Saint Mary's Board of Governance (BOG) members awarded a $3,000 co-sponsorship to the prize committee of the College's annual Midnight Madness event at the group's meeting Monday. The committee will use the money to purchase prizes to give out at the event.
Midnight Madness, which will be held Friday, is an all-school event where each class competes in events like tug-of-war and pie eating contests to show school and class spirit.
"Our main goal [for the event this year] is to get more people involved because in years past people felt left out in the games that were going on," said Julie DeMaio, co-chair of the prize committee. "Due to this, we need more prizes."
BOG has awarded co-sponsorships to Midnight Madness in the past, although no one at the meeting knew how much was awarded last year.
The prize committee has received donations from the College's Information Technology department and Sodexho Food Services, as well as a class ring from Jostens and various gift certificates from businesses in the community, DeMaio said.
"The problem is that we've gotten five of this and five of that and we'd preferably like to have the same thing for, say, 23 people on the same team," DeMaio said.
Event organizers also hope to feature larger prizes such as a big screen television, prize committee co-chair Cassie Callon said.
"The grab of Midnight Madness is to have big prizes so people will want to come," Callon said.
In the course of deliberations about how much to award to the committee, BOG members pointed out that Linda Timm - the former vice president of Student Affairs who donated big-ticket items in past years - was no longer at the College
"I know Dr. Timm would donate a few big prizes, and those won't be there this year," admissions commissioner Annie Davis said.
In other BOG news:
u The Women Honoring Women Dinner will be held on Wednesday. Professors Astrid Henry, Susan Latham and Nancy Turner were nominated for the award, and the recipient will be announced during the dinner.
u The Student Academic Council will host a luncheon Monday at 12 p.m. for students and faculty in the West Wing of the Noble Family Dining Hall to discuss possible changes to the general education requirements in the curriculum at Saint Mary's.
