What Happens After THON: A Look into the Teardown and Cleanup Efforts

Story posted February 19, 2020 in CommRadio, News by Josh Portney

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- With just days left before THON weekend, the many committees are working overtime to get everything ready for what will be another successful weekend of fun, fundraising and camaraderie. However, another huge undertaking will happen after THON weekend ends: the teardown and cleanup of the Bryce Jordan Center.

The cleanup crew for one of the largest annual events at the Bryce Jordan Center is massive, with each organizing committee involved in some way to help return the venue to its original state. Most committees are assigned to various sections across the stadium, but there are also many committees responsible for cleaning the mats and the bathrooms.

The first stage, which has been described as the rough draft phase, of the teardown process involves a general sweep of all the areas at the Bryce Jordan Center. This happens right after THON ends, so naturally, everyone is exhausted but the stadium comes alive with booming music to keep the student volunteers awake.

Then, the real work begins. During the second phase, the committees do a deeper cleaning of the venue, as they usually mop about five times, sweep, and then mop again. As this deep cleaning is going on, the committee members are often allowed to leave and take a quick dinner break.

Last year, the committee members were released around 1 a.m., but the Captains and the Lieutenants had to stay for the fourth and final phase. This is a last sweep of the entire stadium, but it mostly serves as an opportunity for the leaders to get together for one last time to celebrate the ending of THON.

Lucy Paules is a lieutenant on the Operations Committee for THON 2020. She spoke about her experiences and how the cleanup efforts are so important.

“The most important part of the cleanup process is working with your committee in order to get the Bryce Jordan Center as clean as possible,” she said. “Because the Bryce Jordan Center is so gracious to let us use the event all weekend, we want to return it as clean as possible.”

To mark the official end of THON 2020, captains and lieutenants will also participate in a new event called the “Big Return,” when all the equipment and supplies are carried back to the off-campus storage facilities.

 

Josh Portney is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jxp776@psu.edu.