Last night Kevin Weiss won his room of choice in a game of blackjack. Well, several games to be exact.
The freshman beat out dozens of competitors at the first-ever casino night portion of Martha’s Marathon, held in the Marvin Center’s Columbia Square.
A university tradition since 1966, Martha’s Marathon has in past years enabled students to secure their housing choice for the next academic year in one of two ways: by winning it through a raffle or by bidding on it in a live auction.
This year the Residence Housing Association added another option. In a casino-themed evening that included games of blackjack, poker, roulette and craps, the student left holding the most chips could pick his or her room.
“It was a really fun night and was even better that we won,” says Mr. Weiss, who is leaning toward choosing Ivory Tower for next year but wants to look at a few places with his roommates first.
Martha’s Marathon proceeds, which come primarily from the live auction, benefit the University Scholarship Fund. This year’s event raised about $26,000, says Cameron Smither, a junior and publicity chair for the Residence Hall Association.
Mr. Smither says Ivory Tower quads are typically the most popular housing choice, and last night was no exception. A quad went for $10,100 in the live auction portion of the night. An Amsterdam Hall quad went for the second most: $2,700. Seven other rooms were auctioned off including a double in Munson Hall, a South Hall quad and a single in Guthridge Hall.
Junior Tabitha Minke won the raffle drawing. Mr. Smither says the Residence Hall Association sold approximately 2,500 raffle tickets at $2 a piece. The casino games also required a $10 buy in per student.
The original Martha’s Marathon of Birthday Bargains, as it was then known, was a small auction held in the men’s gymnasium. Items up for bid in 1966 included lunch with the speaker of the house, a curfew extension for a freshman and a football autographed by the GW football team. There was a 25-cent cover charge, and the $2,084 raised was used to buy books for the school library.
“It’s such a tradition,” says Mr. Smither. “It’s great to be part of it.”