By Gal Tziperman Lotan, News Staff
Despite a suspension during fall semester Husky Energy Action Team (HEAT) members said the group’s fourth annual Do it in the Dark, a competition among residence halls to see who uses the least energy in three weeks, was on par with previous years, said Dave Charnuska, HEAT’s executive director.
“We’ve been in a rut of really bad luck,” he said, citing financial and logistical problems in planning programming and promotions for Do it in the Dark. “We had a bunch of really cool events lined up, but at the last minute, it fell apart.”
The event, which began March 19 and will end Friday, is HEAT’s first campus-wide effort after being sanctioned by the university in the fall when organization members violated a clause in Northeastern’s Student Organization Handbook. Charnuska declined to comment what the violation was because the group is still on probation.
The group was barred from fundraising, booking rooms and participating in university activities.
“Our e-board learned from this experience, we learned that things are more complicated than they seem,” he said.
To avoid breaking handbook rules in the future, HEAT’s executive board created binders with guidelines and rules to keep in mind for future boards.
Charnuska, who is the only of the seven-member e-board to graduate in May, said he and other current e-board members plan to stay involved with the group and help younger members navigate school policies.
HEAT did hold an environmental-themed group Jeopardy tournament in afterHOURS March 25, as well as a vegetarian barbeque with Northeastern University Vegetarians United in the library quad April 1.
HEAT members held two dorm storms – residence hall visits to raise awareness – March 15 through 19 and 22 through 24. Because of the dorm storms, Charnuska said, students in residence halls reduced their energy use this year by about the same rate as last, despite HEAT’s internal troubles.
“The results don’t seem to be affected,” he said.
As of Wednesday night, Rubenstein Hall, the upperclassmen residence on Huntington Avenue, was in first place after residents reduced their energy use by 28 percent. Loftman Hall, on Hemenway Street, was close behind with 27.5 percent, and Melvin Hall, on The Fenway, followed with 25.5 percent.
Last year, HEAT held seven events to promote Do it in the Dark, including a campus visit from TV personality Bill Nye the Science Guy, movie screenings and lectures.
Glow-in-the-dark condoms, which HEAT members typically hand out during door-to-door promotions in residence halls and have become a hallmark of Do it in the Dark, did not arrive on time for dorm storming, Charnuska said. They were available at the cookout.
“I know a lot of people associate Do it in the Dark with the glow-in-the-dark condoms,” he said.
The winning residence hall will win a party with food and raffle prizes, including an iPod Nano, SIGG aluminum water bottles, movie tickets and gift certificates.
