"This is the closest my face will ever get to your chest," said Dean of Students Ben Lieber, as a T-shirt bearing his likeness was auctioned off for a hefty sum. The College's first auction for charity took place last Friday, lasting over two hours in Johnson Chapel.

The event benefited the Amherst Survival Center, which is located in North Amherst. The center provides second-hand clothes, shoes and toys and serves meals to the homeless and financially struggling locals.

A MassPIRG event, with additional funding from SoCo, the auction was the brainchild of Pete Cymrot '03, Stacey Rossley '01 and Amber Young '01. "It was so much more successful than I had expected," said Young. The auction managed to raise about $2,000 for the Survival Center.

Items and services that were auctioned off ranged from car washes from the scantily clad track team and four freshman guys offering "anything you want" (for a price, namely $185) to serenades from various a cappella groups. "After those four guys were sold," said Young, "the attitude of the evening completely changed." After that sizable sale, people started getting really excited about the event, eager to empty their wallets for charity.

The most lucrative service up for bid, however, was a personal service tied to President Gerety himself. Purchased by Will Johnson '03, Gerety auctioned off a shampoo and haircut in his office. Exceeding average salon prices, Johnson shelled out a whopping $355 for the do. "Gerety came highly recommended and, as anyone can reasonably see, I am in desperate need of a haircut," said Johnson, who has a near-shaved head. "The fact that the money was going towards a good cause was also a big motivator," he added.

Despite a slightly tame start-up, most people gradually became sucked into the spirit of the event, justifying breaking the bank for charity. "While the bidding was going on, I was not really thinking at all to tell you the truth," said Johnson. "But after the bidding was over and people came up to me and were like, 'What were you thinking?' the whole thing started to set in."

Rave reviews

"I just kept on reaching up and trying to catch all those green lights," said Kat Adhami '04 of last Saturday's Sixth Element: Night Release party. The College laid down a hefty sum in order for the Orr Rink to be transformed into a club-like atmosphere complete with those fabulous green laser lights.

While many had been expecting a spring concert to top off this semester, this dance party alternative to TAP would have to do. Other parties that evening, including the infamous Stearns Returns, may have been responsible for a slightly lower attendance than was hoped for, but the event was a general success by many standards nonetheless. "I thought it was a good change of pace," said Ross Firsenbaum '02. "It brought people from the Five-College community together far better than TAP does ... and it definitely let certain people abuse certain substances."

Those little green glowsticks also provided an additional special touch to separate this past Saturday from conventional debauchery. "The glowsticks really made the night for me," said Josh Block '01.

Spinning was courtesy of Amherst students, Amanda Schupf '01 and Josh Friedman '01, in addition to professional DJs hailing from all over the world. The house and trance music was regarded as a welcome change to many students, although most would rather not have shelled out five bucks on their way in.