Although not new here at Choate, more student clubs and organizations have been turning to “Phone-a-thons” in order to raise money for club activities like dances and bake sales. In a Phone-a-thon, members of the club make calls to alumni and ask for donations to the Annual Fund, and a percentage of the money made through the event goes to the club. The clubs are “paid” based on their productivity and conduct with the alumni. The program began in the spring of 2005 here at Choate, and any club, organization, or dorm can participate in one, according to Priti Kapoor, the Annual Fund Participation and Phone-a-thon Coordinator. At least five students from the club are needed to hold a Phone-a-thon, and they take place on Sundays so as not to interfere with students’ schedules. Before the actual calling begins, the students are briefed on how to conduct themselves while on the phone and given a “script” which outlines how the conversation would ideally go, and what to do in certain situations that may arise; for example, what to say if the alumnus being called is unavailable or doesn’t wish to give.“...Even with the script and all the information you could want on who you were calling, this was probably the most awkward experience of my life,” mused Vivian Brodie ’08, who made calls in a Phone-a-thon for the French Club. The students are also given some information on the alumni who they are calling, like their address and job. According to Ms. Kapoor, students from clubs are matched with alumni who participated in similar activities as the club members, which facilitates the conversation as there is something to talk about with the alumnus. “...If the girls swimming team was coming in to make calls, we would have them call past alumni who were on the swim team. Matching up calls is a lot of fun for the students and the alumni...The students are able to connect with alumni and compare Choate stories,” explained Ms. Kapoor. “While I am basically doing phone solicitations asking for money, it is kind of fun after you loosen up, it is also a really good way to make money,” summarized Liz Walton ’06, who has participated in a number of Phone-a-thon for her student publication, The Right Side. While Phone-a-thon may seem like a waste of time, they are one of the only ways to raise money for organizations with financial constraints on campus. Last year, the club GLOW sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts in order to raise money, but this effort was time consuming and required a lot of preparation beforehand, and resulted in an insignificant profit for the club, according to an informational sheet regarding Phone-a-thon. GLOW then participated in a Phone-a-thon lasting four hours, which earned them $350. In only several hours they were able to make a substantial profit for their club as well as the school. Though Phone-a-thon are fun, sometimes they can get a little crazy. As one fourth former put it, “One parent of a recent alumni thought I was stalking his daughter when I asked for her new contact information, as hers was outdated. He told me he didn’t want to give me it and to stay away from his daughter. I told him ‘No, I really am from Choate!’ but by then he had hung up.” Nina Tarnawsky ’08, who participated in a Phone-a-thon for the Amnesty International organization, summarized the overall experience perfectly, by saying “It was cool, I guess.”