SPORTS: Men’s Tennis Looks Forward to Spring ~ page 13
A&E: Girls Fashion... FOR THE WIN! ~ page 8
THE RAMAPO NEWS
Relay for Life 2010 A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community
THURSDAY, April 1, 2010
XL No. 19
Event Raises Over $57,000 for American Cancer Society
By AMY FEZZA WITH JOHN SANDFORD Staff Writers
With more than 800 participants, students and other members of the Ramapo community participated in Relay for Life for the fourth consecutive year, which required both a physical and emotional commitment. Participants included both cancer survivors as well as supporters. “So many people came together tonight. This is when the campus becomes united and that is truly rare to see,” Theta Phi Alpha team captain Mandy Saffer said. An event that had gathered 700 participants and 60 teams the year before gave incentive for veteran relay participants to strive toward an even greater turnout. This year, 90 teams signed up and about 1,000 participants got involved. Mostly all of the teams were made up of Greek organizations, sports teams and clubs on campus, all of which looked to get involved and help out for a good cause. The president of Colleges Against Cancer, Laura Hahn, knew she wanted to get involved before she came to Ramapo.
“I knew two things when before I got here: to become a member of SGA and help with Relay for Life. I made a vow to make sure that Relay was something that was going to become well-known,” Hahn said. The teams that participated created T-shirts in advance in order to distinguish themselves. Participants were able to connect with fellow team members while making team shirts. “During spring break, my team decided to make tie-dye shirts for the event so people could distinguish us better. Also it was a chance for our team to bond and really get to know each other before the event,” lacrosse player Colleen Steel said. Relay for Life turned the Bradley Center gymnasium into what seemed like a county fair. Games and food lined the gym, and the gym floor was a track of remembrance. Mini white paper bags formed a circle in the middle of the floor, creating a pathway for participants to walk around during the night to either fight or honor a loved one who has battled cancer. “This is my second time coming to this event and just like last year, I forgot where I
was. Someone had to remind me I was at the Bradley Center - this isn’t something you see at Ramapo all the time,” sophomore Ken Rodenheiser said. In 2005, alumni and founder of Colleges Against Cancer Sarah Costello brought this
Mini white paper bags formed a circle in the middle of the floor, creating a pathway for participants to walk around during the night to either fight or honor a loved one who has battled cancer.
successful charity to Ramapo when she was only a freshman student. Costello was looking to get the college involved in a way that most students don’t think about. “It’s crazy how all of this started as nothing in my Pine dorm room. I never imagined that it would be this big. I participated at the Relay held at Don Bosco Prep and knew we
photo by Amy Fezza
had to get it here,” Costello said. Costello, now a grad assistant in the Women’s Center, said that she will always come back to show her support. “I’ll always come back to this; I know that this is going to be something that will be here for a long time,” Costello said. Ramapo has come a long way in only four years and major sponsors such as Pantene took notice. Pantene created a table called “Pantene Beautiful Lengths,” which allowed participants to donate eight inches of hair to create free wigs for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. “I participated in the event on an impulse. I didn’t plan cutting my hair, but it was long enough and I decided that people with cancer could use it more than myself. Afterward, I felt good about donating my hair but I was shocked at how short it was. I would definitely do it again once my hair grows out,” senior Kerry Rindt said. Team captains rallied their team members to get involved at the event and do as much as they could to help people in need. “This is my first time being the team capsee RELAY on page 6