DCU Raising and Giving week will focus on fundraising in a move away from the traditional drinking associated with the event.
Organised in conjunction with the DCU Students’ Union, RAG week will run in Week 6 from 11th to 15th March. Events planned for the week include a Casino night, granny bingo and a condom race.
Co-chairperson of DCU RAG Society Gary Gillick said that the society planned events that would be different from usual RAG week events. “You could be drunk for our events, but you could be sober, too. We don’t encourage drinking.”
He said DCU RAG week is “all about raising money. We try to encourage people to remember what RAG week is supposed to be about”.
This was echoed by Nicola Leddy, Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator in the SU. “Everything doesn’t have to be drink related, which is why many events will take place during the day.”
Event dates are yet to be finalised but plans include a RAG ball, a mystery 21st party and RAG pong. Gillick explained the idea of the mystery 21st. “Everyone turns up to the event and puts their name into a hat. We pull a name back out and its their 21st. We have the cake, we have the DJ, different things like that.” A night out in a different club every night is also being planned, at reduced rates if students take part in RAG week events.
RAG Society is hoping to get other clubs and societies involved in the week by holding a Be a RAG Hero day on Thursday. On this day it wants to get clubs and societies to raise as much money as possible through events of their choosing. The society or club that raises the most will be crowned Hero.
Monies raised by the SU will go to Headstrong.ie, Cycle for Life and Temple Street Children’s Hospital, their designated charities, while monies raised by RAG Society will go towards seven social projects, including a number of activities that work with disadvantaged children in Ballymun.
Aisling Kett
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