THIS 1964

Muhammad Ali (then BORN Zeppo Marx – 1901

DATE IN ON THIS
Cassius Clay) wins the world Sally Jessy Raphael – 1935
heavyweight title by knock- George Harrison – 1943
ing out then-champion Sonny Sean Astin – 1971

HISTORY Liston in seven rounds.

DATE
www.dailycampus.com Monday, February 25, 2008 Page 7

Partying For A Cause

HuskyTHON Raises $50,000 For Children’s Hospital
by J ohn B a i l e y
staff writer
Parties are all about the
moment. You have a great
moment, then another – one
after the next, fueled by thump-
ing music, good friends and
buffalo wings. You feel super-
charged, raw, alive.
And then the moments have
passed you by and you have to
wake up the next morning and
clean up that giant purple stain
and who knows how you’re
going to replace your mom’s
antique dresser. And you don’t
feel very alive any more.
But what if you woke up the
next morning and, instead of
destroying your house, you had
raised over $50,000 for sick
children?
As it turns out, you feel pret-
ty good.
Hundreds of students gath-
ered in the Greer Field House
for HuskyTHON 2008, danc-
ing their way through Saturday
night and through to Sunday
morning. Sporting colored
shirts to denote their status,
staff members, volunteers and
dancers alternately danced, ate,
hung around or participated
in the bevy of activity sta-
tions donated by SUBOG. And
everyone was part of the fund
raising operation: every blue-
shirted dancer had to raise at
least $100 in order to be con-
sidered a registered participant,
and with over 200 dancers par-
ticipating, the donation money
quickly built up.
“In terms of dancers, this
is one of the best years,” said
Eric Teisch, the marketing
director of the event. “We had
something like 100 last year
and we’ve more than doubled
that this year.”
And then, with a hurried fare-
well, Teisch dashed off to one
of the two opposing stages set
up in the middle of the room,
joining the rest of the volunteer
staff, the program directors and
the pink-shirted Morale team in
the hourly “morale dance.” The
DJ spun a genre-spanning mix
of popular dance tunes, and the
volunteer staff paired elaborate
choreography with each one.
“We keep everyone pepped
up – [the dancers] are here all MATT LIN/The Daily Campus
At the end of HuskyTHON 2008, participants learned that their endless hours of dancing had
please see MORE, PAGE 9 raised $56,920 to benefit the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

AsACC Celebrates Cultural Diversity

Asian Nite Spotlights Different Facets Of Heritage Including Dress, Music
by J o ann a A r pie
c a mpus corr espo nd ent
The Asian-American com-
munity at UConn used its
music and dance to celebrate
their culture on Saturday night
at the Jorgensen Center for the
Performing Arts during Asian
Nite ‘08. For the 14th year
in a row, the Asian American
Cultural Center with help from
the Pan-Asian Council, worked
to put on a fantastic display
of Asian heritage. Hosts Tina
Kim and Rickinder Grewe led
the audience through a night
filled with entertainment of
all kinds and a clear message
about the importance of having
pride in your ancestry.
Dancing took center stage at
the event. From traditional cul-
tural dances to modern fusions
and hip-hop, there was dancing
of all sorts everywhere and it
was a sight to see. Kappa Phi
Lambda and the Male Asian
Cultural Society (MACS) bat-
tled it out in a step routine
that was fun and lively. Set in
detention, both groups went
back and forth to prove who
could out dance the other. The
ladies of Kappa Phi Lambda
turned heads with their sharp,
fast-paced movements com-
pletely in sync while blind-
folded. Not to be beaten, as
the lights came on the MACS
revealed themselves adorned
with white masks and gloves
as they stepped together in
a fierce routine. In the end
the battle was a draw as both
groups stepped their hearts
out. It was clear the perform-
ers were having a great time on
stage and the audience loved
watching them.
The Nepalese Students
Association put on a tradi-
tional, yet intriguing perfor-
mance. Dressed in rich reds,
golds, blues and greens, they
Members of the Male Asian Cultural Society performed a step routine with masks at Asian Nite on Saturday.
glided across the stage in what
seemed an effortless fashion
that created a truly beautiful
vision.
Showcasing their culture’s
unique dance, the Filipino
American Students Association
put on a great performance.
Male dancers wore head dress-
es and sarongs as they moved
across the stage with wooden
poles. Meanwhile, the women
put on quite a show by balanc-
ing woven baskets and stacked
pottery atop their heads. If
that was not enough, they also
danced while continuing to bal-
ance, never dropping a single
MATT LIN/The Daily Campus
basket or pot.
Adding some spice to the
show, the Iranian Association
performed a sultry cultural
dance that got the audience
shaking their hips along with
the performers.
Many of the performances
incorporated traditional and
modern music which really
excited the audience.
One of the most highly
anticipated groups of the night,
Husky Bhangra, certainly lived
up to the hype. They performed
a traditional Punjabi dance, but
modernized it by mixing in
music like Jim Jones’ “Ballin”
that got the audience moving
along with them. Dancers were
constantly moving, sending the
crowd energy through the roof.
The invigorating music was
pounding so hard – it was as
if you could actually feel their
dance.
“Husky Bhangra put on a
great show – their music was
good and they were just really
exciting to watch,” said Kumail
Zar, a 2nd-semester business
major.
Another performance which
fused classical and modern
dancing was UConn Surya.
At first it was their stunning
red and gold attire that caught
everyone’s attention, but once
the music started it was the
combination of fast footwork
and elegant arm movements
that mesmerized the audience.
In a more modern number,
AsiAN-IMATION worked the
crowd with a choreographed hip
hop routine followed by break-
dancing set to Michael Jackson
throwbacks like “Thriller” and
“Smooth Criminal.”
Goondas and Gulabis ended
the show with a Bollywood-
based, hip hop-infused num-
ber. From the fast, rhythmic
dancing to the dazzling cos-
tumes and invigorating music,
the act was a great way to end
the show.
Besides dancing, perform-
ers of all different mediums
please see POETRY, PAGE 9

AACC Crowns Mr., Ms. Black UConn YOU LIKE ME,

by K at herine H a n n af i n
cam pus co rrespo nd en t
Students, parents, faculty and staff filled
all seats of the Student Union Ballroom
Saturday night to be impressed by the tal-
ents and intellect of seven contestants for
the Mr. and Ms. UConn Black Pageant, and
other remarkable acts. Moravia Latortue
III, a 3rd-semester civil engineering major,
and Ronke Oyeniya, a 4th-semester political
science major, took the titles of King and
Queen at the end of the night after a close
competition.
This year’s theme for the annual student-
run pageant was “Dynamic Duos,” which
the participants could use to inspire their
routines if desired. The Ballroom was
adorned with all white and black decora-
tions and the stage was set up in front of a
panel of five judges comprised of faculty
and staff members.
There were also presentations from a
variety of entertainment groups interspersed
throughout the evening including authentic
African dancing by the African Students
Association, step routines by the UConn
All-Stars, and an original poem by Caresse
Spencer about what “Dynamic Duos” really
means.
The talents of the groups did not show
up the contestants, however. Earl Stallings,
SHAUN LEVY/The Daily Campus
Ms. Black UConn Ronke Oyeniya (left) and Mr. Black UConn
Moravia Latortue III flank AACC director Willena Kimpson
Price after the pageant Saturday.
an 8th-semester psychology major; Omar
Felder, a 2nd-semester exploratory major;
Latortue and Richard Tompkins, a 2nd-
semester business major, were the four male YOU REALLY LIKE ME!
contesters competing against each other
with monologues, rap lyrics, piano perfor-
mances, and original poem recitations.
Female competitors Nephthalee Edmond,
a 6th-semester allied health major; Brittany
Green, a 2nd-semester acting major and
Oyeniya acted out scenes from plays, recit-
ed monologues and sang.
The stage was transformed into a runway
during the “Casual Wear” and “Formal
Wear” components of the pageant.
“It’s a traditional pageant with the mod-
eling, talent acts and Q-and-A … we just
don’t have the swimsuit element,” said
Willena Kimpson Price, director of the
African American Cultural Center.
The contestants strutted down the run-
way, succeeding at getting hoots and howls
from the engaged and supportive audience
members.
The decision for which contenders would
be crowned seemed like a near-impossible
feat at the end of the talent acts. The
question-and-answer segment was the final
and most challenging part of the pageant.
The thought-provoking questions diffused a
more serious and anxious atmosphere while
the contestants had to quickly think of intel- AP
ligent answers to difficult questions. The
Josh Brolin (left) and Javier Bardem celebrate after 'No Country For Old Men' won Best
Picture at Sunday's Academy Awards. For more in-depth coverage, see page 8.
please see PAGEANT, PAGE 9