day, the Green Waves will still be sitting to raise money.
Demonstrating their strong sense of dedication and commitment to this event, not even a football game will keep Fisher from raising money. During Saturday's game hall staff and dorm rectors take turns sitting on the roof.
In 2002, the resident assistants of Fisher wanted to not only commemorate the 50th anniversary, but also help the local community. Organizers decided to raise money for Betsy Greenwood, the daughter of a Notre Dame Law student with cancer. Funds raised from the event went to Betsy's care.
Last year Fisher decided to honor the memory of Chad Sharon, a former resident of the dorm who died in February 2003 from a drowning accident, through donating funds to the Chad Sharon Memorial Scholarship Fund. In addition to this, contributions were also made to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In its third year, Fisher has decided to continue to donate to the Chad Sharon scholarship fund and rotate the second charity every other year. This year some of the profits will go to St. Adelberts Church in South Bend, which is looking to replace their roof. Last year donations amounted to approximately $3,000, and this year they hope to match if not beat this previous total.
The majority of money is raised through donations from passing students and guests. Dorm involvement is encouraged through the invitation that Fisher extends to dorm hall staffs to take turns sitting, as well as a pledge from Father Timothy Scully and Father Richard Warner. For every 50 students from a given dorm who sign in, Scully and Warner will match the donation with 50 dollars from their own pockets.
Fisher will provide the dorm with the highest representation with a BBQ as an added incentive for participation. Spirited hall staffs that come will also receive various prizes.
"Hopefully it will be a fun weekend," Fisher vice president Jeremy Moreno said. "The Fisher Roof Sit is for a good cause, it is for the local kids who need construction done to make it through the school year. We also continue to do the Sit so Chad Sharon is not forgotten and that something like this does not happen again."
