Spring Break
They're running in remembrance
Event honors life of student who died in traffic accident, raises scholarship money
Nicole Strittmater
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Campus News
More than 100 people plan to gather at the outdoor track behind McPhee Center Saturday morning for a moment of remembrance.
All together, they will walk a lap around the track, beginning the first "Racin' for Jason" relay event in honor of Jason Schluter, the 23-year-old kinesiology major who died in a traffic accident in Georgia last spring.
Organized by kinesiology professor Lance Dalleck and a group of students, the relay will raise funds for the Jason Schluter Memorial Scholarship the department started last spring through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.
"We can always have that memory of him in our department," Dalleck said. "I think everyone's pretty excited to be doing this for him and for his family."
The department plans to award the first $500 scholarship next semester to a kinesiology major who has a similar zest for life and qualities that made Schluter a valued student in the program, Dalleck said.
Faculty and students in the department already raised the amount needed for the first award, and now they are working on endowing it, which requires a commitment of $10,000.
Dalleck said they hope to raise that in the relay.
"I wouldn't be surprised that we get pretty close to that," he said, adding that an anonymous alumnus donated $1,000, and other faculty members gave sizable contributions. "A lot of people are pretty motivated."
The sunrise-to-sunset relay begins at 7:05 a.m., and teams will walk and run around the track and campus until 4:36 p.m.
Some plan to participate for the full nine-and-a-half hours, while other will walk a lap or two.
"I'm one of the crazy ones that's planning to run the entire time," Dalleck said.
Everyone has a sponsor who will donate for the amount of distance they cover, such as $1 for every mile.
Senior Jason Beran helped organize the event and said he is glad so many people wanted to participate.
"I think it's awesome to get that many people involved in this. I'm pretty excited," he said. "That's pretty sweet that everybody's willing to help out."
He said he didn't know Schluter personally, but wanted to help him be remembered.
Saturday, Beran plans to run 12 miles and hopes to raise about $200.
Dalleck said anyone interested can register the day of the event or contact him with questions.
"Certainly we're welcoming anybody," he said. "It's a pretty neat event to do. (It's) another way to just have a tribute to him each fall."
All together, they will walk a lap around the track, beginning the first "Racin' for Jason" relay event in honor of Jason Schluter, the 23-year-old kinesiology major who died in a traffic accident in Georgia last spring.
Organized by kinesiology professor Lance Dalleck and a group of students, the relay will raise funds for the Jason Schluter Memorial Scholarship the department started last spring through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.
"We can always have that memory of him in our department," Dalleck said. "I think everyone's pretty excited to be doing this for him and for his family."
The department plans to award the first $500 scholarship next semester to a kinesiology major who has a similar zest for life and qualities that made Schluter a valued student in the program, Dalleck said.
Faculty and students in the department already raised the amount needed for the first award, and now they are working on endowing it, which requires a commitment of $10,000.
Dalleck said they hope to raise that in the relay.
"I wouldn't be surprised that we get pretty close to that," he said, adding that an anonymous alumnus donated $1,000, and other faculty members gave sizable contributions. "A lot of people are pretty motivated."
The sunrise-to-sunset relay begins at 7:05 a.m., and teams will walk and run around the track and campus until 4:36 p.m.
Some plan to participate for the full nine-and-a-half hours, while other will walk a lap or two.
"I'm one of the crazy ones that's planning to run the entire time," Dalleck said.
Everyone has a sponsor who will donate for the amount of distance they cover, such as $1 for every mile.
Senior Jason Beran helped organize the event and said he is glad so many people wanted to participate.
"I think it's awesome to get that many people involved in this. I'm pretty excited," he said. "That's pretty sweet that everybody's willing to help out."
He said he didn't know Schluter personally, but wanted to help him be remembered.
Saturday, Beran plans to run 12 miles and hopes to raise about $200.
Dalleck said anyone interested can register the day of the event or contact him with questions.
"Certainly we're welcoming anybody," he said. "It's a pretty neat event to do. (It's) another way to just have a tribute to him each fall."
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