Groups to try building rafts out of cardboard, duct tape

Soggy cardboard and duct tape will be thrown into the IU Outdoor Pool this Friday, in hopes that it will function as a boat and get two people across the body of water. \nThe event is called the Cardboard Boat Regatta, and it is the Council for Advancing Student Leadership’s sole fundraiser.\n“The event has a reputation on IU’s campus,” said CASL Administrator Wesley Erwin. “It’s on campus and for campus, but everybody in the community can participate.” \nAll of the money is donated to CASL’s scholarship fund, which awards 10 $500 scholarships for the “Top 10 student leaders” on campus. Students may start applying for the scholarships in the spring.\nAlayna Herr, vice president of CASL, said the event is a fun way to raise money for the scholarship fund, and hopefully with more participation in the Regatta, more money may be allotted to each scholarship winner. \nThis year’s Regatta will feature free food and a performance by Prizzy Prizzy Please, a local band, Herr said.\nRegistration for the Regatta ends Wednesday at 5 p.m. Students may visit CASL’s Web site or drop by the IU Tennis Center to register.\nEven though the Regatta has been going for seven years, CASL’s main function as an organization is to train the student leaders of IU and “recognize and promote student leadership on campus,” Erwin said. \nCASL hosts two speaker series events per semester, he said. In recent years, State Rep. Peggy Welch and former IU Football Coach Terry Hoeppner spoke for the series. \n“Everything we do is related to helping other organizations with leadership,” Herr said. “We want to reach out to as many different organizations as possible.” \nOne way the group “reaches out” is through training workshops, which are specific to the different aspects of leadership. They can range anywhere from tips on how to recruit new members to ways to retain members.\nCASL itself is constantly looking for new members, Herr said. As of now CASL has about 70 members, and the group hopes to get at least 60 more, Herr said. \n“Before CASL, I hadn’t found a group that I wanted to spend a great deal of time with,” Herr said. “We do a lot for the IU community, but we also have a lot of fun social activities.” \nThere is a call-out meeting for CASL from 8 to 9 p.m. Monday in Ballantine Hall room 109, Erwin said. For more information, visit \nwww.indiana.edu/~casl/.