Syracuse University hosted its 13th annual Dollar Day at the Dome on Saturday, prior to Rutgers University’s 19-16 double-overtime victory over SU. The event was facilitated by more than 200 members of SU’s fraternities and sororities.

Dollar Day, part of SU’s United Way campaign, is a yearly event targeted toward students to encourage donations to charitable causes.

Organizers were primarily positioned around the Carrier Dome and on the Quad. But volunteers were stationed as far out as South Campus, Ostrom Avenue and many of the university’s event parking lots, said Jennifer Horvath, campaign coordinator and public information officer for the Department of Public Safety.

It was Horvath’s first year coordinating the event, which she will also run next year, she said. Despite a drop off in donations from last year, the event was an overall success, Horvath said.

In the third quarter of the football game, it was announced via the public address system that $3,667.33 had been raised in total. After the game, Horvath estimated that the actual number was closer to $5,000.

‘It was a little down from last year, but it was cold and rainy out, so there’s not much that you can do,’ she said.

All proceeds went to United Way of Central New York, which directly benefits 95 programs and 35 agencies that are locally based. SU’s United Way campaign runs through Dec. 9, according to the SU Athletics website.

One area that was particularly encouraging was the number of student volunteers, an estimate of about 320, she said. This was up from the 250 students who took part in Dollar Day last year. Though primarily consisting of members of SU’s greek system, students not involved in greek life participated as well.

‘This year our student volunteers were outstanding,’ Horvath said. ‘They stood out there in the cold and rain and raised a lot of money for a great cause.’

Ana Estes, a sophomore international relations major, participated in Dollar Day for the first time this year with her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. She said she liked the fact that a majority of the proceeds go back to Syracuse and the surrounding areas.

‘They told us that one-fourth of people in Central New York are in a program that is funded or is helped out by United Way,’ she said. ‘Every donation is helpful. People can give us spare change, or as much or as little as they want.’

Sarah McKinney, a sophomore advertising major and member of Phi Sigma Sigma, was also involved due to similar reasons as Estes.

‘I didn’t know too much about Dollar Day before, and I signed up because my house did it,’ she said.

Jim Steves, a game attendee, was one of many individuals who donated Saturday. For him, contributing money just made sense.

‘It’s ‘cause it’s the right thing to do,’ he said. ‘You guys are taking your time raising money for a nice cause, and that’s what makes everything go around.’

dmsegelb@syr.edu

Published on October 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum