The J-TAC

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Campus Life

Media Credit: Maelyn Mocniak Instead of charging people to attend Cancer Bash, donation jars were placed around the room. All proceeds went to the American Cancer Society.

April is Cancer Awareness Month, to celebrate Colleges Against Cancer held their first ever Cancer Bash to benefit the American Cancer Society. The event was held in the Barry B. Thompson Student Center ballrooms on Wednesday April 8.

Cancer Bash was a free event open to Tarleton faculty, staff, students and the Stephenville community. It featured bands 6th Market Boulevard, 80 Proof and Cody Gill Band.

At first, tickets were being sold, but after some thought, the event was made free. Instead, donation jars were set up around the room so that those attending Cancer Bash could donate.

"We are more concerned about raising awareness than raising money," said president of Colleges against Cancer, James Reed. "We decided to make it free so that more people would come."

According to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer, which means any student could be affected by it.

"A lot of students don't realize the impact of cancer and how it has or can affect college students," said Colleges against Cancer advisor, Jessica Evans. "So our goal is to bring awareness to the Tarleton community."

Many students seemed pleased that Colleges Against Cancer had found another way to reach out to the Tarleton crowd.

"I think it's a great way to reach out to students on a college campus to make them more aware of what cancer can do," Alycia Pruitt, a junior English major in attendance, said. "It's an event that college students are attracted to, especially with the live bands."

Dr. Dominic Dottavio was pleased with how Colleges Against Cancer came up with a new way to raise awareness.

"TSU cares about the issues and the community," Dottavio said. "It's another wonderful example of how the students are giving back to the Stephenville and Tarleton community."

All of the money raised from Cancer Bash will go to the American Cancer Society.

Colleges Against Cancer has put on several events throughout the year. During the fall they hosted Bowling for Boobs to raise awareness about breast cancer and recently they hosted a dodgeball tournament to raise awareness about testicular cancer. In Nov., Colleges Against Cancer will also help with Relay for Life.

For more information about Colleges Against Cancer, contact Reed at (512) 669-9958 or Evans at (254) 968-9694.

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