[SIAP] THON phasing out canning by 2019

[bmw199]

I have been a part of this philanthropy in every possible way and I completely disagree with this decision. I feel for the family of the student who died while traveling back to school from a canning trip, but this is not the answer. It is a shame as society we must now be so concerned with blame and being accused of being responsible for others mistakes that such precautions are taken. Accidents happen, normally from negligence of those in the accident not anyone else or group miles and miles away. As a society no one takes responsibility for themselves anymore and it's horrible, the first thought in any accident is "who can I sue", or by bystanders "well, if it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened" when clearly this is not the case.

Ultimately this will hurt fundraising and it also hurts the experience of being involved. I have a feeling they aren't going to ban trips to Hershey to see adopt-a-family patients, or trips to the adopt-a-families houses to spend time with them, so then why ban canning, because we must blame someone. Ridiculous, God help where our society is heading. </rant>

http://thon.org/node/4615

 

[Art]

Also have sympathies for the family of the student who died in the accident, but the rationale to eliminate canning is one of the better examples of mush-headed thinking I've seen in a while. Has the fingerprints of some senior PSU administrators all over it.

 

[mmp121]

I have been a part of this philanthropy in every possible way and I completely disagree with this decision. I feel for the family of the student who died while traveling back to school from a canning trip, but this is not the answer. It is a shame as society we must now be so concerned with blame and being accused of being responsible for others mistakes that such precautions are taken. Accidents happen, normally from negligence of those in the accident not anyone else or group miles and miles away. As a society no one takes responsibility for themselves anymore and it's horrible, the first thought in any accident is "who can I sue", or by bystanders "well, if it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened" when clearly this is not the case.

Ultimately this will hurt fundraising and it also hurts the experience of being involved. I have a feeling they aren't going to ban trips to Hershey to see adopt-a-family patients, or trips to the adopt-a-families houses to spend time with them, so then why ban canning, because we must blame someone. Ridiculous, God help where our society is heading. </rant>

http://thon.org/node/4615

The undoing of personal responsibility over the years has really eroded our great society. Its a shame what happened to Vitalya Sepot, and I'm sure the family, friends and the THON organization were devastated.

However, the University / THON cancelling canning is NOT the answer. Typical knee jerk reaction to anything negative. I fear for the future generations of our country.

 

[kgilbert78]

And if they are going to do it, why wait?? Just makes them more vulnerable to a lawsuit.

 

[Still in State College]

I am surprised this hasn't come sooner. Students are "mandated" to participate in their organizations efforts which leads to legal exposure.

I personally have seen students canning in very dangerous situations (standing in the median on Rte 22 just east of Monroeville). Young people take unnecessary risks and with today's helicopter parenting you really have to be careful in what you sponsor/endorse.

It is a shame but it is the world we now live in.

 

[psu00]

It's simple- make it mandatory to the participating groups that canning must be non mandatory for its members. This decision is just not bright or consistent. If it's such an issue- why not ban it now? Phase it out and by their logic they'd be 'more' responsible because they said it was a danger issue but did it anyway.

Are we now going to ban Penn St football games because someone could get in an accident and die on the trip up or back on game day? Penn St would never do that because football brings in too much $$$$. Funny how we have to cancel 1 for fear of possible injury but not the other.

 

[kgilbert78]

It's simple- make it mandatory to the participating grips that canning must be non mandatory for its members. This decision is just not bright or consistent. If it's such an issue- why not ban it now? Phase it out and by their logic they'd be 'more' responsible because they said it was a danger issue but did it anyway.

Are we now going to ban Penn St football games because someone could get in an accident and die on the trip up or back on game day? Penn St would never do that because football brings in too much $$$$. Funny how we have to cancel 1 for fear of possible injury but not the other.

I know of a large org that no longer does large (over 1000 at a time) student trips. Why? Over a 20 year period of doing this, two students died in separate swimming accidents--and the org was sued. Law of averages states that with that many people over that much time, eventually something bad will happen. It is inevitable, no matter how careful you are. But people want someone to blame.

 

[PSU_Nut]

While liability is a huge issue not only with transportation but with canning itself in high traffic areas. Another problem is aggressive canning has soured people on THON. I know in my town there was a THON article about canners are not allowed in several businesses because they were harassing customers. In other communities canners have been ticketed for soliciting within the right away or with out permits. I spoke to many people who have been annoyed by canners or who simply don't trust them that all the money going to where it suppose to. The phase it out allows students to develope better and more efficient means of raising money.

 

[fairgambit]

Penn State continues to evolve into just another large vanilla university, like so many others. Joe's Grand Experiment once set us apart but that legacy was trashed by our own BOT. Our beautiful campus once set us apart, but then we entered the BigTen and felt a need to build ad nauseam until we now look like so many other schools. THON appears headed toward a garden variety student run charity like dozens of others, more successful for now, but for how long? I could go on and on but the point is we are not much different here than Ohio State, or Michigan State. Some would say that's not a bad thing. I guess just miss the days when I thought we were special.

 

[MtNittany]

While liability is a huge issue not only with transportation but with canning itself in high traffic areas. Another problem is aggressive canning has soured people on THON. I know in my town there was a THON article about canners are not allowed in several businesses because they were harassing customers. In other communities canners have been ticketed for soliciting within the right away or with out permits. I spoke to many people who have been annoyed by canners or who simply don't trust them that all the money going to where it suppose to. The phase it out allows students to develope better and more efficient means of raising money.

This reads suspiciously like a screed from the anals of the lair. What imaginary town do you live in where all these imaginary Thon students are getting ticketed and harassing the town folk? Crazy Paco's basement?

 

[PSUSignore]

While liability is a huge issue not only with transportation but with canning itself in high traffic areas. Another problem is aggressive canning has soured people on THON. I know in my town there was a THON article about canners are not allowed in several businesses because they were harassing customers. In other communities canners have been ticketed for soliciting within the right away or with out permits. I spoke to many people who have been annoyed by canners or who simply don't trust them that all the money going to where it suppose to. The phase it out allows students to develope better and more efficient means of raising money.

If true, that's a completely different problem that can be addressed by a different solution than an outright ban. This decision is disappointing. I'm curious to see the effect on the THON totals in the coming years. We already saw the impact less canning had this year.

 

[PSU_Nut]

This reads suspiciously like a screed from the anals of the lair. What imaginary town do you live in where all these imaginary Thon students are getting ticketed and harassing the town folk? Crazy Paco's basement?

You can deny it all you want but it a reality. I know other places kids have been cited for canning. More often the police just tell them to move along. I happen to know the family in Carlisle and it is a shame.

http://cumberlink.com/news/local/co...cle_61ecd6d7-d4a7-5359-8a53-49eded5d676d.html


http://m.wgal.com/Penn-State-Students-Ticketed-For-Fundraising/6637850

http://www.meadvilletribune.com/opi...2a5-5a85-5b2a-8ef5-b1bf38a3055d.html?mode=jqm

 

[MtNittany]

You can deny it all you want but it a reality. I know other places kids have been cited for canning. More often the police just tell them to move along. I happen to know the family in Carlisle and it is a shame.

http://cumberlink.com/news/local/co...cle_61ecd6d7-d4a7-5359-8a53-49eded5d676d.html


http://m.wgal.com/Penn-State-Students-Ticketed-For-Fundraising/6637850

Those links are pretty funny. Oh wait. You're serious aren't you?

 

[psu2016]

I have been a part of this philanthropy in every possible way and I completely disagree with this decision. I feel for the family of the student who died while traveling back to school from a canning trip, but this is not the answer. It is a shame as society we must now be so concerned with blame and being accused of being responsible for others mistakes that such precautions are taken. Accidents happen, normally from negligence of those in the accident not anyone else or group miles and miles away. As a society no one takes responsibility for themselves anymore and it's horrible, the first thought in any accident is "who can I sue", or by bystanders "well, if it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened" when clearly this is not the case.

Ultimately this will hurt fundraising and it also hurts the experience of being involved. I have a feeling they aren't going to ban trips to Hershey to see adopt-a-family patients, or trips to the adopt-a-families houses to spend time with them, so then why ban canning, because we must blame someone. Ridiculous, God help where our society is heading. </rant>

http://thon.org/node/4615

I agree with you, but trust me, canning was going to be phased out accident or not. The accident just gave them an excuse.

And to those talking about canning being made non-mandatory - it already is. No org can force you to go per se. But of course there's going to be immense pressure in some orgs, particularly fraternities and sororities. Nothing THON or anyone else does could change that.

 

[86Engineer]

You can deny it all you want but it a reality. I know other places kids have been cited for canning. More often the police just tell them to move along. I happen to know the family in Carlisle and it is a shame.

http://cumberlink.com/news/local/co...cle_61ecd6d7-d4a7-5359-8a53-49eded5d676d.html


http://m.wgal.com/Penn-State-Students-Ticketed-For-Fundraising/6637850

http://www.meadvilletribune.com/opi...2a5-5a85-5b2a-8ef5-b1bf38a3055d.html?mode=jqm

Wow, you cite three instances, including one from 2011, in what must be THOUSANDS of canning trips taken over the last 30-40 years.

You are a nut, for sure.

The only ones that will suffer from this stupid decision are little kids with cancer...as if they haven't suffered enough.

 

[psualum10]

The thing is PSU has a habit of overdoing it when something happens. Do any of you remember Joe Dado's death a few years ago (freshman who drank too much fell down a flight of stairs on campus) ... the university basically tried to ban drinking after that (to no prevail of course). There's always an overreaction to this and this (the ending of canning) is one of them.

 

[Sproul]

I spoke to many people who have been annoyed by canners or who simply don't trust them that all the money going to where it suppose to. T

Well I can see that. Delta Chi would fund their parties with the canning money in 2000/2001 (perhaps longer). They also got busted stealing holiday decorations from people's yards in college heights to use them for their themed parties.

 

[PSU_Nut]

Wow, you cite three instances, including one from 2011, in what must be THOUSANDS of canning trips taken over the last 30-40 years.

You are a nut, for sure.

The only ones that will suffer from this stupid decision are little kids with cancer...as if they haven't suffered enough.

I am sure there are many others out there. Not everything makes public or the paper. Most when told they are not allowed don't go to the papers. Do you think every incident is public?

The last time I checked there are other ways to raise money. Canning is not the only way. If the students put in as much time using alternative fundraising methods then canning and children with cancer will not suffer. People hate change but let not act like canning is the only way to raise funds.

 

[bmw199]

A few things:

1. I guilt tripped and "forced" people to go canning in my fraternity (wasn't hard, I was in charge and my sister was a survivor). But make no mistake from day 1 every potential member was told if you join you are expected to go canning. If you don't want to do that then DON'T FREAKING JOIN. That BS about being forced to go canning is nonsense. It's just more deflection of responsibility. "My little Johhny shouldn't be forced to do the thing you told him he was going to need to do if he joined." GTFO.
2. I was a moron who, 10 years ago, thought he was invincible (as if I still don't) so I would run in the street and and chant (20s 1s 10s and 5s... Help to save these children's lives) and wave my signs and collect money. Was it safe, no. Was anyone else responsible for my actions, no just me.
3. I understand people don't want idiots like me running in the streets, even for a good cause. Fine. I would be ok with an ending to roadside canning. I am not ok with saying "don't drive back to your hometowns bc something might happen and we'll get blamed." I was on other trips to towns where there were no good intersections so we dropped someone off at Wawa, then someone down the road at Acme, then a few people at Wal-mart and we had a decent trip (with business permission of course).

All in all, it's a combo of a lack of responsibility taking and wussification.

 

[zwick99]

I have been a part of this philanthropy in every possible way and I completely disagree with this decision. I feel for the family of the student who died while traveling back to school from a canning trip, but this is not the answer. It is a shame as society we must now be so concerned with blame and being accused of being responsible for others mistakes that such precautions are taken. Accidents happen, normally from negligence of those in the accident not anyone else or group miles and miles away. As a society no one takes responsibility for themselves anymore and it's horrible, the first thought in any accident is "who can I sue", or by bystanders "well, if it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened" when clearly this is not the case.

Ultimately this will hurt fundraising and it also hurts the experience of being involved. I have a feeling they aren't going to ban trips to Hershey to see adopt-a-family patients, or trips to the adopt-a-families houses to spend time with them, so then why ban canning, because we must blame someone. Ridiculous, God help where our society is heading. </rant>

http://thon.org/node/4615

I am glad. Canning is annoying. You don't see NFL teams canning when they have multi million dollar charities. It is time to move into the 21st century. Students can raise the same money or MORE by phone, TV, internet, corporate sponsors, ect. No need to drive 300 miles and panhandle for loose change.

 

[zwick99]

A few things:

1. I guilt tripped and "forced" people to go canning in my fraternity (wasn't hard, I was in charge and my sister was a survivor). But make no mistake from day 1 every potential member was told if you join you are expected to go canning. If you don't want to do that then DON'T FREAKING JOIN. That BS about being forced to go canning is nonsense. It's just more deflection of responsibility. "My little Johhny shouldn't be forced to do the thing you told him he was going to need to do if he joined." GTFO.
2. I was a moron who, 10 years ago, thought he was invincible (as if I still don't) so I would run in the street and and chant (20s 1s 10s and 5s... Help to save these children's lives) and wave my signs and collect money. Was it safe, no. Was anyone else responsible for my actions, no just me.
3. I understand people don't want idiots like me running in the streets, even for a good cause. Fine. I would be ok with an ending to roadside canning. I am not ok with saying "don't drive back to your hometowns bc something might happen and we'll get blamed." I was on other trips to towns where there were no good intersections so we dropped someone off at Wawa, then someone down the road at Acme, then a few people at Wal-mart and we had a decent trip (with business permission of course).

All in all, it's a combo of a lack of responsibility taking and wussification.

How much did you raise per person canning? Would it have bothered you if one of your members skipped canning, made a couple calls and raised the same amount of money by phone?

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

I am glad. Canning is annoying. You don't see NFL teams canning when they have multi million dollar charities. It is time to move into the 21st century. Students can raise the same money or MORE by phone, TV, internet, corporate sponsors, ect. No need to drive 300 miles and panhandle for loose change.

"You don't see NFL teams canning when they have multi million dollar charities." ????

I can't even......

 

[FourDGlory]

If you read the report, I think the decision is a good one.

Canning has been representing a smaller % of money raised in the past 3 years. The amount raised is holding steady while raising money through other methods (internet, mail, phone, etc.) is rapidly increasing.

THON should be investing in ways to reach more people through technology rather than putting the kids on street corners. There are better ways to raise awareness and money in 2019 than standing in the middle of street and driving 3 hours.

Let's move forward and not hang on to old traditions that don't make any sense in today's environment.

 

[bmw199]

How much did you raise per person canning? Would it have bothered you if one of your members skipped canning, made a couple calls and raised the same amount of money by phone?

A good trip $300 a person. Average trip $200, rarely less than $180. That was always an option, it's a lot harder to "make a few calls" and make that in a weekend then you're making it out to be. Idk what family you came from but my relatives certainly wouldn't fork over that much. In fact I wrote personalized to my friends families and parents each year, very wealthy people, most I got back from any of them was $10 a year.

Here's the other verse of my chant "Quarters, nickels, pennies dimes, all of it helps to save lives", it adds up.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

I have been a part of this philanthropy in every possible way and I completely disagree with this decision. I feel for the family of the student who died while traveling back to school from a canning trip, but this is not the answer. It is a shame as society we must now be so concerned with blame and being accused of being responsible for others mistakes that such precautions are taken. Accidents happen, normally from negligence of those in the accident not anyone else or group miles and miles away. As a society no one takes responsibility for themselves anymore and it's horrible, the first thought in any accident is "who can I sue", or by bystanders "well, if it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened" when clearly this is not the case.

Ultimately this will hurt fundraising and it also hurts the experience of being involved. I have a feeling they aren't going to ban trips to Hershey to see adopt-a-family patients, or trips to the adopt-a-families houses to spend time with them, so then why ban canning, because we must blame someone. Ridiculous, God help where our society is heading. </rant>

http://thon.org/node/4615

I figure that the canning experience is one big reason that the BJC is filled to overflow for one weekend a year.

 

[bmw199]

I figure that the canning experience is one big reason that the BJC is filled to overflow for one weekend a year.

I have been on crazy fun filled trips to houses or cabins that lacked "adult" supervision that were a blast, met an ex that way, and I've been to very emotional and deep trips to the families homes or hospital visits to Hershey. Either way I couldn't imagine not having those experiences. My best friends in the world to this day are my fellow co chairs from Acacia and Gamma Phi Beta.

 

[BobPSU92]

So obviously all THON activities that require students to leave their rubber rooms will be banned. Everything will have to be done online and virtually from now on.

 

[jjsocrates]

So obviously all ANYTHING activities that require students to leave their rubber rooms will be banned. Everything will have to be done online and virtually from now on.

Fixed that for you. God forbid a kid takes a gym class at Penn State and drops a bowling ball on their toe. Or gets sunburned on spring break. Or slips on some ice when they're home on winter break.

Better to let the students rest in a vat of goo, with electrodes hooked into their mind so they can generate enough voltage to power the machines, um, er, I mean - so they can attend classes virtually without any risk.

 

[MtNittany]

...as the alums continue to phase out their financial support for any and all things this administration has their fat little fingers in.

 

[86Engineer]

If you read the report, I think the decision is a good one.

Canning has been representing a smaller % of money raised in the past 3 years. The amount raised is holding steady while raising money through other methods (internet, mail, phone, etc.) is rapidly increasing.

THON should be investing in ways to reach more people through technology rather than putting the kids on street corners. There are better ways to raise awareness and money in 2019 than standing in the middle of street and driving 3 hours.

Let's move forward and not hang on to old traditions that don't make any sense in today's environment.

You need to re-read it then.

"Since 2012, we have seen a 32 percent fundraising growth in our online giving with canning only seeing a 5 percent fundraising growth."

They are talking about GROWTH, not the overall total.

 

[86Engineer]

I am sure there are many others out there. Not everything makes public or the paper. Most when told they are not allowed don't go to the papers. Do you think every incident is public?

The last time I checked there are other ways to raise money. Canning is not the only way. If the students put in as much time using alternative fundraising methods then canning and children with cancer will not suffer. People hate change but let not act like canning is the only way to raise funds.

They are already employing those methods. Canning is the way to get something, anything, from people who would not otherwise give.

 

[MtNittany]

They are already employing those methods. Canning is the way to get something, anything, from people who would not otherwise give.

He must see too many ads for making money from home on your computer.