Dear Editor, I write to you as fundraising chair of this year’s Relay For Life, in order to express my great disappointment and frustration with the coverage our event received this Monday from Student Life News Editor Sadie Smeck.

The track around Francis Field was packed Saturday night with students, faculty and cancer survivors—all of whom braved cold and rain to to support an ongoing fight against cancer. Despite a lower turnout than it has had in previous years, this year’s Relay for Life raised $259,823.10.

Francis Field will host Washington University’s Relay for Life. The steering committee of this year’s Relay at the University announced that the event will proceed as originally planned. The Athletic Complex had been designated the alternate venue in the event of inclement weather.

Relay For Life is this weekend. From 6 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday, an estimated 1,800 students, faculty, staff and community members will join together on Francis Field for a night of celebrating, remembering and fighting back against cancer. Will you be there? As Friday’s edition of Student Life highlighted, Mardi Gras is also this Saturday.

Students planning the Relay for Life fundraiser at Washington University are worried that Mardi Gras will keep fellow students from attending. The events, which will lead students to opposite sides of St. Louis, are both scheduled for March 5.

Competitive eating made its mark on the DUC on Feb. 19 as 196 students from 32 teams took on the Vermonster Challenge in an event co-sponsored by Relay For Life and Mr. Wash. U. Team Banana Split scarfed down 20 scoops of ice cream and other toppings with a winning time of a minute and eight seconds. Banana Split was composed of sophomores David Zhang, Alex Gu, Nick Justin and seniors Jerry Yu and Peter Lam. Relay For Life celebrated its success in raising $32, 523.44 in 48 hours, which is a national record. Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer So is on March 5th while Mr. Wash. U., a fundraiser for City Faces, is on March 24.

Relay for Life’s newly introduced fundraiser has helped make Washington University’s Relay one of the most successful Relay programs in the nation. The fundraiser, called $48K in 48 Hours, raised more than $30,000 for Washington University’s upcoming Relay for Life. The event lasted from 10 p.m. on Feb. 16 to 10 p.m. Feb. 18.

Relay for Life was held from March 20 at 6 p.m. to March 21 at 6 a.m. This year’s event featured approximately 1,600 participants and raised roughly $180,000.

Freshman Jordan Wagner will be the featured survivor speaker at Washington University’s Relay For Life.

Photos from the 2009 Relay for Life.