Commuter students to hold date auction for orphans in Africa

The Association of Commuter Students (ACS) will host their eighth annual date auction on Tuesday as part of their Hot Commuter Nights week which runs from Tuesday through Saturday.

The auction, which will be held at the Rathskellar, will raise money for an orphanage in Tanzania run by alumnus Billy Bludgus, a project the ACS has helped for the past eight years.

“We feel it is very important to not only give what we can to people in need, but to help alumni and the UM community at the same time,” said Jaife Calil, president of ACS.

Bludgus, who graduated from the University of Miami in 2006, joined Jesuit Volunteers International after graduating and has served at the Blue Hope Orphanage since. He also teaches English, Science, Math, and Values Education at Loyola High School which has about 1,000 students many of which are the same orphans he cares for at Blue Hope.

“It’s great to get such a large group of people for such a good cause,” said Pietro Bortoletto, a member of ACS. “Rarely do you see this many come together for a single cause.”

Commuter students represent the largest student organization on campus which allows them to host much larger events and garner more attention from the community.

“ACS, I would like to think, plays an important role on campus,” Calil said. “Because we are a social organization, our spirit for UM is what brings us together and drives us to participate in everything possible.”

The theme of the auction is Mardi Gras. Other events over the week include a Bingo tournament, commuter breakfast, video game tournament,  capping it all off with a day of service on Saturday.

“It is important to also maintain a good reputation at UM and this event bring positive people to an event they can have fun at,” Calil said.

The lucky date winners will spend the rest of the evening eating with their prize at the Rathskellar.

If You Go
What: Association of Commuter Students (AC)S Date Auction
Where: The Rathskellar
When: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Why: All proceeds from the event will go towards the Blue Hope Orphanage in Tanzania