By ASIA EWART
Staff Writer
Relay for Life: an event started by the American Cancer Society in 1986 that has since spread to 21 countries around the world, including the United States. For twenty four hours, participants walk however many miles they can to raise money for the ACS.
The College of Saint Rose was just one of the many schools that took part in the event every year…until this semester began. There was initial confusion as to why this was, but a few voices refused to sit back and let Relay go without a fight.
“During RA training, I found out that Relay for Life was going to be dropped, and it upset me,” said Andrew Sober, a senior Graphic Design major, and one of the driving forces on campus working to bring Relay back.
“Last year, in April, I lost my father to esophageal cancer, and Relay was a way for me to honor him. From day one, I said that I would do what I can to not try to push it on Residence Life to get them to bring it back, but have a student run Relay for Life. That’s what it used to be.”
Lindsay Reynolds, who is also a senior Graphic Design major, has been actively in touch with American Cancer Society representatives to learn what needs to be done to ensure the event’s revival. “I met with Jessica Giles (an ACS representative) two weeks ago about starting up the CAC (Colleges Against Cancer) again and she explained to me that the American Cancer Society […] has an extra chapter for universities specifically,” says Reynolds.
The return of Relay for Life will begin with a series of steps from the on campus founding of CAC, to speaking with the Student Association, to finding an advisor. Sober and Reynolds plan to go about this like any other club would.
“When Andrew first heard about [Relay not returning], he called me and told me, and I was livid…two years ago, I lost my friend Chris to leukemia, and when I learned that Saint Rose did something like this, it meant a lot to me,” said Reynolds.
Saint Rose ended Relay for Life for a reason. “Relay for Life is supposed to be a campus wide event, but Res Life was the only club contributing anything. It was all through the RAs and staff,” said Sober. “They did all the fundraising and little events leading up to Relay. Over the years, there’s been such a large influx of people coming to this event, and we’ve raised so much money. But it got to be too much for Res Life to handle by themselves. Over the summer, they sent out a bunch of surveys to the staff and faculty asking for help, but only received about four or five replies. There was a board vote not to do it anymore after that.”
“To hear that is upsetting,” said Reynolds. “For members of a board that run this school on passion, knowledge, and purpose and being a big community to do that, what does that say about us? It says we’re lazy; it says we have better things to do.”
Reynolds and Sober are hopeful for the future of Relay for Life, especially with the incoming freshmen this year. “They’re involved; they’re great. To everyone coming in, realize that this is important and build it back. When I met with Jen Richardson and Joe Pryba, she told me that CAC was started by all freshmen,” says Reynolds.
She also shared that many students didn’t know Relay needed that much attention. “They asked me why it was cancelled. They were like, ‘I didn’t know Relay needed so much help. I thought you guys were fine.’ It just wasn’t known.” This feeling was shared by Kelley Tisinger, a sophomore resident student. “I was […] surprised to find out that Relay was being cancelled. Like others, I was unknowledgeable about the lack of support that it had. I think people need to be more aware that it’s not coming back unless we take action. As someone that was a team leader at the Fulton County Relay for Life [in Gloversville] this is something that I have actively participated in and am passionate about.”
Sober and Reynolds are looking for support from the students. “It’s about being together and helping those who have gone through it, and honoring survivors. We have students and teachers who have both gone through cancer and made it. To honor them would be a great thing,” says Reynolds.
For the new Relay for Life club, the mission is not about raising large sums of money; it is about bringing awareness to the struggle with cancer that so many people go through. Sober and Reynolds are working hard to rebuild this event from the ground up, and hope that as Saint Rose is an academic community built on passion, students will do their part by supporting each other and the cause.
