The Justice

Media Credit: Sara Brandenburg/the Justice Asher Tanenbaum '08 works out in the weight room in Gosman. He and other students have complained about the facility's equipment. Athletics Director Sheryl Sousa estimated it would cost $100,000 for an improved facility.

Deisathon, an all-night dance-a-thon aimed at raising money for a local battered women's shelter, will not take place this year according to Student Events Director Sarah Blaker '07.

The Student Union-sponsored dance, which would have been in its fourth year, raised $2,000 last year for REACH, the Waltham domestic abuse support agency, Senator of the Class 2007 Josh Karpoff, who helped organize last year's event, said.

But Blaker said Student Events doesn't have the resources to take on the event this year and not enough students attended the event in past years to justify its costs.

Karpoff said the Union doesn't want to sponsor the dance as it is reducing its role as an event-planning organization in order to focus more on advocacy. He suggested to Student Events that they sponsor the fundraiser.

The Union passed a constitutional amendment last year in order to give more money to smaller, chartered groups, which was achieved by significant budget cuts to most secured groups including a 40 percent reduction in the Union's budget.

Former Union President Jenny Feinberg '07, who led the reform efforts, said in January 2006 that the Union is "looking at a drastic cut in the … budget so that we're no longer able to plan events by ourselves."

Feinberg told the Justice then that the Union planned social events in order to fill a perceived need on campus, but that it did not make the most sense for the Union to be a party-planning organization.

Karpoff acknowledged that Deisathon was not very well-attended last year, but he did not have exact attendance figures.

"Student Events doesn't really want to be a part of an event that didn't have such

success," Karpoff said, indicating that he agrees with Student Events' decision to not plan the event.

According to Karpoff's on-line project reports, he has been trying to work with Students Events to hold the fundraiser since the beginning of this year.

"I think they made a responsible choice," Karpoff said. "Student Events has a larger responsibility to have events that attract lots of people."

Robyn Kaplan '06, who served in various capacities in the Student Union during her time as an undergraduate, said she launched the event to start a tradition on campus and was proud of the fact that it raised over $2,000 for charity during the last three years.

REACH, the organization that has received the event's proceeds in the past, in addition to being a shelter for domestic abuse victims, offers a 24 hour hotline, legal advice, and a support network for both men and women who have suffered from domestic abuse.

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