FEBRUARY 2007 :: ON CAMPUS

Marathon Runners
On Campus With Chip Newcom and Nadia Rawls, Philanthropy Leaders

By Caitlin J. Noris
Special to The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition

He was less than halfway through, but Chip Newcom didn't think he could go much longer. After 14 hours of dancing nonstop, his knees were starting to give out, and his back was tight.

"I was ready to call it a day," he recalls.

Instead, he strapped on a pair of knee braces and kept on boogying. After all, this wasn't just another weekend college party. It was Dance Marathon, an annual fund-raising tradition at Northwestern University that involves more than a thousand students on campus. And when the final songs of the 30th hour began to play, Chip quickly forgot his swelling knees and achy back. The energized crowd erupted into cheers as the total donation amount raised for the year was announced.

That was a few years ago. Still, Chip remains energized by Dance Marathon. He won't be dancing this year, but he is serving as executive co-chair of the event, along with another former dancer, Nadia Rawls. For them, Dance Marathon isn't just a 30-hour party anymore. It involves nearly a year's worth of work.

Culture of Philanthropy

Dance Marathon has raised $7 million for charity in the past 32 years and is widely considered one of the world's largest and most successful student-run philanthropic projects. The 600 student dancers spend months drumming up donations, and 400 other students serve on various committees to organize the logistics of the weekend, which includes events for non-dancing students, alumni and locals. Nearly one out of eight Northwestern students has some involvement with the event.

Both Nadia and Chip stress how much the students get back from giving so much time and energy to Dance Marathon, which creates a "culture of philanthropy" on campus and encourages students to become more actively involved in community service. "As college students, we can get really caught up in getting a job, working to our future, or which classes we have to take," Nadia says. "There are so many other things that really need to be addressed that are enormous problems, either world-wide or in America."

This year, the primary beneficiary of Dance Marathon is the Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy Foundation. "We have the potential to double the funding they have for research grants," says Chip, which is one of the primary reasons he, Nadia and the Dance Marathon executive board chose CURE as a beneficiary. The secondary beneficiary this year is the Evanston Community Foundation, which supports the suburban Chicago town where the university is located.

Community-service projects like Dance Marathon can also help college students beef up their resumes and develop professional and interpersonal skills. Chip credits his position as co-chair for increasing his ability to manage his time effectively and deal with complex, long-range plans. For Nadia, her leadership position has increased her self-awareness, and made her more receptive to constructive criticism.

Although not all colleges have a campuswide community service event like Dance Marathon, Nadia points out that at most colleges, "there are so many different opportunities and student groups available, that you can find whatever it is you're passionate about." Before taking on leadership positions in Dance Marathon, both Nadia and Chip were foot soldiers in the operation. Nadia, now a senior majoring in English, danced as a freshman and sophomore, and then worked on the Food Committee. "We feed the dancers solid carbohydrates the entire time," she says. Chip, a fifth-year senior majoring in industrial engineering, also danced his first two years at Northwestern. Then he served on the Finance Committee, one of 12 committees that work behind the scenes to ensure that Dance Marathon gets off on the right foot and remains fun and focused.

If you choose to take on a leadership position in such a large on-campus organization, Chip and Nadia say, be prepared to work hard. As executive co-chairs, "we spend 20 to 30 hours a week working," says Chip, and Nadia thinks they'll probably work closer to 80 hours the week before Dance Marathon kicks off on March 2.

'Livin' on a Prayer'

The one question a lot of outsiders ask: Do students really dance for 30 hours? The answer is yes. But how? College students aren't on a particularly regular sleep schedule anyway, but during Dance Marathon "sleeping is not necessary," says Nadia. Students thrive on the concert-like atmosphere of the event. And while the dancers do their thing, members of a Dancer Relations Committee bounce around the room, keeping students awake and active by cheering loudly and encouraging dance-offs. The organizers also play upbeat music and motivational video clips from celebrities like Cindy Crawford and David Schwimmer, who both attended Northwestern.

"Fifteen hours through, we always play 'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi, and it makes everyone go insane," says Chip. "People can go on adrenaline for two hours after they play that song!"

To keep the students from getting bored by the beat, the 30-hour marathon is split into 10 three-hour-long music blocks, with a quick break between each of them. Every block features a different theme, like "Golden Oldies" or "International Music." Some dancers use the breaks to change into costume for the next theme, but most take the opportunity to relax.

"I was happy to be in tennis shoes, shorts, and a T-shirt, but there are a lot of people who get really into the themes," says Chip. "There's usually a prize at the end of every block for the best-dressed dancers."

Nadia liked to dress up when she was a dancer, but she learned after her freshman experience how important it was to prop her legs up during breaks.

"During the 10-minute breaks, the dancers lie on the floor with their legs up against the wall to drain their legs to reduce swelling." she remembers. "I didn't do that the first year, and honestly, I couldn't put on my jeans afterwards!"