The group working to improve attendance at athletic events is refocusing its efforts in light of what they’ve found out so far. While talking to various campus groups to work on their original plans, they discovered that the things groups wanted and the things groups were willing to give lined up. They’re now working to facilitate the initial connections between these groups.

“I’m excited about getting all these parts of campus working together,” said group leader Michael Dillon. “It just seems like one of those things that needed to happen.”

In their kickoff document, the group outlined plans to work with the Interfraternity Council, Residence Life, RAs, and the Athletics Department on a set of competitions among the fraternities and among the residence halls to motivate students to attend specific games.

These goals haven’t changed, but the group’s work will now focus on facilitating contacts between campus groups. Their hope is that once these contacts are made the groups will pick up on the initiatives and carry them on without the Senate’s help.

“Once we have all the machinery lined up, it will just take care of itself,” Dillon said.

The competitions currently in the works include two trophies to be awarded to the greek houses that show the greatest attendance, one for numerical quantity and one by percentage; a party to be held for the residence hall floor that shows the best attendance; and entry into a drawing for merchandise from the bookstore for fans who attend the games.

The exact details of these projects are still being worked out.

The group is about a week behind their initial schedule because last weekend’s snowstorm prevented the Senate from meeting.

Group member Michael Borzumate said the group also set lofty goals for itself and “we’ve been hit with a little reality.” However, he remains optimistic.