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Printer-Friendly Mode‘Battle’ trophy stays put
September 14, 2009 —
The ‘V’-topped trophy
took a trip to Grand Valley this
weekend, but it didn’t seem to
want to stay for long.
During the seventh annual Battle of the Valleys, SVSU
students raised twice as much as Grand Valley, pulling in
more than $38,400 for charity. They will donate the week’s
funds to Saginaw County’s Boys & Girls Club.
Cardinals heard word of the win at halftime of the rivals’
football game at Lubbers Stadium Saturday night.
A bus of nearly 60 students went to the game, including
Emily Taylor, a creative writing and graphic design
freshman.
“I had a really good time,” Taylor said. “Sure, we lost
the football game, but we took home the trophy.”
The seventh competition win broke the three-three tie
and put SVSU ahead. Even with charity fueling the contest,
school pride was at stake.
A wave of blue T-shirts surrounding the stadium provoked
worry among some Cardinals: shirt sales typically
raise the most funds.
“We were paranoid,” said Ryan Kanine, president of
SVSU’s Student Association. “We mistook their calmness
for confidence.”
Expectations had been huge for them, though.
“The Boys & Girls Club were helping us and talking
up the Battle of the Valleys,” Kanine said. “We were afraid
of not living up to those expectations.”
Anything less than $30,000 hadn’t
even been an option, he said.
By Thursday night, SA estimated
their total at $25,000. Certain events’
totals hadn’t yet been factored in, but
that didn’t prevent a last-day flurry of
activity.
With minutes to go before the
deadline, one SA representative offered
his left arm for money to be stapled to
it. (He earned $2.) Another tried selling
cold pizza and said buyers could throw
it at her face. (She earned no dollars.)
Two more ran around campus selling
the T-shirts they had in hand to people
they wouldn’t fit very well. (One small
girl bought an extra-large.)
“It goes to show that this is something
we care about, and we take it to
the extreme,” Kanine said.
Shelby Meadows, the student chair
at the helm of SVSU’s efforts, said she
figured the biggest problem they faced
this year was how early the competition
had begun.
“It was the second week of school,
so a lot of us had just paid for books,”
she said. “That probably made it harder
for students to give.”
Becky Griffin, speaker of the House
in SA, agreed. “I think it was mostly a
competition with ourselves this year,”
she said, mentioning the spirit she
thought Grand Valley didn’t seem to
have.
Events that usually depended on
volunteers need time for recruitment,
Meadows said, adding that certain
fundraisers’ results went on to show
that.
Top-raising events included Tshirts,
with more than $15,000; a silent
auction, with $2,400; and students’
swipe card meal donations, with
$1,950.
Kanine said he was proud of SVSU’s
success, especially with the problems
this year’s Battle brought. Those,
he added, just tested their efforts.
“It’ll be exciting to see what’s in store for next year.”