Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Annual Rock-A-Thon benefits Early Learning Institute

As students walked up the steps toward the Point Cafe last week it was easy to tell something was different, louder in fact for the 67 straight hours.”This is college, who needs sleep?” said WPPJ General Manager Nate Zerambo as he stepped away from all the musical chaos that the Rock-A-Thon has brought to students for the past 31 years.”Its all about college rock insanity,” Zerambo said. “Ultimately this event is to provide money for the Early Learning Institute. This money is going toward a great cause.”From the afternoon to wee hours of the morning there was always something bizarre going on in the hallway outside of Point Cafe, on the air waves on 670 AM and online at WPPJRadio.com during the entire 67 hours of Rock-A-Thon 2011.Rock-A-Thon is a long-standing tradition at Point Park University which was created in 1980 one DJ who broadcasted live for 67 straight hours and only excused himself once to take a shower.”We’re really trying to get back to the roots of this music marathon, especially by implementing the Last DJ Standing marathon during all of the other scheduled events,” said ZeramboThis year, WPPJ gave away prizes, like gift cards and iPods, and hosted games. Students could throw a pie in the face of a Community Facilitator (CF), try to guess what Ramen noodle flavor they were eating while blindfolded or try to win a date with Wayne Weil, the assistant news director.”I felt like I had to do it for the cause,” said Kevin Calhoun one of the two DJs taking part in the Last DJ Standing competition last week. His partner in crime throughout this event, Andy Schatch also felt compelled to participate.”No one else was stepping up and I feel as though being on the board made me feel obligated to volunteer before any of the other DJs, and plus it’s going to a good cause so I knew I could stay up and do it,” Schacht said.All the caffeine, especially Mountain Dew, could have been what contributed to all of their energy even at the 48-hour mark of the marathon. At that point, the two DJs had been awake for 42 hours.”Quitting isn’t an option,” Calhoun said. “It never crossed my mind, and even if it did I knew it wasn’t something I would do.”WPPJ has raised over $30,000 for The Early Learning Institute (TELI) throughout the years of the Rock-a-Thon. Money is raised through sponsorships from local businesses willing to support the cause.Founded in 1958, originally named St. Peter’s Child Development Centers,  The Early Learning Institute helps children aged five and under to realize their fullest potential through “comprehensive, individualized early intervention and early childhood education programs.”Care services include speech and language developmental therapies, as well as autism and sensory integration specialists.”I hope we can make of much as an impact this year as we have in the past for these kids,” said Zerambo, who was worried about all the competition they were facing this year.”With the Condom Carnival and the CarnEVIL all going on in the same week, it’s hard to know exactly how we will make out, but we’re all hoping for the best,” he said.This year the Rock-a-Thon’s efforts did not go unnoticed, and they ended with a grand total of $400.98 for the Early Learning Institute this year, a feat that made WPPJ proud.As for the Last DJ Standing competition, Calhoun and Schatch lasted 64 hours, meaning they only slept for three hours during the length of the Rock-a-Thon and now both say that they are, “Looking forward to showering and sleeping, but would do it all over again.”

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