January 2009 issue
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Student Column
Students Raise $1,500 for Geoscience Library
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BY ANTHONY STADNYK
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Despite their small cash flow and limited time, University of Calgary geoscience students showed a mountain of generosity at the annual Rock for the Gallagher dance and cabaret, Nov. 1. Organized by the student-based Rundle Club, the themed event grossed over $1,500 for the Gallagher Library, primarily through the sale of raffle and dance tickets.
“This year’s RFTG was a definite success,” said Runde Club co-president Janelle Irvine, an APEGGA university student member. “We had a huge turnout, and people were really generous.”
To coincide with the department’s 45th anniversary, this year’s dance featured a 1960s theme and music from Ronnie and the Fixations, a 1950s-’60s-style band.
To Calgary’s geoscience under-graduates, the Rock for the Gallagher is more than a library fundraiser. Indeed, RFTG is a critical tradition — an annual opportunity to get creative, wear something ridiculous and have fun!
In keeping with that tradition, nearly all the 2008 Rock for the Gallagher costumes were elaborate and highly crafted, with many attendees sporting 1960s apparel. Some of the more unique costumes included a group of six dressed as the band from the Muppet Show, as well as the duo of Craig Richardson and Colin Rowell, two APEGGA student members who came as the Rockstar Knights.
“Craig and I worked on those costumes for over a year,” Colin said with a laugh. “Basically we collected a whole bunch of Rockstar energy drink cans, cut them into plates and sewed the plates onto a mesh to look like armour. We probably put in 40 hours over that last week alone.”
New fundraising ideas at this year’s Rock for the Gallagher included the introduction of a raffle and a piggy bank toss. These measures gathered a lot of support from faculty and students who were unable to attend the dance but still wanted to support the library.
“The support for the piggy bank idea was pretty extraordinary,” remarked Janelle. “Folks were putting 20-dollar bills in there. That says a lot about the kind of community we have here.”
Another $200 was raised through the sale of raffle tickets, with a large number of prizes donated by Snowspeeders Clothing Company, the Den and the Rundle Club.
The Gallagher Library plans to put the money to towards the purchase of interactive resources.
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GUITAR GHOULS |
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