First-years Dylan Ruga and Jonathan Lowe, presidents of the new organization 12" of Velvet (charter still pending), are in the process of raising funds for the event and finding disc jockeys. The organization was created to promote an AIDS benefit dance at Oberlin.
Lowe said, "It's going to be an amazing party, like a New York City club."
Members of the organization have been working with the Oberlin City Council, who has already approved the event, and the Oberlin Police Department to help ensure that the event follows safety guidelines and runs smoothly.
The AIDS benefit dance was scheduled on Dec. 6 because the AIDS quilt will be displayed the same weekend in the Heisman Field House. According to Ruga, members of 12" of Velvet want to sponsor the event because they want to help raise money for Red Hot, an organization that distributes money to AIDS research programs.
Ruga said, "Coming from San Francisco, AIDS is a real issue. It's a problem that also has to be dealt with here."
Members of 12" of Velvet are currently working on a press release about the dance to Ohio television stations and newspapers. They also plan to distribute 12,000 fliers in Ohio, New York, and Michigan. Ruga and Lowe are expecting 500 to 1,000 people from on and off campus to attend the dance.
The Student Finance Committee (SFC) has allocated $4,000 to the 12" of Velvet to run the event. Local businesses have agreed to sponsor the event, including Carlyle's Flower Shop and the Oberlin Inn. Admission will be $12 and five dollars for students.
"We want to mobilize the community," Lowe said. He said that many ravers and club kids have or will be affected by the AIDS disease and that 12" of Velvet wants to "raise consciousness at the party."
Lowe said that he has been involved in working for AIDS charities as well as the New York club scene in the past. He said that this is an opportunity for him to combine the two genres for a good cause.
In Stevenson, each dining area will feature either techno, hip-hop, or jungle music. Lowe said that djs have already been booked, from New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Detroit, San Francisco and the general area of Ohio. He said that the organization will present laser shows and distribute free condoms to the dancers as well.
Lowe and Ruga are excited about the event and hopeful that their organization will raise a lot of money. "We want to throw a bomb ass party," Ruga said.
http://www.aidsquilt.org/
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