“Going once…Going twice…SOLD!”
Students of Dixie State College bid big money on potential hot dates for Thursday night’s Thurs “D” event, contributing to charity through a date auction in the Gardner Ballroom.
Bidders weren’t shy with their spending as many of the final bids reached more than $100. The Service Committee of DSCSA raised $2,390 for the Dixie Care and Share through the students who bid on the 31 featured dates auctioned off.
“The reason I want to do this is because all the money goes to charity,” said Jeffery Moody, a junior business major from Fillmore, and a date auction candidate. “I feel it’s a good opportunity to help others out.”
Prior to the start of the auction, many people said they would be surprised to see any bids reach more than $50. For those being auctioned off, some expected to just break $20.
“I think for certain people it could get really exciting,” said Connor Fankhauser, a junior biology major from St. George. “I’m not exactly sure how high it will go, but I’m sure we’ll get some good funds out of it.”
Service and Americorp specialist Mary Nell Lundquist said she assumed the auction would be a bidding war. More than 300 hands rose to make a bid on the 17 men and 14 women on the auction floor. The women in the audience, with a total of $1,208, contributed slightly more overall than the men with $1,182.
Two of the people in the auction bid on each other and won. Madison Swapp bid the most for the evening at $180 for Jake Harris. He bid $105 for her.
Moody said he hoped someone would buy him for at least $15. Moody was the third person on the auction. A girl purchased his date package for $19.
Kaylie Smith, a sophomore communication major from St. George, said she would have bid for one of the studly dates if she had more than $20 to her name. Smith said she didn’t know where other students were getting so much to bid on dates, but some could have come from their parents.
“Basically I just wanted to do something different,” said event coordinator Jordyn Hanevold, a junior elementary education major from Logandale, Nev. “I was really scared that people would be scared to [bid], especially girls. Girls are a little bit shy about that. But it turned out really well.”
Hanevold said she only expected to raise $600 from the event, and because of the auctioneers the auction was a success.
“In years past we used to auction off the individual,” said student body president Brody Mikesell, a senior integrated studies major from Henefer. “We switched to going out to get sponsors to actually donate dates and we auction the dates off. All the local companies and businesses in St. George were really receptive and supportive to the donating.”
Sawyer Bullock, a sophomore business major from St. George, bid $150 on his girlfriend.
“I really never planned on bidding that much,” Bullock said. “But since it was all for charity, I wanted to make her feel like she was one of the high bids.”
Like others who bid on dates, Bullock and his girlfriend will be enjoying their $150 date consisting of bumper boats, a Kneaders gift basket and movie night in the near future.
