Argus Editorial Staff
Recently on campus, a program called “All in for Wesleyan” was hosted in order to raise money for Illinois Wesleyan University, particularly for student scholarships.
Raising $700,000 in just 24 hours, it’s safe to say that “All in for Wesleyan” was a very productive fundraiser.
“The success of the All In For Wesleyan challenge can be attributed largely to the way alumni and friends took ownership of the challenge,” said President Wilson.
Students and faculty participated in events such as the Wing Eating Contest and the Phone-A-Thon, bringing students and alumni together not only to raise money for Wesleyan, but to also give students the chance to talk with alumni and establish connections.
By informing students about the need for alumni donations, it brings into perspective that much of Wesleyan’s scholarship funding comes from graduates. The necessity of these donations are brought to light through the “All in for Wesleyan” events and encourage current Wesleyan students to help raise money while keeping in mind that one day, their support will be needed at Wesleyan.
One of the most exciting and mysterious events for “All in for Wesleyan” was the secret pep rally, “Dub After Dark,” organized at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday night before the fundraising began on Wednesday.
While the pep rally generated a lot of buzz through the student body, many IWU students wondered why it was kept a secret.
Junior Blair Wright, offered an answer, saying, “The ‘Dub After Dark’ and all other events were kept a secret intentionally. We hoped to surprise the IWU community (students, faculty, alumni, etc.) with a spontaneous, exciting spirit day. Spontaneity is not really a part of our campus culture, so we were looking for something out of the ordinary that would be exciting for students by announcing the day of.”
Though many students were able to participate in “Dub After Dark,” there were also students who were unable to attend because of the late notice or simply not being informed about the event until it was too late.
“I didn’t go to the event because I didn’t find out about it until 10:00 p.m., and I had an exam the next day,” said sophomore Amy Holpuch.
Some students who live off campus reported that they didn’t know about the event until the next morning when they saw photos on Facebook or the program in the Dugout. It is a little disappointing that an event calling the school population to rally together failed to inform that population.
“Dub After Dark” was a fun way to get students excited about fundraising for Wesleyan, but it could have made more of an impact on the student body had it been better advertised. The “secrecy” of the event could have been maintained if it had been advertised as a pep rally with a cause that had yet to be revealed. This way the student body could have planned to attend but still be surprised by the intent of the program.
Overall, the event was a huge success, as dozens of IWU students enjoyed free pizza and t-shirts while supporting a cause that benefited the Wesleyan campus as a whole.
Senior Alicia Barnett, an attendee of “Dub After Dark,” commented on the event, saying, “It was really cool and exciting to see everyone, especially at such a crazy time. I would say it went well!”